How to Process Logs for Woodturning (Without Cracking or Wasting Wood)
- David Condon
- Feb 7, 2024
- 16 min read
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen this happen.
A new woodturner gets their hands on a few freshly cut logs, usually from a tree surgeon, a fallen tree, or a neighbour clearing a garden. They’re delighted with the find, and rightly so. Free turning wood always feels like a win.
Then comes the next question: “How do I seal these so they don’t crack?”
And that’s where things often start to go wrong.
The advice that follows is usually well-meaning. Seal the ends. Use paint. Use PVA. Use wax. Use whatever you have.
But in many cases, that advice misses the real problem.
If the pith is still in the log, sealing the ends will not save it.
I’ve seen people carefully seal short logs, stack them away, and come back weeks or months later to find them split beyond use. Time wasted, wood wasted, and a bit of enthusiasm lost with it.
That’s exactly why I’m writing this post.
Not to argue with anyone online, but to give you a clear, practical approach that actually works.
Quick Answer: How Should You Process Logs for Woodturning?
The best way to process fresh logs for woodturning is to remove the pith as soon as possible, cut the wood into suitable bowl blanks or spindle blanks, and then seal the exposed end grain.
Sealing short logs before removing the pith usually does not prevent cracking, because the internal stress is still trapped in the centre of the log.
For most small logs, I cut through or beside the pith first, remove bark where practical, trim away existing cracks, and then seal the usable blanks before stacking them for drying.
The Biggest Mistake New Woodturners Make with Fresh Logs
The most common advice you’ll hear is this:
“Seal the ends of the log.”
And while that sounds right, it completely misses the real issue.
If you’re dealing with short logs, like the typical 9–10 inch firewood lengths, sealing the ends on its own won’t save them.
The wood will still crack.
Why?
Because the pith is still sitting right in the centre of the log, and that’s where the real problem starts.
The pith is only part of the story. The way moisture leaves the wood is just as important, and I explain that in more detail in Wood Moisture & Why Bowls Crack as They Dry.
What to Do Instead: Remove the Pith First
The single most important step is this:
👉 Remove the pith as soon as possible
Before the sun, wind, or heat starts pulling moisture unevenly out of the wood.
Once the pith is removed:
The internal stresses are reduced
The wood has a chance to dry more evenly
Your chances of saving usable blanks go way up
After that, sealing the end grain actually makes sense.
At that stage, it helps slow down moisture loss and gives the wood a better chance of drying without major splits.
Why Removing the Pith Matters
Wood doesn’t dry evenly.
Heartwood and sapwood behave differently
Moisture leaves fastest through the end grain
The pith creates tension as the wood shrinks
Leave that pith in place, and the wood will tear itself apart trying to relieve that tension
That’s when you get those familiar cracks running from the centre outward.
I’ve also included a YouTube video at the end of this post showing how I process small logs into spindle blanks.
If you’re new to woodturning, these two posts will help you get off to a solid start:
● So You Want to Be a Woodturner?- a beginner-friendly introduction
● Why Do Most New Woodturners Fail? – common mistakes and how to avoid them
How to Save Fresh Cut Logs for Woodturning
After a tree surgeon has visited, if they haven’t taken the wood away, the logs are usually cut into firewood lengths, typically around 9 or 10 inches long. Sometimes they’re cut longer, it depends on the job and what the customer asked for.
At this stage, there is absolutely no point in sealing these logs in their current form. The wood will still crack. That’s because the pith is still intact right through the centre of the log.
Heartwood and sapwood dry at different rates. With the pith left in place, the wood is forced to move in different directions as it dries, which leads to end checking cracks.
This isn’t something that might happen, it’s unavoidable. And it doesn’t improve with time. The cracks will continue to develop until the internal tension has been fully released. The only way to properly release that tension is to remove the pith.
I’ve created a simple diagram showing a cross section of a log.
The heartwood is not perfectly circular, wood rarely is, but this gives a good general idea. I’ve used a larger diameter log in the example, as it’s easier to visualise what’s going on.
With larger logs, you can often get two or more usable slabs either side of the pith. I’ve also shown two different bowl orientations to give an idea of how the wood can be used.
With smaller logs, you’ll usually only get one usable slab each side of the pith. If the material isn’t suitable for bowls, those slabs can still be cut down into spindle blanks.
If you have a fallen tree and would like the wood to be used rather than wasted, I have a separate Fallen Trees page explaining what types of wood may be suitable for turning and how logs should ideally be cut before I collect or receive them. It can also be useful if you are giving instructions to a tree surgeon and want to keep the wood suitable for bowls, spindles or other handmade pieces.
What a Woodturner Sees in a Log
Below is a diagram showing the basic cut patterns in a log cross section, as a woodturner might view the log before deciding which way it should be cut.
Other factors also come into play, including inclusions, fissures, branch nubs, existing cracks and the direction of the grain. The pith is often slightly off-centre, but that’s a problem for another day.
Not all of this wood comes from planned collections or neatly organised deliveries. A surprising amount of usable timber turns up unexpectedly, sometimes while travelling or away from the workshop altogether.
I’ve written separately about learning to spot potential turning wood in unlikely places, including while on holidays, and how those chance finds often end up going through exactly the same preparation process outlined above.
Golden Rule: Remove the Pith, Always
The pith, or heartwood, should always be removed.
With small logs, cutting straight through the centre of the pith is usually enough to relieve most of the internal tension and allow the wood to dry more evenly.
With larger logs, it’s better to cut either side of the pith. This reduces the risk of the heartwood behaving differently during drying and potentially cracking your bowl later on.
The section you remove leaves you with more stable material outside the pith, often closer to quarter sawn, which is ideal for platters and other pieces where stability matters.
Practical Checklist for Processing Logs
Once you understand why the pith causes problems, the actual process is fairly simple:
● Process the log into blanks as soon as possible
● Remove the pith before doing anything else
● Trim away any visible end cracks
● Remove bark where practical
● Cut the wood into spindle blanks or bowl blanks
● Seal the exposed end grain after the pith has been removed
● Stack the blanks properly so air can circulate
The important point is the order. Process first, seal afterwards.
It’s best to remove as much of this bark waste material as possible, or in some cases discard it entirely. There’s no point risking other wood, or even bringing an issue into your workshop or home.
Once the bark, waste and obvious problem areas have been removed, the next job is to break the log down into usable bowl blanks or spindle blanks.
This is exactly the stage where having a simple, stable setup makes a huge difference. I’ve put together a separate post showing the basic log cutting bench I use for processing wood safely and efficiently, especially when breaking down larger logs.
Spindle Blanks
Spindle blanks are straightforward to deal with. Cut them to the sizes you need and then seal the ends. You don’t even have to bandsaw straight edges, an axe cut is often sufficient if you allow enough waste, though it won’t stack as neatly on stickers.
Seal the end grain and go about an inch up the sides at each end. Stack the blanks on stickers so air can circulate freely around all surfaces, and that’s the drying process underway. If you look closely at the end grain in the picture of my drying shed, you can see the glue extending slightly up the sides.
If you do get end checks, it’s not always the end of the world. Some wood will crack no matter what you do, and there may already have been invisible micro-cracks before you even started.
I always allow a little extra waste so I can trim away any drying checks. I also cut the ends of fresh green spindle blanks with a chop saw before sealing, just to make sure there are no existing cracks.
Pro Tip: It’s easier to apply glue to spindle end grain that has been freshly cut on a chop saw, rather than a chainsaw or bandsawn surface. I trim both ends of each spindle blank on the chop saw, as it makes sealing far easier and more consistent.
The wood sides needs to be fairly flat to sit safely against the fence, so take care when doing this.
I generally aim to get four individual pieces from a single spindle blank length, but that’s based on the sizes I have in mind. I always allow a little extra for waste, and if an end cracks, it simply goes into the firewood pile.
Cutting and sealing the blanks is only the first part of the process. The next question is knowing when the wood is actually ready to use, and I cover that in How to Tell If Wood Is Dry Enough for Turning.
Bowl Blanks
Bowl blanks need a little more thought than spindle blanks. If the log has been exposed for a while, the first job is to cut back the end grain until you reach clean wood with no visible cracks.
Depending on how long the log has been sitting, that might mean removing an inch or two from each end, and sometimes more.
Cracks do not heal as wood dries. They usually get worse. If you turn a bowl blank with cracks already running in from the end grain or pith, those cracks are likely to follow you right through the drying and finishing process.
For small logs, I prefer to get the wood to the rough-turned bowl stage as soon as practical. Once the bowl is roughed out, I seal the outside edge of the end grain and then use whatever drying method suits the piece.
If you leave a short log whole, especially with the pith still in place, you will almost certainly get radiating cracks running into the area you hoped to use for a bowl.
How Big a Bowl Blank Can You Get from a Log?
Is there a formula for figuring out a Bowl size from a log? I don't have a set formula as such but I have a basic rule of thumb; not always perfect and depends mainly on the size of the log and direction of initial Pith cracks.
Cut a fresh end to the log until all large cracks are gone, there will always be a small crack at the Pith (initial crack). Orient the log to give you the best sized bowl parallel to any pith cracks and draw a line (A). Rotate this line vertically. Measure this line and then measure along the log to give you the best possible diameter for the size of log similar to the size of the line on the end and add a little bit (B).
A-B will be roughly the same but adding a little bit extra along the log allows for errors or if there is a defect you can move the bowl slightly.
You will be making it smaller on the bandsaw and smaller again when you true this up on the Lathe so don't worry about accuracy at this point. You will always learn something new when you cut Bowls so don't worry if you make a mistake. You learn from mistakes.
Every log you cut will be different and you will figure out your own techniques over time.
Short-Term Storage if You Cannot Process Logs Immediately
There will be times that you can't get to the wood to process it on the day or maybe a few days, what do you do then?
A short term solution is to wrap the logs in a decent Tarpaulin. Wrap in such a way that all surfaces are completely covered by one or more Tarps and secure against wind. I would not leave this for more than one night if the logs are fresh cut as a Tarp is not a hermetic seal.
If you start cutting but can't finish, put the cut sections into black or clear plastic bin bags and fold the bag over allowing no air in.
Each day, turn the bag inside out so the wood doesn't develop mildew and put the log back inside the dry bag surface. This will do for a week or so. Bowl blanks should be processed within this time and spindle blanks can go a bit longer.
The bigger the Bowl Blank size the sooner you should process it into a Bowl and seal the external end grain. Best advice is always to process as soon as the wood is cut so you don't lose anything.
Best Way to Season Hardwood
The best way to season Hardwood is to cut the trunk in long lengths and put it on 3 or more stickers to keep it off the ground. Wood sitting on soil is going to rot so keep it elevated.
You don't have to cover the wood, just leave it exposed for 6 months up to 12 months but you should keep an eye on it so it doesn't go too far. The levels of Fungi on the endgrain should tell you how much Spalt is likely developing.
This natural seasoning method will hopefully allow the wood to gain some colour due to existing fungi while losing some water weight.
As the wood loses water, it also starts to relax. Some of the internal tension is released, while other stresses can increase as different parts of the log shrink at different rates.
If you cut a fresh tree and turn a bowl straight away, the wood can move dramatically as it dries. The finished shape may warp far more than expected, especially if the bowl is thin or the wood is still very wet.
By letting the wood lose some of its moisture over 6 to 12 months before cutting or rough turning, the blank is usually a little more settled. It will still move after the first turning, but in my experience it tends to move less violently than freshly cut green wood.
If you can, source a trunk about 6 feet long rather than small logs. You then don't have to worry about a poor yield. Some of the more experienced Woodturners around the world will leave a tree this way for about a year or more before deciding on when to cut. Their experience should tell you what method is right.
If you’d like to speed things up and control the drying process, my post Make Your Own DIY Wood Drying Kiln will point you in the right direction.
And if you’re wondering what to do with all the waste shavings from cutting or turning, my post Turning Waste Wood Shavings into Briquettes might give you some good ideas.
Why Sealing Small Logs Is Often Bad Advice
Most people are not experts at processing wood and many people just parrot what they hear from others or see online.
That's why the same bad advice keeps coming up again and again. I will say it once again. Sealing small logs is a waste of time and effort, don't do it!
There's no point in sealing large trunks either, the wood will crack no matter what you do as the tension moves in the wood. You will be cutting back up to 4 inches anyway so why waste the sealer?
Below is one of my earliest attempts at seasoning wood. I sealed the logs after this and wrapped the unit on all four sides and the top with black weed barrier to stop the sunlight but allow airflow.
Why did I do it like this? Because someone told me that this is the way to season wood for Woodturning. It isn't. It isn't even a great way to prepare this wood to be firewood. I added a black weed barrier around the outside after this photo was taken to keep the direct sunlight off the wood. It was all pointless.
I know far better these days. Again, remove the Pith and the Bark and then you can seal the end grain with glue or Anchorseal or any of the ones I mentioned above. Wood should then be stored like I have done in the last picture below.
Drying Spindle Blanks
You can create a drying area for spindle blanks quite easily and at very low cost.
Racks made from rough sawn 2" x 1½" timber are more than sufficient, once the weight is supported at midpoints. I use a small wooden shed lined with 25mm Xtratherm insulation to help keep conditions stable, with vents to allow air to move freely and carry moisture away.
The shelves are kept narrow so the sealed ends of the blanks can overhang slightly. This stops them sticking to the racks and helps air circulate more evenly around each piece.
I generally leave blanks in this shed for around three months, with a fan assisting airflow. After that, they move on to a second drying stage in a more stable environment.
Moving wood from place to place might seem like extra work, and it is, but you’d be doing something similar if you were using a kiln. For me, this system has proven to be reliable and low cost.
If you’d like to see the full setup in more detail, including airflow, shelf design and drying timelines, I’ve covered it in a separate post here:👉 Drying Spindle Blanks on a Budget – Shed Setup & Airflow Tips
Drying Bowl Blanks
There are different requirements for drying Bowls and a variety of different methods which I won't go into in this post. That probably deserves a Post on its own. My own preference right now is the old paper bag method which is slower but has better results than Kiln drying.
Wood Movement
Wood movement is unavoidable and it starts the moment a tree is cut. As moisture leaves the wood, it shrinks at different rates across the grain, along the grain, and around the growth rings.
This uneven shrinkage creates internal tension, and if that tension has nowhere to go it releases itself as cracks.
The pith is the worst offender here because it represents the tree’s earliest growth and behaves very differently to the surrounding wood. Leaving it intact almost guarantees splits as the wood dries.
Removing the pith early does not stop movement, but it allows that movement to happen in a more controlled and predictable way. Understanding this basic relationship between moisture loss, tension, and movement is key to drying blanks successfully.
FAQ: Processing Logs for Woodturning
Should I seal a whole log for woodturning?
Usually, no. If the pith is still in the log, sealing the ends will not solve the main problem. The pith needs to be removed first. After that, sealing the exposed end grain of the blank makes much more sense.
How quickly should I process fresh logs?
As soon as possible. Freshly cut logs can start checking quickly, especially in warm, dry or windy conditions. If you cannot process them immediately, cover them fully for very short-term storage, but do not treat that as a long-term solution.
Why does the pith cause cracking?
The pith is the tree’s original centre growth and it behaves differently from the surrounding wood as moisture leaves. As the wood shrinks, stress builds around the pith and cracks often radiate outward from the centre.
Can cracked logs still be used for woodturning?
Sometimes. If the cracks are shallow, you may be able to cut them away and still save spindle blanks or smaller bowl blanks. If cracks run deep from the pith or end grain, the useful yield may be much lower.
Is it better to get long trunks instead of short logs?
Yes, where possible. Longer lengths usually give you more options and better yield. Short firewood-length logs can still be useful, but they need to be processed quickly and correctly.
Final Takeaway: Process First, Seal Later
There are plenty of ways to cut, store and dry wood for turning, but the basic principle is simple.
Do not rely on sealing short logs and hoping for the best.
Remove the pith first. Cut the log into usable bowl blanks or spindle blanks. Trim away existing cracks. Remove bark where practical. Then seal the exposed end grain and stack the wood properly for drying.
That approach has saved me a lot of wood over the years, and it is the method I would recommend to any beginner who has just been given a few fresh logs and wants to turn them into something useful.
You will still lose some pieces. Every woodturner does. But if you understand the pith, moisture loss and wood movement, you give yourself a much better chance of saving good turning wood instead of watching it split in the corner of the workshop.
I’ve gathered many of my practical woodturning articles and workshop notes into a single Woodturning Guides & Articles page if you’d like to explore more topics in one place.
New! YouTube Video on Processing Small Logs
About the Author
I’m David Condon, a woodturner and small business owner based in Tralee, Co. Kerry. I’ve been working with wood for most of my life at this stage — 11 years as a carpenter and over a decade running my own woodturning business.
During that time, I’ve worked with Irish hardwoods, taught woodturning, and run my workshop full-time. On this site, I share the same knowledge I pass on to my students — from choosing the right wood and tools to finishing techniques that make every project shine.
I also stock a carefully chosen range of turning blanks, tools, and craft supplies that I use every day in my own work. You can explore more of my handcrafted pieces and classes at DavidCondonWoodcraft.ie.
© David Condon Woodcraft – All Rights Reserved.
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More Woodturning Pages to Explore
Hampshire Sheen - Fine Finishing products that will highlight your project pieces
Hamlet Tools - Fantastic Woodturning Tools from a well trusted brand
Sanding Essentials - Essential sanding products for Woodturners & Woodworkers.
Woodturning Blanks - A fine range of Hardwood Spindle Blanks & a few Bowl Blanks too!
Woodturning Pen Blanks - A huge assortment of Acrylic & Irish Hardwood Pen Blanks.
Crafter's Haven – A vast range of craft supplies for crafters and gift givers!
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great post. The amount of logs I've wasted in the past by just sealing them & hoping for the best.