After some disappointment on the split log slice front over the last year we have now sussed how to get them for next to nothing (see £35 examples on ebay!!). Don't cut this year's timber into slices because they will split, no matter what you do.
Now is the time to go out to country parks where the thinning out is being done. Ask the rangers for log/trunk offcuts. Don't get anything less than 2 foot lengths. Leave them to season for a year in a dry shed or garage, so they can dry out really slowly. We got three of these at this time last year as they would just be chopped up and burnt on site. They didn't want anything at all for them.
Then next spring get a local tree surgeon to pop round with his chainsaw and slice them up. It'll take them 10 mins or so. Ours didn't even want anything to do it as we were on his way home one night but they looked so good we forced him to take £20.
My OH has now dipped the slices in preservative, sanded and oiled them, and brushed the bark with liquid wax. They look amazing and we have no split ones at all.
We've spent maybe £20 total on preservative/oil/wax and we have 3 huge 3" thick slices for cake stands and about 25 thinner ones for table centres. (and enough stuff left over that if we had enough timber we could do the same thing again!
I hope this is useful info for someone.
