Advice on seasoning green walnut wood

Animal Eight 84

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4:22p, 12/29/24

AG

Need advice how to cure wood for woodworking.

I have a small black walnut tree I have to cut down.
I planted it 30 years ago. It's about 10"
In diameter.
A family member is just getting started making crosses, pens, etc and would like the wood.

Any advice how to store the trunk in my barn and season it for him? I'm not a woodworker.

Should I cut it into small boards on my bandsaw?

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SoulSlaveAG2005

Joined: Jan 13, 2013

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6:41p, 12/29/24

AG

I'm not expert. But I have watched a lot of Matt Cremona YouTube.

Seal the end grain cuts with armor seal or latex paint if you are storing it for a while before cutting into boards.

Or you can go ahead and cut into boards/slabs and then air dry. Make sure they are sheltered from rain/moisture, and then stacked up with stickers in between each board. Make sure they are level to help prevent twisting/warping.

Don't cut them too small now, as moisture loss will shrinking and they will still cup/bow, twist and warp. The smaller you make now, the less you will yield in useable lumber

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BusterAg

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7:01p, 12/29/24

AG

I came here to give BBQ wood advice, but am leaving disappointed.

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AggieEE2002

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10:41p, 12/29/24

AG

Seal the end grain cuts with armor seal regardless of whether you mill immediately or not. The end grain will evaporate water at a much faster rate and you'll end up with checking. This part is important.

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S.A. Aggie

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2:25p, 12/31/24

AG

You're not going to get much lumber at all out of a 10" tree. If you are going to mill it with a chain saw then you will get even less lumber.

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yaterag

Joined: Oct 28, 2005

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7:02p, 12/31/24

AG

Seal the end grain as someone mentioned. Decide on your thickness and cut your boards appropriately. Just like a hair out you can always take more off but you can't add it back. The downside is thicker lumber takes longer to dry.

This is a decent article on how to do some basic air drying. Good air movement and sealing of the end grain are the keys. Walnut dries well and is honestly pretty hard to mess up if you are air drying it.

https://www.woodcraft.com/blogs/wood/how-to-air-dry-lumber-turn-freshly-cut-stock-into-a-cash-crop-of-woodworking-woods?psafe_param=1&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAyc67BhDSARIsAM95Qzsl2RoF2QbCYV9myFcmGhbwP3m1azcrVYNmgQ7UfH033iKRqu2lG9YaAnDeEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

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