craks in wood

Am I burning perfectly good blanks?
I just put into my fireplace a half log about 10" in diameter
18" long of nice maple.
I watched it burn, before going in, the ends showed signs of cracks, I would say that they only went in tops 2" at each end.
this wood is dry, or at least in equalibrium with the ambiant air.
As it burns the core was cracking more but at the same time the outer area was visualy wet.
That's the nature of it, ( getting to my question)
Wood will always want to aclimatize itself to it's environment
plastic seems to slow down the water vapor progress,
Do you let your pieces breath? or do you try to seal them completly from atmospheric conditions?
I live in Quebec, Canada, so the types of wood I'm burning are
sugar maple, birch, oak, I don't burn soft woods (btu and resin),
and a lot more types of hardwoods.
Are there hidden marvels in the wood I burn?
Are 10" diameter pieces workable?
Thanks.

YES

Eek, Yes you are. Most of what I work is firewood pieces less than ten inches in diameter. If you really want to get rid of maple, birch, or oak feel free to send any to us. Speaking for myself I'd be only to happy to return the favour.:eek:

I would not have any problems sending you some blanks,
I must first learn how to prepare blanks! and if customs permit's.
Australian hardwoods, for where I live, they would be considered
exotic. I'm just getting started at turning wood, right now I'm still at the research phase, but plan to order a lathe within weeks.
A General MODEL 26020VD.
Hopefully by that time I'll be preparing blanks.

Try this to prep your blanks.

1. Cut the log into lengths about 1.5 x dia.

2. Split the blanks from end to end along the core line so you get 2 good half-rounds. Look for the shape you'll get from each half round to choose the cut line, but do follow the core line.

3. If you plan to do bowls then lay the half rounds flat on bandsaw and cut into a circle.

4. Wax it completely or use another wood sealant you have locally otherwise it will start splitting very quickly.

5. Leave it for a few years (1 / inch thickness) to dry out. Otherwise turn it before then but expect some warping as the moisture dries out of the now thin walls very quickly.

No matter what, if the splits haven't gone too far then at least seal the ends of the log and let it dry slowly. The splits happen because drying causes twice as much shrinkage arouind the circumference as across the diameter and when this happens quickly, it splits. When you come to use it, cut a couple of inches off each end and you'll probably have clear wood.

G'day.

Yikes!!!!

All of what Brian said & more....

If you get half a chance, after you have cut it all up into nice blanks, if you still have some time left before you get dragged off to work/lawn mowing/dishwashing/etc, rough turn the best bits to about 40mm thick & then stash them for a year of so.

If all else fails & the logs have split beyond a bowl blank, then stick the pointy bit of a hatchet/tomahawk/axe in the crack & bash the back of it with a rubber mallet.
You will end up with very nice triangle shaped 'billets' to use for spindle turning.
All my tool handles are 'billets' from logs that cracked.
I have handles made of cracked silky oak, celery pine, "gum tree", mango, mountain casuarina, hairy bark oak or "flame she-oak", crow ash, peppermint, just to name a few. ( I'd love a maple tool handle.)
I even got a few bits of them thick enough to make some very nice rolling pins.
Old fence posts are another good source of ‘split’ spindle turning blanks.
Poetic licence with the very obviously 'recycled' stuff allows you to leave some of the cracks & nail/wire holes. I get stuck into the cracks with a rotary wire brush after I have finished the turning, just before I have finished the sanding. I've even got stuck into the sharp edges of a crack with a knife or chisel to "weather" it a bit more before brushing & sanding.
The best thing to do with a crack if you can't hide it is to make it a "feature".
I have LOTS of maple growing on the land at my mountain retreat but it's too nice to cut down, HOWEVER... if ever it should die or blow over in the wind, the last thing I would do is leave it for the beetles/termites to chew & the second last thing I would do is feed it to the fire. ( I'd love a maple tool handle... I'd only need a 1.5" thick piece to make one.)

You saying my firewood would be good for spindles?
most of it is quartered, but they range from 14" to 18" long,
What can you do with spindles that short?
I can't wait a year per inch! What if the blanks are rough cut
1/2" thick? 6 months right? final piece 1/4" or 1/8" thick.
BrianR "says to wax the blanks" my local shop whom deals in everything wood related, suggested log-end sealer, the label
has stuff in it that would not make me eat off of it. But wax sounds good, could you specify a product, say for a turned plate.
You want people to eat from it, salad bowl whatever,
and at the same time would let my preformed blanks dry without
unsermountable defects?

As a side note: everyone's comments and advice has helped me a great deal, stuff I had no clue about, through books, research...
I reread them once in while, and say "that's what he's talking about" Thanks.