# red oak and cedar slabs



## Rogan Stroud (Oct 22, 2011)

I am wanting to cross cut a lot of red oak and cedar logs, 2" thick up to 18"dia.. How do I prevent cracking?


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## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

You're wanting to cut cookies right? Seal them and dry very slowly. And Pray. Keep them out of direct sunlight. The oak will probably crack anyway, maybe not the cedar.

Do a search here on "Cookies". Lot of poeple have tried this, myself included.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

This gets brought up ALL the time...

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f2/3ft-oak-disc-16497/
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f26/drying-wood-7526/
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f26/drying-crosscut-slab-13796/
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f26/what-do-slice-seal-first-4774/



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## Rogan Stroud (Oct 22, 2011)

Thanks very much. Very helpful. One more thing, Is it better to cut them in winter? " Sap Down" as they say. I am in East Texas, very humid. This summer has been awful for our oaks, dieing form lack of rain and over 105 for weeks.


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## qbilder (Dec 19, 2010)

Rogan Stroud said:


> Thanks very much. Very helpful. One more thing, Is it better to cut them in winter? " Sap Down" as they say. I am in East Texas, very humid. This summer has been awful for our oaks, dieing form lack of rain and over 105 for weeks.


Depends on who you ask. Some claim that it doesn't matter when you cut because the sap is always the same. My experience tells me otherwise. I man handle a lot of my logs & I can attest to the difference in weight between winter logs & summer logs. People actually argue with me about it......people that have equipment for handling logs & never really need to physically handle them. I'm a relatively big guy, 6' 210lbs solid. One reason I stay in the shape i'm in is specifically so I can handle logs. This time of year I can throw an 8' x 18" maple log over my shoulder & lug it several hundred feet. The same tree in April, no way i'd even attempt lifting it.


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

qbilder said:


> This time of year I can throw an 8' x 18" maple log over my shoulder & lug it several hundred feet. .





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## TexasTimbers (Oct 17, 2006)

qbilder said:


> This time of year I can throw an 8' x 18" maple log over my shoulder & lug it several hundred feet. The same tree in April, no way i'd even attempt lifting it.


I want to see a video of that. I'm not doubting your word, I'm just saying, I want to see a video of that.





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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

I want a video as well.


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## eagle49 (Mar 22, 2011)

*me*

Well thats nothing, I can........:smile:


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## fromtheforty (Jan 15, 2011)

Scribner scale says that there are 110 bd/ft in in an 18" log. According to a lumber calculator I found online, 110 bd/ft of the lighter soft maple (green) weighs approx 429lbs on avg. That does not include waste from sawing. 

If there as a man that weighs 210lbs and can pick up that log and carry it, I really, really don't want to piss you off!!!!:laughing:

Geoff


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## Daren (Oct 14, 2006)

http://www.woodweb.com/cgi-bin/calculators/calc.pl?calculator=log_weight


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## ETWW (Mar 27, 2011)

Gene Wengert says that in most species, there is little difference in sap content winter or summer. In fact, in some species the sap content is actually higher in winter. He makes a good point, too. Where is the sap supposed to go in winter?

Sap does flow more easily in summer. Perhaps that's where the "sap is down in winter" conclusion originated.


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## JohnK007 (Nov 14, 2009)

qbilder said:


> This time of year I can throw an 8' x 18" maple log over my shoulder & lug it several hundred feet.


Do you also have a blue ox named Babe?











Just funnin' with ya qbilder!


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## K Rex (Nov 23, 2010)

I'm going to try the same thing this winter. If you guys recall, I had planned to take my huge burled tree LAST winter. Life got in the way. 

My research points to two things: cut the cookie at a 45 degree bias, and slather it with antifreeze. Don't get the stuff on your skin... every time it looks dry, recoat. Soak it if possible. 

I met a sawyer who swears by it, and it sounds logical to me. Of course, some species check more persistently than others, and I'd rethink the red oak thing. Cedar won't be a problem, and you might not even need the antifreeze.

Kev


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## HomeBody (Nov 24, 2010)

I was at a show where a guy was selling a product called P.E.G. He coated it on fresh cut cookies and they didn't check. That was 30 yrs. ago and I don't know if you can even get the stuff now. Gary


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