I watch a lot of turning videos on youtube. In one of Carl Jacobson videos he said he cuts the heart out of a log and paints the ends with basic paint and doesn't get any cracking. Since I got the new bandsaw I figured I would give it a try. I made a jig to hold the log and made some bowl blanks real fast and easy. They will turn a 9 inch to 10 inch bowl.

Looks good but know you're still on the clock. Even sealed they will still eventually split some.

 

Steve

Nice!  The new saw works well I see.

rule of thumb for air drying is 1 year for each inch of thickness.

 

you can turn green wood to almost the size you want, and that will lessen your needed drying time, or just let them warp as they dry.  that's a thing i understand.  not my thing, but a thing.

Awesome band saw!

 

I've been using Titebond glue instead of paint it seems to keep it from cracking a little longer.

That is a good looking saw right there Rusty.  You should get a good deal of satisfaction from it.

What kind of wood do you show up above?

Cutting the pith out is a standard for blank (or log) prep and there is a good possibility as Doug said that it will still crack if left for a year. Also if you continue to prep the blank by cutting it round (ready to mount) and then sealing ,might reduce the chance for cracks

11 hours ago, Cal said:

That is a good looking saw right there Rusty.  You should get a good deal of satisfaction from it.

What kind of wood do you show up above?

Not sure on the type of wood. A neighbor knows I like to woodwork and has dropped off a few small pieces a couple of times.

Old latex paint is good for that....