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I recently came into a large black walnut log and i would like to process it into wedges for fiddle sets. It is 24" in diameter. It was cut Oct. 15 and I immediately coated both ends with Woodcraft green wood sealer. It is in my garage up on blocks. My question is when to split it into wegdes. I have been told that if I leave as is, it will take forever to dry. How do I store it after it is split? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Daddy-o496

Hey Daddy-o
You're right about the log taking a long time to dry. It's something like 1
year per 1 inch of thickness for air drying. However the log is fine like it
is in the meantime. In fact old sawyers I've talked to reccommend leaving
logs on the ground over the first winter then resaw or split the next
spring. I guess the answer to your question is you can split it anytime
you want.
once it is split into wedges, sticker it, and put some weight on it, and
then wait a couple years. The garage is a good place for it. Before you
know it you'll be carving it into a fiddle.

_________________
"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” -Heraclitus of Ephesus

"It was cut Oct. 15 and I immediately coated both ends with Woodcraft
green wood sealer."

That won't really do you much good....
It'll wind up splitting anyway in when left in log form...

No biggie....
You'll only lose an inch or two on the ends...

"In fact old sawyers I've talked to reccommend leaving
logs on the ground over the first winter then resaw or split the next
spring."

Hmmm...
Maple would be rendered useless employing this strategy...

Walnut is a little more forgiving, however...

But for various reasons, I'd recommend resawing it into violin wedges
ASAP...
If for no other reason that it resaws much easier when green....

"once it is split into wedges, sticker it, and put some weight on it"

You don't need to put any weight on it.....

Mill it into wedges (especially if you're a fan of quartered wood), then
criss-cross stack it....

You might think about milling the whole log into 2.25" thick (on the arch)
billets, and then
cut them in 1/2 later for your bookmatched violin sets....

That way, if there's a defect on one end of the billet, you can use them for
scrollblocks which you
will need anyway....

That strategy will up your yield, and make sure that you will always have
enough matching scrollblocks to match up to your backs....
spruce39021.5092708333

I agree with Spruce, Get it split up and cut now and it will be ready for use much faster. After you cut it up you should probably reseal the ends as most of what you put on has been absorbed up into the end grain.

    I have been around the sawmill business a long time. If you want to ruin a log , let it lay. It will start to crack pretty fast not to mention the insects that will love to call a log home and or course mold.
    The best advice is mill it to a rough length and width. Splitting is a great way and economical. Painting or sealing the ends is good. Then you want to sticker it if possible to allow air flow
good luck
john hall

One more thing: remove the bark. Not only is that easier to do now while it's still a bit green, but it will help to equalize the moisture loss from all sides, and thus reduce checking.

"One more thing: remove the bark."

This will really help with reducing insect infestation too.....

A "must-do"...

11-2-06 The log is split and stacked. Itis beautiful. It has a golden glow with a subtle curl throughtout. Thank you guys for the advice. Vic (daddy-o496)

great point to pull the bark. Bugs love to get between that and the wood.

Hey Daddy...please post pics if you can. I may be in a position this winter to score some old growth walnut and would like to see how you're handling this log. I'd be interested in any and all details...so far I have quite a few from the above posts.

TIA

_________________
JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

I would like to post pictures, but I'm still in the computer stone age. So I will have to get my daughter to show me how to do that. The log is split into quarter? split wedges about 3-3.5" at the widest edge. I then crisscross stacked them with slats in between. I am in southeast Michigan and they are out of the weather.