Your article about cutting walnut crotch wood was very helpful but the question occurs to me how do you cure it without it cracking so badly as to make it useless? Straight grain is easy enough but stump and crotch is much harder, isn't it.
What's the recommended proceedure?
Fayetteville, Tn
- Charles
Our Expert
You're right, crotch wood is more difficult to dry than ordinary straight grained lumber. No matter what type of wood I'm drying I prefer to purchase logs and saw the lumber during the late fall or winter when the sap is down in the tree. This way the boards do not have nearly as much moisture to lose and warpage and splitting is usually much less severe. But I'm not going to pass up an opportunity to purchase a log simply because the tree was cut down during the warmer months. If possible, I'll seal the ends of a log as soon as the tree hits the ground. Once started, small end checks can often develop into serious splitting.
I've had a lot of success by drying crotch wood slowly in an unheated barn. If crotch wood is stacked outdoors on stickers the stress of exposure to direct sunlight and rain may cause it to develop serious cracks and splits. Instead, by keeping it under shelter the stock is not as severely stressed as it slowly releases moisture. Also, I would avoid using a kiln. Instead, once the crotch wood has lost enough moisture to be in balance with the environment in the barn I bring it into my shop and allow it to reach equilibrium with the indoor air and humidity.
When drying a very special piece, such as a wide or highly figured plank of crotch wood, I'll watch for signs of warpage. If necessary I'll clamp cauls across the width of the board to keep it flat as it dries.
