Drying wood

[thrainson]

Up till now I have been only drying 1" stock, but I wanted to do some 2-3" stock for vases and stuff... I understand that the ends should be sealed? If so what product(s) should I use and is there a "best" way to go about this? I hope this is the proper forum to post this in. :-)
Thanks in advance!

 

[JR Custom Calls]

Anchorseal or Anchorseal II is pretty much the standard. There are other end grain sealers, and some use paint.

All sealing does is prevent the wood from drying really fast. The way I understand it, containing the moisture and letting it slowly release keeps the outside from shrinking faster than the inside, which is what causes checking.

 

[manbuckwal]

If its burl, i would seal the entire piece. Some species are more prone to check n crack than others but burl has a lot of internal twisting and folding .