[TheForge] Woodpile (Was: Scaffold) OT

[Albin Drzewianowski]

Bruce,

I found an electric frypan at a tag sale.   Melted a couple blocks of
paraffin wax in the frypan.

Whenever I run across a piece of "firewood"  that looks promising for wood
turning or other wood working uses,  I heat up the fry pan enough to melt
the paraffin and then dip the ends of the wood into the liquid wax.   I
usually do about 3 coats, to get a good build up of wax on the end grain.
You want to be quick,  you don't want to melt the wax already deposited when
you go for the 2nd and 3rd coats. 

this seems to help prevent the wood from checking while it is lying around
drying out.   AS I understand it, the wood checks, because the end grain
dries out a lot faster than the wood towards the middle. 

Regards,
Albin

> -----Original Message-----
> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:theforge-
> bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Bruce Freeman
> Sent: Friday, June 19, 2009 8:51 AM
> To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
> Subject: [TheForge] Woodpile (Was: Scaffold) OT
> 
> Yeah, I'm thinking of holding back several lengths of maple trunk, 8" to
12"
> diameter, for uses other than firewood.  Would save me the splitting too,
> which is damned near impossible where there are knots or branches.
> 
> I've got a couple old logs from a pruning I did a few years ago, and
they've
> got heart checks which would make them unfit for fine uses, but still good
> for strength.  I may mess around with those and see what they're good for
> before I decide what to do with the new logs.
>