To preserve wood slices for weddings, follow these steps:
1. Sand the wood to roughen its surface, allowing wood varnish to easily reach the nitty gritty parts of the slice.
2. Clean the dust from sanding the wood slice, as it releases lots of dust and becomes dirty.
3. Apply wood varnish, ensuring the slices are kept in a sealed and airtight container.
4. Store the wood slices in a cool, dry environment to prevent them from breaking.
5. Use epoxy resin, glue, or wood varnish to seal and protect the wood slices.
6. Set up, cut, and cure log slices for your wedding centerpieces.
7. Gather materials, including wood slices, sealer of choice (such as lacquer or epoxy resin), and a wood stabilizer.
8. Preserve wood slices with bark by applying a wood stabilizer and then sealing the wood using a clear finish or a resin coating.
9. Sand the wood slices between coats for a smoother finish.
10. Store the wood slices in a cool, dry environment away from heat sources and moist areas.
To preserve wood slices naturally, choose hardwoods like oak and maple, which will withstand elements better than softer woods. Prepare the wood slices by sanding them down with fine-grit sandpaper to create a smooth surface.
In summary, preserving wood slices for weddings involves several steps, including sanding, cleaning, applying wood varnish, and storing them in a sealed and airtight container. By following these steps, you can create beautiful, rustic wedding centerpieces that will last for years to come.
📹 Wedding DIY: Log slices/Wedding centerpieces and how to make them
In this video I will show you how to set up, cut, and cure log slices. I used mine for my wedding however you can use yours for …
How do you make wood safe to put food on?
Food-safe finishes for wooden bowls and cutting boards. Pure tung oil. From the nut of the china tree. Linseed oil. From flax seeds. … Mineral oil. It is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. … Walnut oil. Beeswax. Carnauba wax. Shellac. … Nothing.
Home / Blog / Food-Safe Finishes for Wooden Bowls and Wood Cutting Boards.
Summary of non-toxic finishing products for wooden bowls and wood cutting boards: After talking to many people, I found a few food-safe finishes. In the confusion about which finishes are safe, a few natural, unblended, non-toxic ones stand out.
Should I seal wood slices before painting?
Tips and Recommendations. Use glue or primer before painting on the slice. Otherwise, your paint will be absorbed into the wood, and your image will not be clear. To set your image, add a coat of clear varnish and let dry. You can also use wood polish. Make sure your paint or marker is dry before polishing. To keep your slice from warping or cracking, don’t place it near heat, on wet spots, or in extreme temperatures. Using the largest size makes it easier to create string art. With all the things you can do with these little wooden discs, it’s no wonder they’ve become so popular! We hope our ideas will help you make items for yourself or gifts.
Other posts you may enjoy: How to Make a Holiday Wreath with Wood Slices; How to Make Christmas Tree Ornaments; 8 Easy DIY Thanksgiving Table Decorations; We make the best products.
How to keep wood slice ornaments from cracking?
Pentacryl is a wood stabilizer for green wood. It keeps wood from splitting, cracking, or warping. Soak small wood slices in the green wood stabilizer and dry them slowly. It’s Christmas tree season! Many people save a piece of their Christmas tree to remember the year or use it in crafts. We love making Christmas ornaments. They make great gifts, tags, or decorations. Ornaments can be painted or burned. The slices have a rustic wood look you’ll love. Will these slices last until next year? To protect your ornaments from cracking, treat them with Pentacryl right after cutting. Pentacryl is for fresh or green wood. It keeps it from cracking or warping. Soak small slices in green stabilizer and dry slowly. Brush on multiple coats of Pentacryl on larger pieces until dry. Once dry, it can be sanded, painted, stained, burned, or sealed.
How do you treat wood slices for centerpieces?
DIY: Cut slices from a log. Let the slices dry for a few days. Sand the top and bottom until smooth. … Apply wood stain. Sand stain smooth with 600 grit sandpaper if needed.
1. Cut slices from a log about 15 to 18 inches wide. If you don’t have the tools, you can buy wood slices at a craft store. Sand the top and bottom of the slice until smooth. Start with 60-grit paper and finish with 220-grit for a smooth surface.
5. Sand and stain smooth with 600-grit sandpaper if needed.
How to stop wood from cracking when drying?
To stop wood from cracking, seal the blanks as soon as you cut them. Anchorseal is the perfect solution. It seals the blank and keeps it wet until you’re ready to work with it. You can brush it on or pour it in a tub and dip your blanks. This is how I do it. Brush off the excess, let the sealer dry, and your blanks will stay sound. You can buy Anchorseal from Woodcraft.
Related videos: Chemically Stabilizing Green Wood Time for Green Wood Turning Drying Wood in a Microwave Should I Buy My Lumber Green?
How do you treat wood for food service?
If your wooden bowl or cutting board gets damaged, use an oil finish like tung, mineral, linseed, or olive or walnut oil. Just add another coat of oil to refresh the finish. Film finishes crack with heavy use. These cracks let water in but don’t let it out, and refinishing means sanding the whole piece down to bare wood. If your item isn’t used for cutting, a film finish is fine.
How to make wood slices waterproof?
How to make wood coasters waterproof. Use a clear polyurethane finish to make wooden coasters waterproof. After sanding, apply polyurethane to make them waterproof. Then glue felt or cork to the bottom and enjoy!
Watch the video above for a demo on how to make wood coasters with a miter saw. They cut their coasters to 1/4″, which is a bit thick for me, but you can make them as thin as you like. If you don’t like DIY or want a quick gift, Amazon has pre-made hardwood coasters.
How do you permanently waterproof wood?
1. Liquid sealants. Liquid sealants are a common way to waterproof wood. These sealants form an impermeable barrier against water penetration. Apply several coats of sealant for a thorough application.
2. Water repellents. Water repellents are applied after sealant dries. They create a layer of protection against moisture by repelling water away from the wood surface.
3. Wood fillers. Use a good wood filler before applying liquid sealants or repellents to fill small cracks, chips, or holes in wood surfaces. It will also protect against water damage. This helps your pieces stay strong and last longer.
What can I use to seal wood to make it waterproof?
You need three to four coats of polyurethane to waterproof wood. Water-based polyurethane takes more coats than oil-based polyurethane. Stain/sealers with wood stain and sealers are for outdoor wood protection. They’re the best protection.
How to preserve cut wood slices?
Soak the slice in Pentarcryl for 24 hours per inch of thickness. Soak the slice in wood sealer if it’s already dry or in denatured alcohol if it’s less than 1 inch thick. Wood slices can be used for many projects to add a rustic look. As they dry, the wood shrinks, which causes the slices to crack. You can prevent wood slices from cracking by treating them with a stabilizing solution or salt paste. If the slice is fresh, soak it in Pentarcryl for 24 hours per inch of thickness. Soak the slice in wood sealer if it’s partially dried, or denatured alcohol if it’s less than an inch thick. Alternatively, mix a paste of salt, water, cornstarch, and egg whites and brush it onto the slice. Let it dry in a warm, well-ventilated area. Choose a large enough container. Use plastic, fiberglass, or stainless steel because other metals could damage or discolor the wooden slice.
How to seal wood slices for food safe?
Sand items with 320-grit sandpaper until smooth. Remove all dust. For an oil finish, apply a lot to a cloth. Wax with a cloth until covered. … Let the pieces dry and cure. Most finishes make wooden kitchenware shiny and glossy. Some finishes contain solvents that can be harmful if swallowed. They become safe when the solvent evaporates or bonds with oxygen. A finish must cure properly before it is safe to use with food. Curing times vary by finish and home humidity and temperature. How much finish was applied also affects curing times. Not all surfaces can be food-safe. A finish that forms a film isn’t suitable for cutting boards or utensils used for cooking and serving. This film could be cut and eaten.
📹 #717 Tip and Tricks To Keep Your Cookies From Cracking, Making Rustic Center Pieces, Charger Plates
Today we make some Rustic Charger Plates, aka Natural Wood Slices, Cookies, Live Edge End Grain Pieces That are used for …
Hello Morgan’s, I’m not a drying expert, but I have many years in the sawmill industry. I suspect that the cracking and checking are a result of uneven drying and the grain pattern in the piece of material. One thing I would suggest is to employ a drying practice of ‘conditioning’ the heat with moisture. There are times when drying lumber that you must introduce steam into the kiln to condition the charge. So, you are basically applying moisture to the surface area while heating the inner portions of the piece. The surface and perimeter are drying faster than the center. Even if this works well, there will still be pieces lost from the grain running vertically over such a short distance. Happy sawing!
Great Chanel guys! I don’t have much timber to choose from for my cookies but will defiantly take your advice. I am trying to inlay some into a partial live edge walnut coffee table I am making, with epoxy. First time so wish me luck. That constant big smile on you wife and your general, mater of fact so happy with life demeanor is awesome! This article and you two have just pushed me to pursue my dream of moving to the country and starting a small saw mill of my own. Not for financial gain but for quality of life. Thank you!
I was perusal Buckin split wood and work on his old/new logger truck today. I noticed his shed has a pallet floor in it. He also leaves a space between the rows. Those big pallets you have would be great for that! 4″ of air under and an inch between, plus through the logs front to back. I could watch him split wood for 2 hours! I swear sometimes he’s dancing with the axe and the wood! Plus like he says it gets his heart pumping.
Good morning Mike and Melissa, another great article, thanks. I try to preserve my cookies with milk, however that only lasts about 10 seconds before my inner Cookie Monster kicks in…… 😂. Anyway, wishing you, your family and all the subscribers a most wonderful day filled with love and happiness. ❤️😊❤️😊❤️😊
As a retired firefighter, i have seen many fires started when people toss rags or paper towels, used to wipe linseed, oil in the trash. Almost any plant based oil will self heat to the point of combustion when the right condition is present. Make sure that you dispose of them properly. Best to burn them in your fire pit or place them in a steel bucket filled with water or a tight fitting lid. Then lay them out flat singly to dry in the sun, then burn them. Be safe don’t store them inside a building or near combustibles. Love perusal your articles. Keep them coming.
Great method for cutting cookies. I have very good results with salt curing the wooden cookies, use curing or pickling salt, make a very thick brine solution and soak the the rounds for 3 to 4 days. Make a salt paste and coat both sides of the rounds and then let them dry. The salt preserves the cell structure of the wood, especially the cell walls. You will end up with almost green dimensions in the rounds. I am 72 years young and have been processing hardwood most of my life and this has always worked well for me. Keep up the good work.
Hey Bush here, and thanks for reading my message to you all… I just wanted to let you guys know how much I appreciate you taking the time to mention the music you use on the shows. Being a professional musician and coming from a family of musicians, it’s important that people know where the music comes from. I’ve clicked the subscribe button and hit the like button as well as the bell for notifications and I’ll see your next article soon…
Nice article Mike and Melissa! Yes, wood cookies are a very popular cut of wood, but also the most challenging to stabilize. The 100% end grain on both sides dries super quick, plus this round cut has a ton of tension on the outer rim and will want to crack from the outside in towards the pith (like a pie shape) to relieve that tension. Linseed oil does slow the drying of the wood (which is good), however, it will just lay on the surface not allowing the wood to breathe. For green wood especially, this traps moisture inside which can build up and cause mold to grow between the linseed oil finish and the wood surface. Also, when applying it to wood cookies it does not eliminate the stress in the wood. On that note, we would love for you to try our Pentacryl product. It is a stabilizer formulated specifically to treat green, fresh cut wood to prevent cracking, splitting and checking as the wood dries. It is not a finish like linseed oil, rather, it works by penetrating all the way through the wood and displaces the moisture. You will get a much lower cracking rate than 50%. It looks like you guys are doing really cool projects with fresh cut wood (not just this one), so a gallon of Pentacryl is on the way to you! Thank you for making wood working so fun!
Hey Mike my name is Myles I am a chain saw carver . 2 things I have found that helps stop the cracking is #1 use wood glue on bottom it days and tightens up the disk or cookie. The #2nd is use anti freeze the chemical in the anti freeze is the same chemical that wood turners use to stabilize wood only a cheaper alternative. Personally I have more experience with the wood glue some will still crack but a lot less. Hope this helps a a day
I used to live in a Rain Forest. 130″ is a drought year. The ground would get like jelly if pounded by rain for 2 weeks or more. Hard to get firewood to the house. So These ‘end slices’ were used to create a trail from the large wood bin to the cement porch. Mine were 4″ to 12″ as I move up hill and across. They were based in the mud and lasted. I used them for 5 more years before we moved. Cool.
Another great article…. Thank you. I definitely agree with you on using dead wood as your base stock. Using dry wood is 90% of the solution to having your product not crack. However I have found that using 100% Boiled Linseed Oil as a sealer can result in a finish that never completely drys – it remains ‘tacky’ forever. I use a mixture of 50% Boiled Linseed Oil/50% Mineral Spirits. This mixture will dry completely with the added benefit of being a thinner solution and therefore will penetrate deeper into the wood which also helps reduce the chance of cracking/checking.You will find that cutting the wood with a sawmill blade will seal the wood more than if using a chain saw. You may want to go back to the forest and find a dead standing tree, cut the cookies, let them sit for a couple of weeks then seal the the ones that don’t crack with the Boiled Linseed Oil/Mineral Spirit mix. That way you will only be sealing the cookies that don’t crack/check. Just my comments. Keep up the great work. Hunter could add these cookies to his business =) Michael from Canada
Happy Daylight Savings Time You already use a paint to seal logs to protect from checking. I’d always heard that checking was due to the drying difference between bare wood and barked wood. The wood in the out side having the greater moisture content. So the edges toward the bark would be the last to dry. If you would paint the end of the logs and allow them to dry for a year or two. That way you control size of the tree for cookies.
Greetings from No. VT – Welcome to DST! Great advice on making the “cookies” especially using the linseed oil. The only refinement I would offer from my experiences is to cut the Boiled Linseed oil up to 20% with turpentine, or as an alternate thinner, either denatured wood alcohol or mineral spirits. My favorite is turpentine. That thins the linseed oil just enough to penetrate into the grain a little better to give the wood a nice seal, especially if the wood has a lot of moisture still in it like Mike’s new cuts. If you use linseed (either cut or uncut) I would let them set for a few days in an area with good air circulation to let the vapors and smells cook off.
Great article Mike and Melissa! I was just researching this very topic. Have some huge maple cookies that I am trying to figure out how to keep them from checking and splitting. Btw, Mike, I finally pulled the trigger on a Woodmizer. Hoping to pick up this coming Friday from the Indy location. I went with the LT-35 since my land is so hilly, it’s gonna be easier to take the mill to the logs vs. skidding them all to the mill. Can’t wait to try it out. As usual, enjoyed the article very much!
Great DIY experiment. Anything that will seal both sides of the cookie will slow the drying process and help prevent checking. Rapid and uneven drying (shrinkage) will encourage cracks. I suspect that water based products are best since the escaping moisture might compete with or slip around the oil products at the molecular level. (I made a number of smaller cookies for a wedding last year and experimented with a variety of wood types — oak, maple, pine, fir, ash, etc. Hemlock seemed to hold its bark best and crack the least. Bark retention can also be affected by the time of year that the wood is cut. Summer cut has sap under the bark that acts as a glue as it dries.)
Hi to both of you. Great article. Keep them coming… I also get asked all the time to cut cookies on my sawmill…lol . The best way i found to stop that cracking (regardless of the wood species) is to submerge the cookie in a metal container under vacuum pressure using a stabilizing solution. The solution I use is called “Cactus juice” . It’s a resinous product to stabilize wood for wood turners. Many crafters want cookies of about 2″ to 5″ in diameter for doing wood burning on them or Christmas ornements etc… I use that technique for that purpose and i nevr had one crack. I will attempt to build a bigger vaccum chamber to accomodate the larger cookies like 12″ to 20″ . I will let you know how that turns out…I’m confident is will turn out. The time in the chamber is about 45 minutes, then i wrap them in foil and bake them at 200 degree F for about 30 minutes. That dries the wood and also kills any bug that might be in the bood. have fun cutting cookings.
I agree Mike, I’ve tried to make some cookies and they check and crack. Found cherry is a little better than oak, from my experience. Great tips for next time I do them. Have you ever cut them the other way, long ways? Love the articles! Melissa I laugh everytime you get something from “downstairs “. Also to Hunter, BK is my favorite too! Have a day Morgans.
Melissa your the best Turn and Cough!!!😂😂 Mike I did the same thing. I used bees wax for my slices that were used for hot plates or cutting boards. I also used anchor seal on some to help seal in the moisture so it didn’t check. It’s just the nature of the beast. But I agree 100% with what your saying but the thicker the better seems to help too..
Happy DST Mike!! I have been power-watching your articles to try to catch back up and finally did that today. It’s good to be caught back up, but am a little sad now that I don’t have multiple articles to watch now. Can you make more than one article per day?? 🤣🤣 I’m not quite as big of a fan of DST as you are because jumping ahead means spring which means weeds, spraying, irrigation, clean-up after winter, etc. it also means mowing, BUT I am excited about that because I got a new Gravely ZTR last fall and i like it a lot. Your articles from last summer helped a whole bunch with determining what I want. Thanks for that. Don’t overdo with all that extra daylight in the evenings now… 🙂
I think a time stamp will be great for a article this long. For example, 0:01 article intro 0:25 Moving the lumber 0:50 Measuring the lumber with a measuring tape 1:04 Sawing the lumber 3:25 About the website 4:20 Intro about ways people prevents cookie from cracking 5:26 Intro about the blade and the cherry tree logs and the clamp And so on
Wood turners have used polyethylene glycol (mixed themselves) to treat green wood before turning it on a lathe. Oil then must be used as a preservative. Paint, varnish, etc., don’t adhere well. Years ago I chained red cedar into my old Woodmizer frame and cut them at an angle for a friend who made clocks from them.
Over the years I’ve cut loads of these for people. Your right, dead stand is the best. I also continue to let the logs cure even longer loosely covered so they don’t wick in moisture. And like you said, cut more than you need. There is no waste because I burn the ones I don’t use in my stove and the chips go in my garden.
I have cut cookies up to 4 foot in Dia. I paint both sides with ” wood juice”, never paint the bark, I weight them, let them air dry for a week, I weight them again, and paint them again, and let them air dry, I keep weighting them to know the water loss, when the water loss stops or slows way down, I kiln dry them, some crack some don’t, you want the water to come out the bark. Have a Day, like Billy would say ” Be Kind ” I try
As far as checking goes, the fruit woods (cherry, pear, apple, and to a certain extent walnut) are the woods that are most susceptible to checking. Species such as the different oaks are less likely to check. Another note: the checking starts at the pith or the center of the tree even though the heartwood is dead. The sapwood is the layer where the moisture moves up through the tree to the leave. I have tried sealing the wood with paraffin which has been successful to a certain extent.
hi there M&M I have been making them years now and it is hard to keep them from” pac man ” face . i do think its from the out side shrinking( drying) faster then the in side . the outer part is drying on 3 areas inside inly 2 . so as it shrinks it pulls apart . if you try to slow the drying on only the outer part first with sealer has worker well . the harder to split with a axe stays together the best . the best is to cut a 6″ center out or larger like a hollow log . they seem to stay together best .i sell them as wood doughnuts or toilet seats . good luck its hard to do . john
When ” working with cookies”, I have cut n traced around the cookie a 1/2″ piece of plywood.. Screwed it to the bottom edge n either oiled the top with linseed oil or tung oil n no cracks!! Just a suggestion! The edge of the ply can be stained to match or hidden with decorations… The wife was happy n the guests wanted to put in their orders for sets! Jus’ sayin’!!
Hi Mike; Timber framers use a Citrus oil product they put on the timber after their cut to help with the checking and cracking. Timber Framers Institute in Maine in think. it’s a timber framing workshop class. that teaches timber framing. that’s what they recommend for timber frames. might work for your wood biscuits. i don’t know about 30 Hatchets for center pieces, hope they to go rouge on you .
I had made a bunch of these smaller cookies from an oak tree that was green and found that by putting boiled linseed oil on repeatedly for a week it seemed to replace the water that was being lost with the oil and never had any crack and the bark has stayed on also. But after some time they seemed to get quite yellow in color at the start i was oiling them twice a day and keeping them wet on both sides ..
I have been making these for years I have a wood working business. I cut them into cookies and also on 45 deg. I sell them to taxidermist. I have always cut them in the dead of winter never had any problems with them cracking. I use mineral oil on them. That way if I want to use them for turning a bowl or something that needs to be food safe.
Have you tried boiling them? I make a lot of bowls on my lathe, and lost 35% of the bowl blanks in the first year. Then I started boiling the rough turned blanks for an hour, submerged with rocks, in a wash basin with a plywood cover, on a propane turkey boiler. The second and subsequent years, fewer than 10% of my bowls cracked during their 4-6 month drying period. I dried them in shavings in paper bags and weighed them monthly to determine when the weight loss stopped.
About a year ago you did a vid on frost seeding. I live in Upstate NY and have some areas of my lawn in dense shade with no grass. I just ordered some “Jacklin Ideal Shade” grass seed from Pendleton Turf Supply that I plan on spreading in the next few days (Ordered from Jared and told him about your website) Be curious if it works? Your lawn looks like it worked? Guess what, it’s March 8th and you know what that means!
YEAH MIKE!!!! It is 62 degrees here in the near west suburbs of CHI-town and I’m digging a 3′ hole for my new flagpole. Promoting my favorite Conservative Incumbent in this Demonrat stronghold. Hey, Mike, if you decide to ever extend your articles out to .5 hr, 1 hr, 2 hrs, THAT’d be JUST FINE WITH ME, cause I actually have an attention span longer than a squirrel. 🤣
You can make a water proof food safe mix with beeswax and Raw Linseed oil. Use 1/3 beeswax to 2/3 Raw linseed oil. Use a double boiler . Do not heat wax and linseed oil directly over heat. Mix while heating. Pour finish product in tins. Use this on any wood like axe handles etc. or leather like for water proofing shoes or any leather work etc. Have a Day.
To keep my cookies from cracking – I cut them up with my axe into chunks which I use in my smoker or grill. I keep them in a milk crate near my grill and smoker. I only use white oak or hickory chunks and it is a lot cheaper than buying them. I cut them on a large maple round from a tree I cut down a couple of years ago. I usually use my Husqvarna Carpenters axe to chop them up with.
Mike, I realize you may not have the time to do this for the reception, I have learned from some old timer wood workers if cutting green cookies and you don’t want them to crack. Place them in a tank of water, submerged in water the sap will be replaced with water and will dry more evenly when the time comes to dry them. 4″ thick equals a year under water. Then you can air dry them. But honestly they only need to work for one day so if you did them closer to the date they would be less likely to crack. 👍
Right after you cut them we apply “Sanding Sealer” to the bark and all let dry then sand both sides until mill marks are gone the Sanding Sealer locks the bark which you want. Spray on polyurethane either Gloss or Semi gloss which one you prefer. Spray 4-6 coats. You can get spray cans of poly but if you do a lot its cheaper to use a spray gun.
hie THE MORGANS Here is my method of making ( cookies )- Like you I cut double the amount i need, than i let them dry in my wood shed for one month, then i use the good ones in a mix of, 1 quart of hot double boiled linseed oil and 1/2 cup of bees wax., I apply it very warm and well mixed. I am 80 years old, and this is what i found to be the best wood treatment,for outside and inside. After 3 coats, use only the linseed oil and don,t forget wipe 5 minutes after every coat.
M&M, had 15 Pines cut from around the home and shop, smallest was about 18 inches. The two up front were over 30 inches so I had the timber guy cut 3 inch disc off of the butt end. My saw is not that big, his was. I bought two kiddy pools and soaked them, in the process of, in Pentacryl and four are out now with no cracks. Using them for a walk to the front porch. Research the Anti Freeze as someone mentioned and told works well also. Know for fact it would have been way less costly. My 2 cents, keep up the articles.
I’m no expert, but I am a wood worker and years ago before there was a You tube I read an article from a wood turner, who said he turned green wood frequently into bowls. He said he prevented it from checking by putting it into a microwave first to remove the moisture evenly. As I said I’m no expert and have never tried it, but it might be worth trying in this case as you have a few to spare.
WRT the state of the drying. Couldn’t one have a storage area to put logs dry. IE If there were trees to be removed, put the log somewhere to dry for future use. The ends would crack but the rest of the log stay intact? I’m asking because I have some large knotty trees to remove. Going to be not worth the hassle to process them down to firewood but might be good for future woodworking.
Here’s my recommendations based on viewing Matt Cremona’s and Canadian Woodworks’s YouTube websites (Matt air dries his wood, while Canadian Woodworks uses a massive microwave kiln with hydraulic clamps): 1. While the wood is still in log form, treat both ends with Anchor Seal 2, a polymer/wax solvent. The goal is to slow the moisture evaporation from the cut ends. 2. Wait several years to allow the log to thoroughly dry to a even moisture content. 3. Cut into rounds. 4. Finish as appropriate, but I’d suggest treating both sides to keep any water infiltration or evaporation consistent.
Good day to the Morgan’s. I have been perusal for quite some time & this is the first time I thought I might have something to add. You should be putting a finish on the wood as soon as possible (both sides), waiting for them to dry is almost a certainty that they will check. I have worked with green timbers for the last 20+ years & there isn’t much you can do to stop checking, but you can certainly reduce the checking, by slowing down the rate that the wood dries. The best product that I have seen that does a fantastic job of slowing the loss of moisture is a product made by WoodRX. If you can find some Clear, it will soak in completely & leave a very subtle sheen on the wood. It is a 100% acrylic (water based) product that moves with the wood. I have used this for almost 20 years & it is the real deal. It can be found online, but it is also available at many building stores. Keep up the good work & have a great day!!
Somehow I am envisioning a bunch of kids running around with axes at the reception… another option that might look good would be to use a 6-8″ diameter log cut into 8″ long pieces and then sink the axe in. Less likely to crack to an unusable point, although you might end up with guys having splitting contests with the center pieces.
Anything you can do to reduce that water loss is good! Coat and stack in a plastic bag. Occasionally open the bag to change the wet air for drier air. Keep in a cool stable temperature and your chances of crackless cookies goes up! There is at least one Youtuber who uses a fridge with the shelves taken out and a 2″ hole in the door to Dry his Blanks over many months, but I think you want these quicker than that! ;0) Rather than plunge cutting with a circular saw how about a plunge cut with your chain saw? They would need to be secured and you would need to be both proficient and confident though! The wider cut of a chain would let your axe head sit further in and have less side cut showing! Have a Good one!
Even though the taps were light, you made me wince when you took a hammer to the back of the axe head to seat it in the cookie. Please grab your rubber mallet. Just a note … the number of commercial breaks during the articles are becoming an interruptive distraction to your content. Intended to be constructive criticism/observation. 🙂