# Wood slices inc bark outer edge



## echotitan (18 Mar 2010)

*Hi everyone

I'm looking for supplier of wood slices / tree discs with the bark intact to make house signs with. I'm struggling to find anywhere that caters for this and don't think other sign makers would like to tell me where they are getting their supplies.

any help would be appreciated.





cheers
Echo*


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## SNight (18 Mar 2010)

Any good local Timber merchants should be able to supply you with waney edge boards. Hope this helps.


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## jasonB (18 Mar 2010)

house signs usually have the bark al round and are cut at about 45deg to the trunk. Try asking a sawmill or tree surgeons who will be able to slice up some small trunks or branchwood.

Your biggest problems will be stopping the disc cracking and keeping the bark on as the wood dries out.

Jason


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## Mattty (18 Mar 2010)

I'd have thought a medium sized bandsaw and and a couple of logs and you could make them very cheaply. From what i remember they are diagonal slices of logs around 5-6" diameter?


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## Mattty (18 Mar 2010)

echotitan":ydrv2amm said:


> *Hi everyone
> 
> I'm looking for supplier of wood slices / tree discs with the bark intact to make house signs with. I'm struggling to find anywhere that caters for this and don't think other sign makers would like to tell me where they are getting their supplies.
> 
> ...



Quoted to show the link- 

Edit- Link removed!


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## echotitan (18 Mar 2010)

Mattty":2prckdcv said:


> I'd have thought a medium sized bandsaw and and a couple of logs and you could make them very cheaply. From what i remember they are diagonal slices of logs around 5-6" diameter?



Yes, I would be looking for 6-10 inch in diameter, and dryin them is a pain, I already cut them with a chainsaw, but if the business takes of i'll need a more regular supply.


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## Mattty (18 Mar 2010)

echotitan":183xqcxu said:


> Mattty":183xqcxu said:
> 
> 
> > I'd have thought a medium sized bandsaw and and a couple of logs and you could make them very cheaply. From what i remember they are diagonal slices of logs around 5-6" diameter?
> ...



Buy a decent sized bandsaw and get cutting them. They should dry quite quickly due to the amount of end grain exposure- how you stop them cracking though i have no idea.


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## Mattty (18 Mar 2010)

Post the link to your web site again


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## echotitan (18 Mar 2010)

Mattty":6oyc1gow said:


> Post the link to your web site again



Http://www.handmade-signs.co.uk


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## Mattty (18 Mar 2010)

I think they are lovely mate. The paintings are really pretty.


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## wizer (18 Mar 2010)

I very much doubt that you will find an actual supplier of these. You might find a tree surgeon or small saw mill that might be able to do them for you on special order, but would someone actually have them as a stock item? I doubt it. As others have said, the best way in the long run will be to cut them yourself with wood bought or scrounged from tree surgeons.


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## L Harding (18 Mar 2010)

Try 'interesting timber's' (west country way), theyve been very helpful to some odd wood requests :shock:  of mine in the past


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## big soft moose (18 Mar 2010)

Mattty":2jn9yl3n said:


> echotitan":2jn9yl3n said:
> 
> 
> > Mattty":2jn9yl3n said:
> ...



the key to not cracking is not to dry them too far - they are going to be in an outside environment after all so they'll be fine if you dont store them in a heated environment - also several coats of clear varnish helps slow the water loss.

by the way all though the others are right about the bandsaw do be careful - you need to build a sled for cutting round things on the bandsaw as if the log rolls whiole its being cut it will jam and potentially buckle the blade


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## Mattty (19 Mar 2010)

big soft moose":1vym6wme said:


> Mattty":1vym6wme said:
> 
> 
> > echotitan":1vym6wme said:
> ...



I have a pretty good understanding of timber technology- not to the extent of Richard Jones but still ok. 

Whilst i agree that slowing the rate of drying is important and there would be little point in drying these to a low moisture content, the fast remains that the op is trying to dry a slice of log, which in it's very nature is nearly impossible to do due to how timber shrinks. 

All timber when drying shrinks along the length of the annular rings and thus if the timber in question is a slice from the end of a log the outer rings are shrinking much more than the inner rings thus the slice will split. This splitting can be reduced using various techniques and if the slices are very thin (such as oyster veneers) then the timber can be stabilised.

If the slice is at an angle say 45 degrees rather than 90 degrees then the splitting whilst drying is greatly reduced, and this is the type of wooden external sign that i have commonly seen.

You are correct about cutting logs on a bandsaw, they can easily twist and wreck the blade, this is easily solved by cutting the log in a cradle or other similar holding device.


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## Doug B (19 Mar 2010)

I`d go for PVA as a sealer to slow the drying process rather than varnish.

I use PVA as an end grain sealer for all my planked boards & turning blanks, the added bonus in this case is that a couple of coats applied copiously will aid in keeping the bark attached during the drying process.


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## echotitan (20 Mar 2010)

Thanks for all the info, 

have found a saw mill that can slice them for me using a ban saw. Going up to look at them next week.

Cheers for all the advice

echo


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## windows20 (5 Jul 2011)

sorry to high jack this,but do any 1 have sled ideas for cutting these.preferably at angles.
thanks
andy


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