Thread: "Cheesed" Yellow gum?

Hi everyone,

Remember, on the 18 of this month, when I went to take my vehicle for service to my mechanic, drop a load of firewood and get the rest of that unusual timber that I believe was Cork Tree? .
Well after I done all that, The mechanic asked me if I would cut a medium gum next to the fence where vehicles are parked, this gum has been dead for at least 3 years, and was braking appart dropping dead branches on parked vehicles. Was another tree that he had asked me to cut on the back of the working shed, which did grow to wide having plenty of big branches hitting on the tin roof all the time. This tree was healthy very green and as heavy as lead, they call it the platypus gum, and everything in these trees is super heavy, even the leafs.
Coming back to the original subject, the dead gum called yellow gum up-here, as in pretty bad shape, and after I cut it all in small logs for firewood, I kept the three butt for myself (about 2x feet tall, and 1 1/2 foot across with a fork starting low from the ground. After I cut it, i decided to slip is down to the middle for easy handling, and I cut it so that I had the "V" shape of the fork on each half. The timber was very dry,and no signs of any cracks at all, even on the small logs cut for firewood. Took then home with the intention to cut a large round blank from each half, so i didn't paint or sealed it anywhere. The half logs were dropped under cover nearly in front of the entrance of the main shed so that I would organise to have them round, painted all around and put away to dry. I had no chance in the first week, but on the second week, there is last week, I notice splits appearing on the half surface and on the end-grain, so I though is time, get them done quick..! yeah, sure, even with the cool weather we have been having these last few weeks, and being under cover, didn't change the fact that this 2 half's just cracked and slipped like a Swiss cheese, every 24 hours the cracks are nearly doubling in size and in depth, so I'm not going to wast my time trying to salvage pen blanks out of it, it will go the firewood pile, but I keep it a little longer just for curiosity sake. I have plenty of yellow gum, nothing ever like this!

What you're reckon...?

Cheers
RBTCO