Replies

1. 
   JohnWW | Jan 04, 2007 09:58pm | #1

   Seal the ends of the logs immediately to prevent end checking that will make much of the wood useful for firewood only.  A coat or two of any water based paint will work to seal the wood. 

   The only reason to leave some of the logs whole would be to use them for turning, otherwise the rest of them should be sawn and not left whole, which can lead to deterioration.

   Being these are so small in diameter, they can be easily sawn on a small bandsaw.  Cut them into easily handled lengths, 1 to 1.5 meters, and then cut them into boards and sticker them in a cool but dry spot, like a barn, to dry out which will probably take about a year.  There are hundreds of little details I'm not covering but these are the basics.

   Holly is primarily used to make small instruments, like draftsman's tools, and to detail musical instruments, and for inlay and veneer work.

   John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine

1. 
   LeeGrindinger | Jan 04, 2007 10:03pm | #2

   John, latex paint is not a vapor barrier. It will be only marginally effective is slowing moisture loss.Old PVA glue, paraffin or a wax or paraffin emulsion is best.Lee

1. 
   JohnWW | Jan 04, 2007 10:18pm | #3

   Latex paint isn't a perfect vapor barrier, but it is regularly used and works well enough, provided the logs don't sit in a heated dry location for months, and paint has the advantage of being readily available and simple to apply. 

   The questioner was not a woodworker and recommending something specialized, or hard to locate, or difficult to use, didn't seem like it would be helpful.  Getting something on the logs, before they start checking, is far more important than getting the perfect coating on the ends.

   John W.

1. 
   LeeGrindinger | Jan 04, 2007 11:02pm | #4

   Almost any grocery store sells paraffin, John. It's in the canning aisle.Since nearly all moisture leaves wood as a vapor it's far more effective to use a vapor barrier.Lee

1. 
   JohnWW | Jan 04, 2007 11:52pm | #5

   Lee,

   Melting a couple of pounds of paraffin on a stove and dipping the ends of a small log into the wax, or trying to brush on the heated wax, isn't nearly as easy as just applying paint.  Plus, the questioner is in Scotland, I don't know if paraffin is as commonly available there, presumably paint is, and almost everyone has an old can or two of paint kicking around.

   Also the coating doesn't need to be a perfect vapor barrier, it just has to slow down the loss of water to a point where the moisture can migrate from further inside the log through the wood towards the ends to prevent a large moisture content differential from being created. 

   The paint technique works, I've used it successfully numerous times.  I also use duct tape or packing tape to seal the ends of boards that I need to work with before they are fully dried.  With the tape I can work on the stock and then apply new tape at the end of the day and peel it off again later when I pick up the project again.

   John W.   

   .   

2. 
   GregGibson | Jan 05, 2007 12:25am | #6

   "Paraffin" to our Scottish friend is what we, here in the U. S., call kerosene !  Tarvit, what these blokes are speaking of is paraffin WAX, as is used in canning or food preservation.  Sold here by the pound (weight) alongside the pickling spices and food preservation jars.

   With your holly, be certain to air dry with DRY wood "stickers" spacers between the individual boards.  If you use scraps of the green unseasoned holly to separate the boards, you're liable to have staining across the boards.

   Should be a good exercise and the wood can be highly figured.  'Twould make for some very fine jewelry boxes.

   Iechyd Da !

   Greg

3. 
   LeeGrindinger | Jan 05, 2007 12:29am | #7

   Okay John,Lee

4. 
   Samson | Jan 06, 2007 06:04am | #10

   Lee, FWIW, I tried latex paint sealing on some lengths of log I saved when I had to down a cherry in my yard, and ... they checked a good deal right through several coats of good quality latex.  Now, I'm fairly certain the checking would have been worse with nothing as some smaller lengths I committed to the firewood pile checked a lot more.  For several of the sealed logs, checking was limited to one or two significant checks - some that went the length of the log, but as I was bandsawing them up for small planks, I just aligned the check with the cuts I wanted to make anyway and lost little wood to the checking.  All this is to say, maybe both of you are right - latex doesn't work well, but it may work enough?

5. 
   LeeGrindinger | Jan 06, 2007 08:31pm | #11

   Samson, for end coating to work it must be applied when the wood is still very, very wet- long before drying has shrunk the tissues and latex paint simply won't form a decent film on a wet surfaces. Once any checking has begun, before you can even see it, it's too late. There is misinformation in woodworking, latex paint as end coating is one. Using oven cleaner to clean saw blades is another. These concepts are generally perpetuated by amateurs and amateurish professionals not particularly interested in the science. That's fine. It often just boils down to homeowners and hobbyists playing around with a tree felled in their backyard, it's a toy and what fun is a toy if you can't play with it? The truth is that end checking is generally not that big of a deal. When I operated two kilns drying all manner of North American hardwoods and softwoods I never bothered to end coat, I just expected end checking and so did the customers. It's very common to see end checking in KD FAS lumber for this reason, it's not always standard practice because the loss is not significant in lower priced lumber.So far be it for me to confuse anecdotal information with science, it's not worth the effort to attempt to counteract this fallacy. I will say that there are latex paints with acrylic that have lower permeability so these might me more effective than latex paint without acrylic but since vapor permeability is not listed on the cans it's still flawed to say that latex paint is a decent end coating. Vapor permeability is the issue and the science here.Lee

6. 
   DHAM | Jan 05, 2007 07:03am | #8

   You can also us aluminum roofing paint, but I have only seen it in gallon cans. It is kind of nasty to work with. The latex paint is easy to get, fast to apply, easy to clean up, and can be sprayed. It is not as good as aluminum paint or wax, but I have used it effectively as well.

2. 
   gb93433 | Jan 05, 2007 11:12am | #9

   I would at least slab that log right away unless the log is frozen. Holly like many other woods can easily get stain unless it is frozen. Do not stack the lumber with green stickers. Use kiln dried wood stickers to prevent sticker stain.

3. 
   QCInspector | Jan 07, 2007 01:34am | #12

   "My question is for any reader but especially hoping to hear back from any Brits out there."

   Here is a link to a 'Brit' forum. Since they are closer to you some of them might be interested in buying some or all of your Holly.

   http://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/index.php?sid=d3ab9a8f405a9ea70d707b935e319931

1. 
   Ron01960 | Jan 07, 2007 05:29pm | #13

   you may like to read about holly. I hope thish helps a bit.http://www.woodweb.com/cgi-bin/search/search.cgiRon