Best way to cure a slab of redwood freshly cut from a tree? Wanted to make a table top and base. Product best?
A hugh tree is being cut down in our yard—Thirty or forty years old. Wanted to save a part of it for a table and base.
4 Responses
Glenn B
26 Mar 2010
Farm bred, grain
26 Mar 2010
You need to allow it to dry for several months to allow the sap to dry out, then give it a thick coating of lacquer or polyurethane. My wife’s grandfather used to make wall clocks out of cross sections of tree trunks.
cheezyhill
26 Mar 2010
Rule of thumb when air drying lumber to be used is to –
Allow at least one year for each inch of thickness of the wood, stack it with air being allowed to flow around on all sides. Turn it every few months.
If you are in a hurry you can look into kiln drying.
Dan the brick ma
26 Mar 2010
seal the ends and stack it and air dry it…
Take your pieces to a saw mill and have them cut and kiln dried. This will save you many headaches down the road. Trust me, the wood will be more stable, and your finish system of your choice will last longer. If not properly kiln dried, there no guarantee as to what this wood will look like in a year.