Do you seal deadwood

[Les Kuesel]

I know you are to seal the ends on fresh cut tree blocks but what about dead wood ? I can cut any tree that is dead on my friends propery some of the trees the bark is all the way off. I have cut some that I know is dry because you can feel how dry the saw dust is. Should I seal it anyhow?

[robert hainstock]

But Iam not the greenwood expert. Dry wood will still check. I've had stuff around for many years check. See what the others say too.:)
Bob

[Cody Colston]

Why not seal it?

All you are losing is a few ounces of Anchorseal and you might save a blank.

FWIW, I recently cut some blanks from a standing dead Post Oak about 14" diameter at the base. It had been dead over a year and the bark was falling off. It was still plenty wet inside and would have checked badly if not sealed. I know because I left one log unsealed and it's cracked pretty good.

[George Guadiane]

Why not seal it?

All you are losing is a few ounces of Anchorseal and you might save a blank.

FWIW, I recently cut some blanks from a standing dead Post Oak about 14" diameter at the base. It had been dead over a year and the bark was falling off. It was still plenty wet inside and would have checked badly if not sealed. I know because I left one log unsealed and it's cracked pretty good.
I have a 40 inch diameter red oak log (30 feet or so) which fell down more than 10 years ago that checks every time I cut off another piece, and a spalted sugar maple that had been dead standing for over 10 years on the same property, cracks fairly quickly, and sometimes BIG cracks.
Sealing the wood is a good idea for everything but kiln dried stuff (IMHO).

[Richard Madison]

Had similar experience as Cody with post oak, standing dead a year and still plenty wet inside.

[Allen Neighbors]

I found an Ash log in the alley behind a friend's house. It had been dead for years, and bark was falling off as I loaded it. (I "rescued" it.) Cut out several blanks, and sealed some of them. Some that I didn't seal cracked.
Like the others, I suggest you seal all of it you can. It'll come in handy later, if you can't turn it all now. :)

[Steve Campbell]

Les it may or may not crack. I sometimes go out and cut dead elm that has been standing dead for years. If that is what you are looking at it doesn't crack very often. The dead elm is kind of pretty. Try it and see what happens. The price is right. One other thing, if you are cutting elm look for one without the bark. If you find one with the bark still on it will be rotten and punky inside. If the bark is off it will normally be ok a sometimes even spalted. Good luck. The price is good enough to do a lot of practice on.

Steve

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have cut Elm, Locust, Ash, Cottonwood and Willow that have been dead for years. All checked and cracked. I cut the ends off and sealed them with no further cracking.

[David Wilhelm]

if you want to save any wood, do all you can. Dead wood still has moisture.

[Dennis Peacock]

Exactly....seal it and save that wood.