Making Riser Blocks

[bulldog42]

Looking for any and all advice on how to go about this situation. I have about 5 sections from the trunk of a walnut tree that are about knee height and I am wanting to make some riser blocks from these. Some have bark all the way around and some have partial bark on them. They have been sitting in my garage for around a year. Would these be dry enough or should I go ahead and cut them a little bigger than I am wanting for riser blocks and then let them dry out? I am not really sure how to go about this and I am wanting to use this walnut if possible in my first bow build. Thanks in advance for any help!

[fujimo]

roughly - very roughly 1 year per inch in the round,
so a 6' tree will take 3 years to dry, split it and it dries way faster- remember a tree outer was designed to retain moisture- not leak it!!
so by cutting to close to finished size will speed things along- only way to tell for sure is to cut it up and use a moisture meter- invaluable tools- especially for bow building, considering you are about to embark upon this downwardly spiraling addiction   :D  

if you have a de humidifier and some builders plastic , you can make a kiln.
a frame out of 1" x1", a light bulb, and a dehumidifier- and you will get her down in no time!!
dry it too fast and it will check- too much heat and some woods will case harden- and then rot- not trying to scare you- but do a little research at what rate you want to be losing moisture at, and go by that- i can do some inquiring on my side , and check my notes.

[bulldog42]

Alright this definitely gives me a starting point. Hopefully the woodshop teacher that we do some work for will let me use some machinery in order to mill down these chunks of walnut. Thanks for the help!

[bulldog42]

Do you have any suggestions as to how thick I should cut these blocks? I was going to cut them fairly thick to allow for possible warping as they dried or is that something to even worry about?

[David Flanrey]

Bulldog, I do this often.  I use a bandsaw to cut the short logs down to a manageable size.  I try to keep them around 2"x4" or 3"x4".  Either take them inside your house or put them over or around a stove or heat vent.  Make sure you seal the ends good.  Your chuncks of walnut are probably wetter than you think.

[bulldog42]

Yeah I figured they will be pretty well still. They are too big in diameter for a band saw but was thinking about using a chainsaw to rough cut them to about a 3x4 size. Does anyone have any better suggestions?    also what would be the best way to go about sealing the ends? A couple already have some end checks but hopefully aren't very deep and I will be able to just cut a little off the end. Once I get them down to size I was thinking about just putting the blocks in a wood  shelf in our basement that is in our basement that is near a dehumidifier and is also next to a gas pilot that we use for rebluing guns that is used fairly often. Would this work just fine?

[David Flanrey]

You can seal the ends with lots of things.  Glue, varnish, paint, polyurethane, wax.

Your idea about the chainsaw will work.  Also, the storage will work.

[bulldog42]

Alright thanks for the info! I'm back from spring break at my university but go home on the weekends so I know what I will be doing Friday when I get home. Thanks again for heading me in the right direction as I start this whole process!

[fujimo]

remember to "sticker" them so air can flow around them

[bulldog42]

Do you mean to make sure there is space between so that they can dry on all sides? And if so any guidelines as far as how far apart they need to be from each other?