Drying wood

[Johnny Reb]

yesterday I stopped by a gents house to look at a large piece of wood I'd seen there before, turns out its a black walnut limb, big end is probably about 18 inches around little end is around 7 inches, total length is well over 20 feet, has a few forks where limbs come off the sides , mite be some interest'n wood in there I'm think'n.

If I were to cut this up (think'n maybe a handle for a nice bow at some point & several other ideas) what would be the smartest way to go about it for the best drying of the wood ??


Thanks in advance.

[Johnny Reb]

Or what about have'n the pieces taken to a dry kiln ??

[David Flanrey]

I wouldn't take it to a kiln.  Have it sawn and stack it in a dry place with space between the planks so that air can get around it.  Will take a while to dry but will be good stuff when it is.

[wood carver 2]

If you have it cut into 2 inch boards, you can get risers and lams from them when they dry.
Dave.

[Johnny Reb]

Big thanks guys, get'n it sawed mite be a problem, its bent & twisted nearly the entire length, maybe a small band saw could cut short pieces into thick planks.

 worste case maybe cut it into short pieces & chain saw it into ruff boards, maybe use a wood maul & wedges to split it like when make'n fence rails.

Just hate to see it wasted.

[Drewster]

See if you can find someone in your area with a portable band mill to saw it into manageable slabs for you.  Or cut it into lengths that you can handle and have a woodworking company or mill work company band saw it into slabs for you.

I would NOT have it kiln dried either.  The color will be much more beautiful if it is air dried.  
Like David said, put your sawn pieces on 3/4" x 3/4" stickers in a protected area and let it dry for several months.  Protect it from rain and direct sun but somewhere you have good air movement.  

After a few months  you could move it into a heated area.  It will typically take a year per inch of thickness to season well.  If you have a hot box or other drying equipment you could certainly speed the process up.  Good luck.  Air dried walnut is pretty stuff.

[Erwincm]

I'd also suggest sealing (painting) the ends with some latex house paint, wood glue, or Scotch brand spray adhesive right after you saw it up into logs to minimize checking (end cracking) as the wood dries. You'll end up with much more usable wood.

[Johnny Reb]

The guy who has the limb owns a portable band saw, the only straight pieces are just a few feet long, most of it is curvy & twisted.

The curves were what original got my attention, my first thought was to use one of  the arches to make a nice rustic head board for the bed, peel the bark & clean it up, add some large knotty spindles to fill it in, but when I found out it was black walnut I got other ideas also.

[scars]

To get the most bang for your bucking. Take your knife look for some interesting bark and look at the shaved area. You will get an idea of what real wood will look like. Do that on 10 to 30 spots on the limb. What you are looking for is swirls, waves and dots. If the bark has those then the wood will too. 36- 40" lengths will make lambs. 24" areas will make riser stock, I would bring a piece of chaulk an mark it out as you go along the limb. All of the limb crouches will be great no matter what it looks like. Try to get as much of that in longer lengths. Once it is bucked to length seal the ends.
Seasoning rule of thumb one year per inch. Your going to have to decide what and how you will cut to thickness. 1/2 " slices will be ready in six months. Funiture grade thickesses 1" to 1 1/8"  2X's 4x's you do the math.
Once cut to size you will need to sticker each layer with the stickers exactly on top of each other. Helps keep wood straight and reduce chance of twist.

[Johnny Reb]

Thanks again, lots of good info here, now I have a starting place.