Freshly cut wood

Debbie
by Debbie
Recently we cut down a large oak tree and saved some chunks to use potentially as outdoor seating and as cutting boards. What is the best way to preserve and seal them so that they don't decompose or attract insects?
  7 answers
  • Janet Pizaro Janet Pizaro on Apr 10, 2017

    www.hometalk.com/diy/outdoor/garden/11-pictures-of-crazy-cool-uses-for-tree-stumps-9621404

  • William William on Apr 10, 2017

    Freshly cut trees will crack and check as they dry. Seal the cut ends with varnish, shellac, or wax to slow and balance the drying process. This will minimize cracking and checking. Keep the the logs in a cool dry location. Depending on the diameter may take a few months to a year to dry.

  • Rene Foster Rene Foster on Apr 11, 2017

    Pentacryl will dry them out without cracking them.

  • Connie Connie on Apr 11, 2017

    We cut very large trees down last year. Lay the slices flat. The one we sat on it's side has a large crack in it. The other on their side are ok. We kept them in our basement where it cooler. Hopefully we can make some furniture soon! Good luck with yours!

  • Chas' Crazy Creations Chas' Crazy Creations on Apr 11, 2017

    I sprayed my wood with bug spray, I let the wood dry completely first roughly 4 months in our dry climate, made my side table, and then did several coats of the polyurethane letting it dry between each coat until I got the look I wanted.



  • Debbie Wilhelm Sims Debbie Wilhelm Sims on Apr 11, 2017

    Use polyurethane or Thompson water seal


  • Split a longer tree trunk section in half vertically. This is easy to do because the log will split fairly easily. (Drive a wedge into the trunk from the bark side, not the horizontally cut side.) Now you have two sections from the split log to use as bench tops. Place each split section with the flat side up onto support sections using short pieces that were cut from the tree trunk for the support sections. You need to cut a curve in the top of the short sections so that they cradle the bench section that will rest on top. We saw this in a park and tried it out when we had to take down a tree. You can vary the height of the bench by choosing support sections based on the desired height for the bench. You can skip hollowing a curve into the support sections by placing the flat side of the bench top down on a flat support tops but the bench will not be as comfortable to sit on.