[TheForge] Green Wood for Terry

[Vincent Nakovics]

    I used PEG - Polyethelyne Glycol (PEG)- Pretty sure I purchased it from Rockler.  I had a two 5 foot slabs that the Park service wanted to keep. The left over I used on my green timber ends. It worked well on the slabs. I soaked them in a tub for 6-8 weeks, but that doesn't address your situation. I have used PEG on the ends of my timbers, 6.5" x 14" x 16' long. I also used paint, paraffin wax and a mixture of paraffin wax and anti-freeze (as an experiment).  Of course the PEG worked, paint worked somewhat and was my standard method for cost and ease mostly as the boards all split after a time, but significantly less.

   If you log is under 2.5 feet in diameter I would purchase the PEG a 5lb block should do you well. Paraffin Wax will stain your wood and the stain will spread, much like an oil. That's why I recommend the PEG it will give a whitish color like wax that can be removed during the finishing process if you don't just cut the ends off.

    The single most important part of drying the wood is to have good ventilation, meaning; keep it out of direct sunlight!!!, at least 12 inches off the ground if on concrete, 2 feet if over terra and I recommend covering the terra firma with plastic. If using Plastic for a cover it must have at least 2 feet clearance on all sides and the ends must be open, if it is a long log you will need a fan to push the air through the makeshift compartment. Ventilation will eliminate all rotting problems and reduce any fungus spread that is already present in the wood.  If you are stacking the logs there must be inch for inch spacing, though here I cheated because I had a fan circulating the air on my wood 24/7 and it was open on three sides, so I used 4x4s for my stickers (spacers).  I didn't have the space for the inch to inch spacing, most people and even businesses don't.  Can't say it enough ventilation.


   Peg can also be used directly on greenwood bowls, etc. You can read the reviews, MSDS, etc for yourself. I have used it to seal the ends of my boards and it did reduce the end splitting. I have used it successfully on a large oak slab and oak is prone to splitting and cracking (You have band and tighten the band as it shrinks to make it work best.)


   Good luck with your project and hope this helped.


Vince Nakovics