Cutting Hollow Cookies on WMLT15

[caveman]

Update on live oak cookies: the 1" cookies that were cut a week ago and stored outside on a hay bale in the shade began developing small (1/4") splits today.  The ones sawed at 1/2" are shaped like bowls.  The ones in the greenhouse were not split or moldy on Friday.  I did not think to look at them this morning when I went to school to feed the critters. 
Caveman 

[WDH]

Thinner than about 1 1/4" and they can hold water  .

[YellowHammer]

In an experiment for me to understand just how much distortion is induced by the drying stresses in cookies, I made a poplar cookie then used a circular saw to make a single cut from the outer edge to the center.  As the cookie dried, the saw cut widened from a little 1/8" saw kerf to a very wide gap.  Whenever I mill cookies for customers, I show them this "Pac Man" shape so they know what to expect, and not be surprised if they see cracks forming.
YH

[Ianab]

That's a great example of why wood cookies crack. The wood can seldom withstand that amount of shrinkage without something letting go.

[caveman]

The 1" live oak cookies opened up a bit more today.  It was the first day in awhile that was not really humid (day after a cold front-got down to 50°ish this a.m.).  The cookies that were cut on a bias or cut with the log clamped at probably a 15° angle to the blade have not cracked yet.  A relief cut, might be prudent to at least control the splitting.  I guess member JMoore will get to have all the fun cutting the cookies for the wedding alone since I will be completely occupied at the county fair the week prior to the wedding we are providing the cookies.

On another note, back when I was a kid, I saw a lot of cypress buttresses used to make tables and clocks.  With as much water as cypress holds when green compared to when it is dry, how are those discs dried without splitting?
Caveman

 

[Ianab]

Did the cypress stumps have a lot of buttress roots and ingrown bark? Those act as natural expansion gaps. Also the cypress, although wetter actually shrinks less, and isn't as hard, so it can deform a bit more. Add all those together and it makes cypress less likely to crack

[caveman]

Thanks for the reasons on the cypress, Ianab.  Most of the big cypress around here are long gone.

I learn new things on here every day.

[Evergreen Man]

What would happen if you dried the log first? Say you took a 4' piece and kept it in the house for a year or stuck it in a kiln for a long time. Would that stabilize the wood?

[WDH]

No.  If could be worse.  The same forces that are acting on the cookie are acting on the log.

[caveman]

Update. While spraying insecticide in the greenhouse this afternoon, I had a minute to inspect the cookies I placed there last week.  So far, none of them have split (1/2", 1" or the ones sawed on a bias).  They have not started growing mold yet but I expect them to any day.
Caveman

[Bill Gaiche]

Speaking of square cookies for the floor. When we were at Denali, Alaska a couple years ago, one of the large restaurant that Princes Cruise lines uses has its floor done in about a 6" square cookie's. It looked pretty cool. bg

[caveman]

Update on cookies in the greenhouse.  Most have cracked by now.  Some have not.  They are not moldy since we only water every other day for about five minutes this time of the year and with the sides on.

Also, I attempted to cut a few relief cuts from the bark edge to the pith on the live oak using a band saw (Yellow Hammer used a circular saw) to control the crack.  The tension in the cookies was so much that I could not get the blade out of the cut using either a wedge or a chisel.  I had to cut all the way through to extract the blade making half cookies.  The one I did cut to the pith with a chop saw has behaved a lot better than the others.

We are making more cookies, candle holders and some other "rustic" wedding stuff next week for another wedding.
Caveman

[Nomad]

     I've had only one call for me to cut cookies for wedding decorations.  They had to be cut to several specific sizes, and the lady wanted them for free.  (According to her they're a natural waste byproduct from a sawmill, don't ya know.) :  No, she didn't get any cookies.

[WDH]

No, she didn't get any cookies.

Bill,

That, too, is quite natural. 

[Magicman]

 

 
These Walnut cookies were cut from a dead/dried/well seasoned log.  I have loaned them many times for weddings.  Most of the Cedar ones on the left cracked.

[caveman]

JMoore and I sawed some on Saturday for a couple.  They wanted several different sizes so they could make cupcake stands in addition to the 10"-12" standard request.  They brought their own logs.  We also suggested that they bring winter cut logs if they wanted to retain the bark.  Most of the bark stayed on but these logs were not cut this winter.  JMoore recommended brad nailing any loose bark or affixing it with Gorilla Glue (expanding).  We spent about an hour total, which included washing logs, clamping odd shaped logs, and cutting cookies.  We clamped all of the logs except one very well.  We also got over 2" of rain that day.  I even caught a crawdad that was walking around the mill.

During the deluge, we even managed to sell some pecky cypress and cedar to the father of the groom to be and three nice cedar slabs to two other customers. 

Caveman