How should I treat these yew slices?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

PENTECRYL

 

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

PENTECRYL

 

[delabodge]

Pentecryl, is a very expensive option, and with my experience just as much chance with or without it, bit hit and miss, I,ve dried yew discs before by keeping them in controlled circumstances,ie,under cover outside for a while,the. Six months in my barn, then introduce them to the workshop,so slowly drying them,this seems too work, but some still crack slightly,

[openspaceman]

On 9/23/2017 at 17:19, Steve Bullman said:

Sounds like I'm probably as well off slinging them on the fire?

No need to be defeatist, I cut some douglas first thinnings into coasters off an early job with the Holder and hydratongs around 1979 and still have them somewhere, they didn't split and the bark stayed on. Mind I don't think you'd get away with it with some hardwoods.

[Steve Bullman]

I'm just considering the time I would spend sanding them down prior to treating them.  I have precious spare time on my hands without wasting any 

[Mark Bolam]

You spend too much time on Arbtalk.

[openspaceman]

2 hours ago, Steve Bullman said:

I'm just considering the time I would spend sanding them down prior to treating them.  I have precious spare time on my hands without wasting any 

Hell I hadn't considered costing it, I thought it was something you'd enjoy doing.

 

Anyway at the rate you're going you'll be a billionaire by my age

[DanSmallLGL]

Cut these today, would like to sand them down and use as place holders.  What's the best way to go about this with regards treating them so they don't split please?
 
 

Try drilling the pith out, it will allow the ring to shrink into the hole if that makes sense.

[Steve Bullman]

No it doesn't!

[DanSmallLGL]

No it doesn't!

Sorry, so if you drill a hole in the centre of the disk all the way through. It will create a hole, so as the wood dries and shrinks it won't split as much as the wood has room to shrink in to.