what to do to prepare slice of tree for table project

Elinor A
by Elinor A
a maple tree was taken down and i had a slice three inches thick and 36 inch diam that i want to make into a small table. how do i treat/prepare the wood so it will good for a table top
  5 answers
  • John P John P on Apr 02, 2012
    seal the end grain with a good sealer and let the pc air dry or send it to be kiln dried down to about 7% moisture then it will be ready for planing and finishing also make sure it is stored flat and level and wieghing it down can help also
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Apr 02, 2012
    End grain slabs tend to check or split more so than vertical "slabs" I would seal it up with some Anchor Seal...let it dry for a good long spell (normal air dry times are 1 year per inch of thickness) once dry some good sanding and a number of finish coats. end grain will absorb much more finish and it will take some time to get a "finish build" going. With a product like Minwax's wiping poly about 7-8 coats http://www.uccoatings.com/products/anchorseal2
  • Elinor A Elinor A on Apr 02, 2012
    Thank you for the suggestions but this doesn't answer my question because the entire piece is end grain this is a horizontal slice thru the main stem close to the bottom of the tree. and when you say seal what is considered a good sealer thanks for all your help
  • John P John P on Apr 02, 2012
    band it with a good wide ratchet strap and let it dry i would say approx 9 months to a year you want it to be under 8% moisture for best results then sand stain and seal it will take a few coats of sealer a good poly resin works well also
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Apr 03, 2012
    Elinor...the Anchor Seal I Mention above has been the "industry" standard for sealing end grain on lumber for 30 years or so. When I purchase lumber for turning projects nearly every piece is sealed on all six sides with anchor seal. I have seen anchor seal for sale on ebay and amazon as well as many woodworking supply sites. John's idea above about a ratchet strap is a great idea...the log slice should be stored on its side so the seal ends are open to the air and not resting on some surface. I have worked with smaller sized "slices" for various projects. My girls call the really small 2" dia ones "tree cookies" The largest end grain round I have worked with was about 14". Bigger than that and it will not fit my lathe. Some of the longitudinal slabs I have worked with were 6 to 8 feet long and up to 2' wide