Possible wood for future stock - Wild Cherry

[Lost Oki]

Two years ago I had to remove a Wild Cherry from the back yard, too close to the house and lateral lines from septic.  I left the stump (approx 24 inches in diameter with the thought of having it carved...gave up on that and slabbed the stump out last weekend.  Now, I sealed the top of the stump the day after cutting using several coats of an old exterior latex paint.  Slabbed out the stump with 2 pieces that are 4 inches thick 24 inches wide and 48 inches long.  Sealed both ends of each slab using oil based paint, again several coats and stored out of the weather.  What if any would be my next step toward curing this out for a rifle stock?? 

[gunnut69]

I store such pieces for a few years in the barn. Not with the hay but lower in the old stall area. A good dry basement is fine also. The heating system and air conditioning will keep the drying going. After a couple of years it can be kiln dried to required dryness level.. After a couple of years the slabs can be bandsawed to the rough shape of a stock blank. Keep them sealed on the ends to avoid sudden moisture change which can lead to warping.. Good luck!! its a lot of fun..

[oldred]

You are lucky in that Cherry dries well with little tendency to crack but if it were mine I would remove that paint and seal the ends with hot wax to be sure. I work with black walnut which is very prone to end cracks and checking and I have found paint to be risky as far as a good end sealer if the wood is stored in low humidity, but again Cherry is a bit more forgiving.

[Lost Oki]

Thanks guys, Sounds like I need to seal with something better than paint.  I have some pariffin.  Should it stand on end, lay flat or on its side ?  see attachments

[gunnut69]

Coating the end grain is what you need to do. The wax should be melted but it can be melted in place with a heat gun. Stay away from open flames.. It can be stored in any attitude but stability is a safety concern so horizontal is probably best. Use some sort of spacer to allow air flow on all sides and rotating them occasionally is a good idea.. The  main thing is to allow drying at a steady pace and as evenly as possible..