Drying ironwood without cracking

[The Famous Grouse]

At my farm in northern Minnesota, I have a small grove of northern ironwood.  Also known as hop hornbeam or American Hornbeam.

For a long time, I've wanted to see if northern ironwood has similar figuring to the better-known desert ironwood.  I don't know if the two are actually related.   Yesterday I cut down about a 3 inch diameter stem and peeled the bark with a draw knife and attached is a picture of what I found.  

The wood is very, very dense and heavy.  This 3 inch diameter stem has over 30 annual rings and weighs almost 2 pounds per foot.   I think it would make beautiful handles for furniture and knife scales or be good for other small projects.  

My question is how do I best dry this wood to minimize cracking?   What is the best process? 

Many thanks.

Grouse

[ianab]

We don't have that wood here, our local "Ironwood" is casuarina species, and although it's faster growing than yours, it's about as hard and dense. 

What I've found with this is to avoid the area around the pith at all cost. It will split 100% of the time.  Then be fussy about which pieces you cut. Straight grained pieces as anything with a knot or fudge  is going to warp and crack. This is a pity as there is usually crazy grain in those areas, but it wont stay in piece. 

Then end coating with wax and slow air drying would be your best bet. The wax seals the end grain which would otherwise dry out faster then the rest of the board, then shrink and end split. You might loose 6" off the ends of some boards otherwise. 

As you are still in winter it's probably best to saw some and start it drying now. It will dry slower in the cold weather, and once things warm up it should be dry enough to not be harmed. 

Alos if you can find pieces big enough to quarter saw, even if it's only 3 or 4" wide boards, it will be more stable. Not sure if you have "logs" that big though. If you are flat sawing, cut it a bit oversize as it will be prone to cupping, so leave some material to plane out. 

And prepare yourself to throw  some on the firewood pile no matter how careful you are. 

[MichaelMouse]

At my farm in northern Minnesota, I have a small grove of northern ironwood.  Also known as hop hornbeam or American Hornbeam.

My question is how do I best dry this wood to minimize cracking?   What is the best process? 

Interrupt the ring structure by slabbing or splitting, to reduce the problem of radial checks.  It will also increase surface area thus lose moisture more rapidly.  I find that mallets turned from 3-5" pieces and soaked in PEG work, and sell well, don't see it as lumber, because it is seldom large, but occasionally it's sawed and mixed with hard maple.  

Do a web search for jigs which make working your bandsaw with wood in the round safer, or shave a stabilizing flat with draw knife and plane.  Keep your hands away and your wits about you even with a jig.  That will get you to "boards" to cure and use.

[Timberwolf]

We don't have that wood here, our local "Ironwood" is casuarina species, and although it's faster growing than yours, it's about as hard and dense. 

What I've found with this is to avoid the area around the pith at all cost. It will split 100% of the time.  Then be fussy about which pieces you cut. Straight grained pieces as anything with a knot or fudge  is going to warp and crack. This is a pity as there is usually crazy grain in those areas, but it wont stay in piece. 

Then end coating with wax and slow air drying would be your best bet. The wax seals the end grain which would otherwise dry out faster then the rest of the board, then shrink and end split. You might loose 6" off the ends of some boards otherwise. 

As you are still in winter it's probably best to saw some and start it drying now. It will dry slower in the cold weather, and once things warm up it should be dry enough to not be harmed. 

Alos if you can find pieces big enough to quarter saw, even if it's only 3 or 4" wide boards, it will be more stable. Not sure if you have "logs" that big though. If you are flat sawing, cut it a bit oversize as it will be prone to cupping, so leave some material to plane out. 

And prepare yourself to throw  some on the firewood pile no matter how careful you are. 

......................
Back in the mid nineties I had 28 Casuarina trees removed from my back property..They propagate by spreading..I still have a few popping up occasionally and I kill them as fast as I see them. We call them Australian Pines, altho the species are not related...Extremely fast growth, I have burned many for firewood.

[ianab]

......................
Back in the mid nineties I had 28 Casuarina trees removed from my back property..They propagate by spreading..I still have a few popping up occasionally and I kill them as fast as I see them. We call them Australian Pines, altho the species are not related...Extremely fast growth, I have burned many for firewood.

Yup, that's the stuff.  Strange tree as the leaves look like pine needles, but it's actually a hardwood, and one of the harder ones. 

It does make good firewood at least.

[Arlin Eastman]

If any of you guys would like to get rid of some of it me and the vets could put it to good use or I could trade you some walnut pieces in exchange.