Drying Willow tree

[Arya]

I am about to chop down some trees around here, and some of them are Goat Willows. If possible, I would like to dry the trees and use them for carving.
Now to the question; I have heard that Willows will crack open from the core while drying, and needs to be "split" in half to avoid the crack.
Anyone knows if this is true? Can I live my Willows whole during the process, or should I split them?

 

[Robson Valley]

I've done it. Big willow across the street into the power & telephone lines. I got some 24" x 6" pieces (60x15cm.)
1. Stripped off all the bark.
2. Tried to estimate which would be the best-looking face for carving.
3. On the opposite side, I cut away a wedge, maybe 4cm wide at the surface, right to the center.
4. Kept wiping off the mold as the wood dried over the next year on the cold floor of my shop.
= no cracks at all.

Instead, I could have painted the ends and hoped that would slow down the water loss from the cut surfaces to = the water loss from the sides.
Paint, glue, whatever, just to seal it. But if that still cracks, there's nothing that can be done.

Instead, cut the wood some 30+cm longer at each end, expect cracks and cut off that waste.

Instead, make a single cut, right to the core of the log pieces and hope for the best.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, totem poles are only meant to be seen from one side. Commonly, 1/4 to 1/3 of the log is cut away to relieve drying stress.
The native artists carve right through the cracks which always form.

If you have lots of wood, maybe try some of each treatment.

 

[Arya]

Thank you for your good answer!
I will try some of these methods and time will show. It´s worth a go!

 

[Robson Valley]

Yes. Just another part of the wood carving process that I call: "learning the wood."
If you can count growth rings, 12 - 40/inch (25mm) is best. Big growth rings are just too soft.

Usually, there are fewer branches/knots on the north side of the main trunk. Best side for carving.
Use the main tree trunk. The tension wood that forms on the upper sides of the branches will dry like bone.

 

[Robson Valley]

Sorry! I forgot an important part. = Drying Time.

Outdoors, in some sort of shelter, wood which is allowed to dry naturally will have a moisture content (MC) of 12 - 14%.
After that, what ever cracking has happened should not get any worse.
This takes place at a rate of approximately 1" (2.5cm) of thickness per year.
So for example, a 5cm/2" stick should be air-dried an a year. 4"/10cm might take more than 2 years, probably 3 to be sure.

The risk of cracking is much greater when I bring fresh wood into the house. House air in winter can be 4-5%. When the wood dries quickly
to a lower moisture content, the stress is much greater.

 

[Arya]

Omg! 2-3 years uppy_dog
One of the trees are at least 20 cm i diameter. I´ll be close to retirement before I can make use of it!!

I have a big barn, with lots of space, so I will be drying it inside I think. Will that speed up the process?

 

[Robson Valley]

A barn is perfect. The wood is out of the weather (rain & snow). The local wood shop has such a place, might have been horse stalls at one time. Each stall has a year-label. The 2016 bin is full of big (4"/10+cm) pieces, probably cut down and stripped in 2011 or 2012. They have been doing this for many years. The other 2016 bin is 5cm and smaller, probably harvested in 2013. Those will be used to make hiking sticks, walking canes (like mine), chair parts and staircase railings. When the sap runs and the bark is easy to peel this year, they will harvest big sticks for a 2019 or 2020 bin. They are the only people in the entire district with an interest in willow, diamond willow in particular.

I guess that I should have asked what sort of carvings you wanted to do. Cutting a wedge out of a big piece does allow for faster drying.