Cedar logs and what to do?

[stenik]

Hi all and hope you can advise on what to do.
I've been given some Cedar logs by a friend. Limbs of the tree came down and the gardener cut these up for easyness. They have been laid in a field near to the tree for about 2 yes now. Some have a few end cracks and 1 has a split running through it but looking at it I can cut that bit off to make a blank.

So my questions are.
Should I cut them into blanks and seal the ends.
As they've been seasoning for a couple of yrs do I need to seal them.
Could I turn some endgrain bowls or is sidegrain the best option.
Will the pith still need to be cut out.
Any and all advice greatly welcome and I've uploaded a pic of them.
Steve

 

[Tanglefoot20]

Hiyas.. I have had the fortune to obtain a few bits of cedar….I have noticed tho it does have a tendency to split…as it dries…
it’s beautiful to turn .
if I were you I’d quarter a couple of logs and turn one or two between centres…(spindle)…
some could be used for small bowls…but practise spindle stuff first..
the smell you get from the wood is quite heady…very pleasant ..

steve

 

[alex robinson]

I find I have much more success turning twice rather than seasoning as whole logs or blanks. Try rough turning some bowls, painting with PVA and leaving a while (few months, or until they stop loosing weight). Then you can turn a second time and get a final shape. You could try cutting them in half down the length and doing one half as a normal bowl (foot on the bark side) and one a natural edge.

End grain bowls are fun, but much harder work. They are more prone to splitting (but not impossible if you PVA) and much tougher to hollow. Remember "downhill" is in the opposite direction to a side grain bowl!