cross-cut slice of a log

[fathead]

I would like to save some slices of a nice walnut log for a couple of projects but i dont know how to keep them from splitting. For info. the tree blew over three weeks ago and the logs range in size from 24" to12".If anyone has had  luck doing this it would be great to know thanks,fathead.

[redprospector]

The best luck I've had at drying pieces like that is to cut them at an angle, the more angle the better. This makes the piece more oval than round though. Stack them where they get a little air flow, and hope for the best.

Andy

[TinMan]

I tried that on a oak log once. DanG thing split like crazy. However I didnt put it in a very cool place, and it was outside (Covered). If i had it to do over im thinkin i would put a heavy ratchet strap around it, put some sealer on it and put in a dark hole somewhere for a really slow drying. Im no expert at this kinda thing ??? ??? ??? Im sure someone else will come along who has done it, and it worked... ;D ;D

Good luck

[backwoods sawyer]

Submerge it in water for a couple of years then seal it up and burry it in a sawdust pile in a cool spot for another year. Never let it see the sun, or wind. Reseal it when you pull it out of the sawdust pile and finish slow drying it in the barn or under your house, off the ground of course. Treat it like a burl.

[Chico]

go to hardware store and get these nylon straps that have the ratcheting buckle on wrap it around the diameter every couple days do it again make sure and ly it flat
Chic You could get small irons but I assumed you wanted to0 stay away from them also

[Long Look]

If you cut them thick enough, a coating of either AnchorSeal or latex paint will slow the drying so minimize the splitting.  Then you have to remove it later to use the piece of course.  If you use a sander or plane them down, you need the extra thickness to insure you can remove all the coating later.  AnchorSeal is just a wax coating that you apply like paint and is not messy or hard to remove.   

[Kelvin]

Rounds will split no matter what you do i believe.  Its a fact of life due to uneven wood shrinkage.  Sapwood shrinks more than heartwood and the split develops to relieve tension.  You can soak in PEG, a woodturners solution that replaces the water in the wood cells keeping the dimension the same.  Even if you put a steel band around a round it will go.  Some guys make a nice cut instead of letting it crack, so its smooth.  Then take the wedge out of a sacraficial piece and put the piece of pie back in when its done drying.  This is cheaper. 
Good luck, and oh, if you do cut on an angle it will keep better.  Not sure what angle it would take to aliviate the the split, but somewhere around 45 i would think.  It has to be more like a board, and less like a disk.
KP

[Burlkraft]

It's expensive, but Pentacryl works quite well.

[Jeff]

I suggest practicing with sliced baloney in a frying pan. ;D  Really, its the same Dynamics at work. Try and fry a slice of baloney and keep it from cupping. You can if you put a slice in it, then as the baloney fries, you will see the slice gap open. As the moisture leaves the baloney, it shrinks at the same rate on the circumference as it does at the center. You would have to either find a way to keep the moisture from leaving the baloney, or find a way to replace it with something else, if you don't its inevitable that the baloney is simply going to get eaten by me.

[thedeeredude]

I never saw a bologna tree around here, but I think there's a lot around the Palmyra area.  They're mostly concentrated around a factory called Seltzer's

[burlman]

well you can this. I build rustic furniture, and have built many disc tables. after slicing a cookie from a log, I soak the piece with anti freeze. ya glycol. I slather it on with a brush. let it dry out for a couple weeks, then repeat. so far, perfect results on all softwoods, butternut, basswood. I just aquired a black walnut, so we will soon be trying this out. I tried some large white elms, they stayed perfect in the barn for a year, but I brought them in the shop and set them on the radiant heat floor, mistake, way to hot to quick, but only one clean split, thats where I'll stick the table leg as a feature. waste not want not. good luck.