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sealing the ends of logs

porthos

Aluminum
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Location
western pennsylvania
i had a walnut tree cut down for firewood. kept a couple 18 in. pieces x 12 in. diameter. what can i seal the ends with to keep them from cracking? melted paraffin wax, varnish,ect,. and what is the appx drying time. i guess if i "slice" them into 2 in. or less lengthwise pieces; the drying time will be much shorter.
 
A rough estimate for air dried wood is 1 year for 1 inch of thickness.

I bought some sealer when I started doing woodturning. The sealer is white and thick with wax. A woodturner supply place has this. I also use it to coat
cut-offs on Evergreen Pear trees.
 
"Anchorseal". Last time I bought some it was only available in 5 gal pails though. Maybe now someone sells it in quarts or 1 gal.

Paraffin wax can work, but tends to peel off and become ineffective.

If left in the log, it'll take a "really long time" to dry and will surely split. You will need to at least cut down the length and make 2 half-cylinders.

Regards.

Mike
 
That's the deal with the wood sealer. When I bought it the only size was in 5 gallon pails.
A woodturner friend and I split the purchase. I bought 2 gallons and he kept 3 gallons.

I see people using white paint on their tree branches. They just don't know enough.
 
Several coats of latex house paint or melted wax will work. The best is Anchorseal as already noted, but for a couple pieces of wood not worth buying.

The purpose is to prevent uneven and rapid drying of the end grain which will cause splits.

Slap some paint on the ends and then do it again in a couple weeks. Cutting to near the dimensions you will use will speed up the drying process.
 
Anchorseal is available in quarts, $25 from Amazon

Alternately, the Forest Products lab long ago recommended using aluminum roof paint, and adding additional aluminum flakes.
 








 
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