Thread: Storing green logs

Aw, come on guys! Fifty-eight views and not one reply. Y'all probably think my questions are dumb and classed under "woodworking 101".

Don't know about 101 but certainly questions I am interested in to. I have some branches and 2 x 3mtr lengths of African Tulip log (A weed I know but still wood) I cut down on my block. I have used some of the branches to learn resawing. The logs I feel I should be slabbing but don't have the time to do that at the moment and just going to see what happens when left to cure as a log. If it doesn't work, no loss due to being a weed tree.

As for your questions, The first thing I would be doing is cutting a 30mm disc off the end of the bunya. Think it would make an excellent lathe project. As for sealing and slabbing, I can only go on what they sell at the woodwork shows. Slabbed and when sealed, it looks like a thick wax. The Camphor laurel, I see abstract shaped band saw boxes.

Sorry I can not be more help.

I am sorry no one has given you any advice yet. There are far more experienced with green logs than me but.....What I would do is have a think about what you would like to use them on ie cut log into "planks" to end up making a box or would the chunk be better to use as a bowl to turned on the wood lathe. The first thing you need to do is paint the ends of the logs with any old paint you have on hand. Or dissolve polystyrene into thinners to make a thick(about the consistency of honey) liquid and paint that on the ends. If you decide to make boxes you will have to slice the log into boards and then put them on stickers (Thin strips of timber of equal thickness) and leave in a sheltered airy place to dry for may be a year. The slices have to be reasonably thick because they will deform as they dry and you will have to dress them down to finished size. If your target thickness is 13mm you would have to slice them to 25mm. With bowl blanks, cut them to over size shape and paint all round Its hard to give you specifics without seeing the logs first hand. I am sure some one from the Forum would be happy to slice them up with a chainsaw mill

Originally Posted by cre8tivesoul

Aw, come on guys! Fifty-eight views and not one reply. Y'all probably think my questions are dumb and classed under "woodworking 101".

59 now and with a reply.

This is the way I do it.

I try and ensure that the ends are not uneven with bits coming out. I leave the bark on the log and the log as long as possible but manageable on my own. I think it is recommended to be longer then it is wider as the piece turned might be a bowl.

I am currently using ordinary house paint to paint the ends of the log. There is far better stuff to use that will seal a lot better then house paint but that's what I have. I am also painting it again six months later.

The storage is inside the garage on some pallets. Trying to circulate them every six months or so.

Thanks guys! Y'all are awesome! I am soaking up all the advice like a desiccated sponge. I'm so glad I joined this forum. I've always enjoyed the challenge of woodworking projects but never had the chutzpah to tackle green wood. Now, I'm armed with info (and dangerous! Bwahahaha!) I'm a bit ill-equipped when it comes to the necessary power tools though, but I'm sure when the time comes, a solution will present itself. Still don't know what I'll be creating from these (I mostly make flutes, psalteries and other musical instruments), so for now, I'll store them as logs in my garage. I'll lop off that uneven end off the bunya pine before painting the ends on all of them, and then, I'll stack them on an old wooden pallet we have downstairs.

My biggest concern is lyctic borers... How do you prevent damage from these little monsters? A few years back, my kindly next door neighbour had given me a huge log of Norwich pine and I ended up tossing it away because it was absolute Swiss cheese!! After that, the "dream" of seasoning my own green wood died off... Until now.

Still have no clue what kind of timber that last photo is. All I know is that it weights a bloody ton! Input anyone?

For drying timber you should cut it up to as small as you can use, even if it is just cut them in half. Seal the ends with log sealer, or thick paint, or even PVA glue to minimise cracking.

For bugs I drown the pieces in Boron powder dissolved in warm water. If you can't get any, use Borax from the supermarket, add as much to a warm bucket of water as will dissolve. The timber will suck it up and help protect it once dry. Also better to remove the bark, but sometimes you want to keep it, so just do the best you can.

last log, being very heavy and where you are, my guess would be Sheoak.

Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by dai sensei

For drying timber you should cut it up to as small as you can use, even if it is just cut them in half. Seal the ends with log sealer, or thick paint, or even PVA glue to minimise cracking.

For bugs I drown the pieces in Boron powder dissolved in warm water. If you can't get any, use Borax from the supermarket, add as much to a warm bucket of water as will dissolve. The timber will suck it up and help protect it once dry. Also better to remove the bark, but sometimes you want to keep it, so just do the best you can.

last log, being very heavy and where you are, my guess would be Sheoak.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Neil! It does help a whole heap. I have some borax powder I can use for soaking them. Should I soak them prior to sealing the ends? I've already painted them (oops!) I did leave the bark on them, too.

I forgot to mention that those logs actually originate from a rainforest-like area in Uki NSW (near Mullumbimby). As for that mystery log, I'm not sure it's Sheoak... It is quite heavy, but the bark is really spongy to the touch... It's really weird!

I usually spray with the boron mix as I cut my timber, then seal as soon as I can, but if you have sealed already just see how you go. I have some logs i sealed with polystyrene and petrol many moons ago, that dries to a hard skin, that has numerous perfect round holes through it. They are on logs I had selaed before I knew about boron, so probably borers on the way out.

There are many sheoaks around Mullumbimy, Forest Sheoak/Swamp Sheoak etc, could be either of those. Hopefully someone with more timber knowledge of the area might reply. I have already milled Blackbean, Ausy Cedar, Crows Ash and Red Ash from the same area, and I have 6 large Camphor Laurels and a large White Cedar (TBC) to cut up next weekend (or 3 or 4 ). They are being dropped by loppers mid week.

Cheers