What to seal lumber with

[jason lambert]

i sourced some wallmut logs for resawing and turning but I know you need to seal tehm with a wax type substance. What is it and where do I get it I want to saw them downt he middle and seal them so they can dry out.

[Jeremy Monge]

Never heard of wallmut before is that an exotic?:D jsut kdidnig.

Seriously, to answer your question, wax is used by turners and they completely cover the wood on all surfaces to keep moisture "in" so that they can turn the piece green.

In all other cases just the end grain of boards are sealed when drying wood and you can use anything that is moisture resistant (ie exterior paint, wax, tar, bubblegum, whatever). That is why when you buy stock from the lumber yard the ends of the boards are painted.

I believe the wax is paraffin wax and can be easily attained.

[Josiah Bartlett]

I use tree wound sealer, the kind that comes in an aerosol can and is intended to seal off tree branch stumps to prevent rot. It bonds to wet wood very well and is easy to apply. Its a bit more expensive than paint but not as much of a pain as sealing with wax, and is quite effective.

[John Cooper2]

Someone I know who makes his living with walnut uses White Paint. He covers the ends and about 1-2" up the board. Puts 2-3 coats on it and never has a problem.

Cheap, clean and easy.

Just got a bunch of AnchorSeal and when that is gone I will be switching over to Paint.

[Chris Struttman]

What you are looking for is called Anchorseal. It is a wax emulsion that can be painted on the end of the log before it's milled. You can find it at Amazon or Woodcraft. Google it and you'll find a bunch of sources. You'll want to get this on the log as soon as possible after you drop the tree.

Some people swear that latex paint will work as well as Anchorseal but I have not had that experience.

[Jim Becker]

I'm with Chris. Anchorseal. You can use melted paraffin wax, but you MUST get it very hot...if it doesn't turn "clear" on the wood after it solidifies, it was not hot enough. Anchorseal is so much easier...

[Rob Will]

I third that vote.
Use Anchorseal or Bailey's log sealer
http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=60455
https://www.uccoatings.com/prod_anchorseal.php
Rob

[Chris Barnett]

UCCoatings...$67 per 5 gallon pail delivered in USA. One gallon goes a l-o-n-g way, but don't know what just a gallon costs. They just last month raised price from $55.

[Jacob Reverb]

IMO, "when" you seal it is way more important than "what" you seal it with.

Paint, paste wax, paraffin, suet, linseed oil or chicken-frier diesel fuel -- whatever you've got, slob it on.

If you have green wood, right now is way better than tomorrow.

The objective is to try to slow water from coming out the endgrain, and whatever you have will help, while you wait for the ordained Coppertone SPF60 to arrive from LV.

[Jack Briggs]

Anchorseal is the best and easiest to use. However, best price is at Highland Hardware:

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1760