In the process of collecting firewood for this year I have come across a potentially nice burl in a large piece of Juniper. The tree looks to be about 400 or so years old and has a rather gnarled, bulged out section in the main trunk. I cut this section away and left about a foot of wood at each end. I know it will eventually crack, but what I'd like to do is to cut it up now into pieces that will not crack. What do I need to do? The biggest thing I can imagine making is maybe a few turnings with 8" of diameter at most. Should I chain saw it up into 10" blocks (10"x10"x6") or so (trunk is about 24" dia)? I don't have a bandsaw (yet) so the chain saw is the only option, I don't mind the waste. If my target block size is ok, what do I do after they have been cut to keep them from cracking? I don't plan on using them for a number of years so fast drying is not needed. Should I just paint them (as with dimensioned lumber endgrain) or maybe coat the surfaces in thick wax....
Thanks,
-Bruce