How do I keep discs from cracking??

[JimSawyer]

Yesterday I had to cut down a couple of birch trees that were damaged in the hurricane we had this past summer, and while I was at it, I sliced of a few 6" disks, mainly for wood burning. They're fresh green wood.
How do I keep them from splitting or warping??
They're about 1/4" to 1/2" thick....

[oily]

Jim, Soak them for several hours in denatured alcohol or methanol. Let them drip dry and wrap them in brown paper or newsprint for a couple weeks.
If you use methanol wear glove and don't breath the fumes. That's the antifreeze in blue windshield washer fluid. You should be able to find at Auto quick Lubes. You can also find them both online .

[Rolf]

Let us know how that works for you Jim.
I always thought that if you leave the pith in the center it will always crack.
When I prep wood for turning I seal both ends with a wax solution it slows the drying time down and hopefuly eliminates or slows the cracking. But I don't normaly do the entire log cross section.

[ChuckD]

I had some cedar slabs that I tried to prevent from cracking using both methods above. It didn't work. I then tried to microwave them and that didn't work. So I did get some good smelling firewood.

[scrolling_grandma]

The biggest tip I can offer is don't let them dry to quickly. Quick drying tends to cause splits. Turn them often also to allow for even drying.