# Sealing green timber?



## gasmansteve (5 Aug 2009)

Not having much look with preserving green timber I come across.
I have been using old paint (gloss) I have to seal either end but still the soddin things split. I read of people waxing their blanks and wondered what/where to get of some of that or is there better stuff out there?
Cheers
Steve


----------



## BMac (5 Aug 2009)

Hi Steve,

I melt old candles in a slow cooker until the wax is very hot to seal wood. I also use PVA glue and both do a good job.

Brendan


----------



## Bodrighy (5 Aug 2009)

I use PVA glue, not watered down as I saw recommended somewhere though. Make sure it is well coated and go down the log an inch or so from the end. Best if the log is split down the centre first if it's big enough. Also keep it as long as possible then if it still splits it can probably be saved by chopping off the ends

Pete


----------



## cornucopia (5 Aug 2009)

where are you storing them steve? and how green are they?

if there very fresh, withing 1week to 1 year of being down- i don't seal them, i store them out of the sun and cover them in old sheets- hardly any splits this way.

if i want to dry them further after the first year i then seal them with oil based undercoat then still store them in the shade but remover the sheets.

drying wood to fast will cause splits- wind/airflow and sun are your biggest issues control these and you'll reduce the splitting.


----------



## milkman (5 Aug 2009)

Waterproof PVA seems to be the way to go

Alternatively stick them in a clump of nettles out of the sun. The nettles trap damp air and help slow the drying process. [I knew nettles had to be good for something!]


----------



## Bodrighy (5 Aug 2009)

milkman":1t838p2p said:


> Waterproof PVA seems to be the way to go
> 
> Alternatively stick them in a clump of nettles out of the sun. The nettles trap damp air and help slow the drying process. [I knew nettles had to be good for something!]



Extremely nutricious, good source of iron and vit. C (better than any bought veg including spinach) makes good rope, boiled they are excellent manure

Pete


----------



## Tony Spear (5 Aug 2009)

Bodrighy":3ju174c2 said:


> [quote
> Extremely nutricious, good source of iron and vit. C (better than any bought veg including spinach) makes good rope, boiled they are excellent manure
> 
> Pete



Wot's all this then? 
Pete Fearnley-Whittingstall? :lol: :lol:


----------



## Bodrighy (5 Aug 2009)

Tony Spear":1p34gjlf said:


> Bodrighy":1p34gjlf said:
> 
> 
> > [quote
> ...




:lol: :lol: 
Not quite but I never turn down ny freebies be it from man or nature. Must see if I can work a way of turning nettles....

Pete


----------



## gasmansteve (5 Aug 2009)

cornucopia":tguu06oc said:


> where are you storing them steve? and how green are they?



I keep them in my garage which thinking about the warm summer we`ve had is maybe not a good idea and making them dry out too quick so I`ll have a go at storing them outside under sheets might even have them on the floor like someone recommends in this months WT to help spalting??.
The PVA glue seems a good idea too.
Brendan - sadly I dont have access to that many candles  
Cheers
Steve


----------



## Paul.J (5 Aug 2009)

Yes Steve get them outa the garage.
Storing em depends on what you are going to do with em.
I used to split all my logs in half but had a lot of em splitting,i cut these up for pens etc if the splits are too bad.
So now i just leave them outside,standing on end,and left in the lengths i get them, in a shaded part of the garden,sheltered from the wind and sun,under old blankets as George suggests,and i also cover mine over with that weed control black sheet that you can get.This lets the rain through to keep them wet.
I also have my Beech logs standing on end left on some bark chippings we had,this is helping it to spalt very nicely just looking at it  
I also have a dry area where i do keep some logs and split halves which i seal with PVA,and some of these seem to split quicker but i just cut the ends off and turn whats left,which is why it is a good idea to keep long.
It is also worth part turning and leaving to dry,when you get your logs nice and fresh


----------



## Shay Vings (5 Aug 2009)

My first attempt at storing cherry was a complete failure. I rough turned some and kept them in the garage. They split. I rough turned some and left them outside under a loose plastic sheet. They split but it took longer!. The bits not turned at all were left outside under the same sheet. They split as well. All pieces were end sealed with candle wax. 

Some expert told me (a) cherry is bl***y awful to season and (b) I got the trees immediately they were felled in March April and they were full of sap/water. 

I conclude there is more to this seasoning lark than meets the eye!


----------



## Bodrighy (5 Aug 2009)

Wood is best felled in late autumn / winter when the tree is not actively growing so there is less sap in the wood. Some woods are notorious for splitting, cherry and other fruit woods for example. Hazel, hawthorn and sycamore, IME hardly ever split, willow doesn't either but I have some that is at least three years old and weighs exactly the same as when I got it. (Not that it is much good for turning apparently). Yew can be a pig though personally I have never had any split on me but maybe i have just been lucky. You can buy kiln dried blanks and have them split if you keep them in a humid environment then back into a dry one. Wood is a natural material that will take on board and shed moisture all the time. Part of the turning slope is learning how to work with it, not to control it. 

Pete


----------

