In my opinion, yes. I buy white oak “a tree at a time” and stack for about 9 months before beginning to rough cut – ie, get rid of the sap wood, cut to rough lengths, etc. I grab some latex that is setting around the basement.
JET of TN
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Replies
Metod,
Latex paint will work just fine. It won't completely stop the transfer of moisture like a heavy wax coating will, however it will slow it down to a manageable rate.
Most important is to seal the ends as soon as possible, before degradation occurs. Painting before milling is acceptable as well, and easier - if you have the ability to do so.
Lee
Metod I've used anything that will stop moisture movement, including broken wax toilet rings, old bearing grease, and an old can of pruning sealer- whatever was handy. I have used latex paint before, but had it pop off from the sap and water.
Metod,
Yes, the wax of an end coating is applied much thicker. In fact, most of the exotic lumber that is rough sawn at a few of the lumberyards I deal with is wax coated on the ends.
Toilet ring wax seems a little soft - but it sounds like it works. The wax I have seen is more like candle wax - very tough to remove (until you run the lumber through the planer)
Cheers,
Lee
The US Forest Services Wood Products Lab does not recommend latex paint as an end seal particularly an exterior latex. Exterior latex, and any latex to some extent, has very little affect on watervapor transmission. In fact, that is an attribute of latex paints in that the paint is air permeable allowing moisture to escape without cause damage or adhesion problems on house walls or exteriors.
The reason for sealing the ends of boards is to force the watervapor to exit through the longitudinal surfaces of the board just as it does in areas away from the ends like the center of the board. You don't want any moisture to exit through the end of the board at all. That's the reason for a wax type coating on the end. 4-6 coats of a good oil based varnish, poly varnish or paint will work for a short period (maybe a month) but latex paint will do nothing to materially slow down watervapor tranmission.
Next time ask your sawyer to coat the log ends as soon as they are bucked. Much critical moisture differential that eventally causes checking happens within the first few days.
Some woods like Doug Fir and cedar won't check at the board ends and don't need coating at all. Others like the maples and oaks can cost you hundreds of bf from checking in just one stack. Generally, the heavier the wood, the worse the potential for checking, but it's the difference between radial and tangential stability that causes it. Look up their rates of radial and tangential shrinkage....White Oak will check more than Live Oak, yet LO is heavier.
In 40 years as a tree farmer and sawyer, I've found latex paint is next to worthless. The wax-based endgrain sealers sold by Baileys-0nline and other logging suppliers are excellent but very expensive, especially when shipped long distances.
One product that works very well and is available for 6 bucks a gallon at your local Home Depot is Henry's water-based roof cement. A tar emulsion in water. You'll have to trim the board ends before planing to prevent tar stains on face grain, but in roughsawn wood, you're gonna have to do that anyway. Insure you buy the water-based and not the petroleum-based tar, so it's compatible with the log's moisture and penetrates.
Pacific Madrone, a very unstable wood, now 4 years in the stacks with no checking at all because of end sealing the log with tar emulsion before milling:
Edited 8/4/2007 3:06 pm by BobSmalser
Since I jusy bought some green walnut I appreciate hearing of a cheaper product. I'll use it.
Bob
By chance, is that the same Madrone that you milled up with the Lucas Mill and posted the great milling thread over at Woodcentral.
I very much enjoy your writing and picture log there, and hope you continue to post them. A few more here would also be great.
Walnutz
Same tree. It was sufficiently large that it'll take a while to use it all.“When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think...that a time is to come when those (heirlooms) will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, ‘See! This our father did for us.’ “ --John Ruskin.
Just because I have a bunch laying around.....will an elastomeric acrylic sealant work? It' used for skylights, doors, windows, etc.?
I don't have a clue what else will work. And experimenting on a whole log can get expensive if the product doesn't work.
As I said, once the log is milled into boards it's almost too late to coat them. To be effective it has to be done the same day the log is bucked.
Edited 8/11/2007 10:17 am by BobSmalser
I may try the aluminunized paint - both HD's I checked didn't have the water borne emulsion, only the olvent based. At least the clean-up instructions said to use solvents
Lots of interesting suggestions here! It seems a lot of different products will do the job but must be used ASAP. I do more green wood for turning than anything else and use good old parafin made in bars for canning (although it is getting harder to find). I have a big heavy pot that I heat with the wax in it on a small electric hot plate (very carefully). I take woodturning blanks and just dip the ends up about 1/2" for maybe 30 seconds, works every time. If the log is too big for dipping I have an old paintbrush that I use to brush it on the logs, not as penetrationg but usually works fine. I like the wax because it's cheap and really not very messy, or at least will scrap off about anything it gets on that shouldn't be. Also a good way to get rid of old candles by tossing them in the pot.
As many have said, latex paint is marginally effective. Another option is waterproof aluminum paint that is used to paint roofs. Lowes's sells an aluminum roofing paint called "Cool-seal" that I have used on many thousand board feet. It is a little messy if you get it on anything, including yourself, but it is less expensive than the made for end-sealing products like anchorseal.
Metod,
Parraffin wax is what I have seen to be the most effective end sealer used in industry.
In Zimbabwe the Imbuia we imported from Brazil was end coated with this wax and the red oak that was handled by Baillie Lumber co was also treated the same. Iroko was painted red or green-that was for identification purposes because Iroko does not need an end treatment.
Metod,the parraffin wax takes a very gentle heat, then it is painted or daubed on-very easy and quick.
Tar? Strong smell?
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