Slabs or cookies???

[Segerdog]

Want to start by thanking everyone on there advise for drying slabs. I'll probably have more questions. 

Next dilemma now is, I have a fairly large maple tree im not sure how to proceed   
It's 48" round at base then branches out several directions to over 6' 
Should I just slab it or try to get some cookies off of it as well. 
As far as working with them or selling them down the road not sure which are more sought after. 

[Segerdog]

Its the one in the middle

 

[Segerdog]

This is one of the 3' silver maple I started cutting up.... lots  of colors in this one  
 He

[firefighter ontheside]

What do you mean by 48" round?  Diameter or circumference.  I would think the majority of folks are looking for slabs or lumber and not cookies.  If you're interested in selling cookies I would cut some and the rest as slabs.  Once dry, you'll have an idea of who wants what.

[Segerdog]

48" across
Nice and round. I can tell there is some spalting in there too 
Might try and get at least a couple off the end

[doc henderson]

I say go for it, and then you can be the one later to tell us how it does not work well in large diameter stuff.    looks dry on the end of some, and the splits may just continue.  some have said a cookie from a part dry log has a better chance.  material missing in the center helps as well.  they usually just crack, and do not explode, so no big deal.  
you might try variable thickness as well, as there seems to be a sweet spot for different species.  



 

20 inch ERC with small sap wood cracks, and one big stress reliever.  left outside, and one in my shop looks about the same.  I have some cottonwood cookies.  24 inch and about 3 inches thick.  out side falling apart.  in my container hardly a split.  @WDH @GeneWengert-WoodDoc 

[Segerdog]

A little trick I learned to n wood shop years ago for protecting our lathe projects was glueing a scap piece of wood to bottom of piece with a layer of news paper between. When you finished piece you took a chisel and split at the newspaper and then just sanded it off. 

Has anyone tried gluing a cookie and laying newspaper into it kinda like fiberglass. Curious if it would help hold things together while it dried. Then just sand it off. Or router it off. 

I was going to try it anyway. Just hadn't seen anyone try anything like it yet.