# What to use to seal unmilled timber



## dallasm1 (May 7, 2008)

I am extremely new to this forum and I think it is fantastic. I have just started chain saw milling logs but I have more logs than time. I know I should be sealing the ends, and I have used up all of my used paint doing so. However I am still have more logs to do. I am sealing new and old Hemlock Fir, Cedar, Silver Fir and Alder. What have you all been using as a sealant? I do not have a local dealer for Anchor Seal, but are there alternatives? Thanks for all of your input.


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## dustytools (May 7, 2008)

Two or three coats of latex paint works well for me.


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## BobL (May 7, 2008)

dallasm1 said:


> What have you all been using as a sealant? I do not have a local dealer for Anchor Seal, but are there alternatives? Thanks for all of your input.



I'm not sure if you have these in the US but here in Australia hardware stores always have a stack of paint that has been returned to the store and it is usually at significantly marked down prices. I bought a 4 gallon drum of a dusty green that has lasted me for quite a while.


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## dancan (May 7, 2008)

Read somewhere that the paint used on tailors and mobile homes works well as a end sealer for logs


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## Tree Bones (May 7, 2008)

You can order anchor seal on line. Here is a link to there website https://www.uccoatings.com


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## Brmorgan (May 9, 2008)

> I know I should be sealing the ends, and I have used up all of my used paint doing so.



That reminds me of comedian Steven Wright's joke, "I bought some used paint the other day... It came in the shape of a house."  

Other than the already mentioned suggestions, I guess you could use a tar-based driveway sealer or something, but that's not really cheap or environmentally friendly either. I know Copper II solution is a good treatment to prevent decay, but I don't know if it would have any effect on end checking of a log.


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## aggiewoodbutchr (May 9, 2008)

All of the suggestions above are good for sealing purposes but I don't think I'd use asphalt based sealers on saw logs. I believe they have abrasive properties. If I'm wrong somebody please correct me. 

The best performing and most eco friendly products are the wax based emulsions such as Anchorseal (Bailey's has another brand they sell). When chosing a paint it needs to have some elasticity to prevent stop hair line cracks from breaking the coating and growing. Latex based paints and waterproof coatings will stretch some without breaking but oil based paints won't.

I've only bought Anchorseal once because I never have a shortage of left over paint. 3-4 heavy coats has worked well for me.


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## AKRover (May 9, 2008)

So what exactly is achieved by sealing the ends like this and when is the best time to apply the coating?


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## Tree Bones (May 9, 2008)

Sealing the end grain helps to prevent checking, splitting and cracking through the end grain caused by uneven drying through the pours of the tree. In my opinion most paint does not work. I use anchor seal on all my valuable logs such as Walnut, Oak and Maple. I don't bother with Cedar, Pine and other common trees. I coat the logs with plenty of time for it to harden before I mill them up. You can coat them after milling but it will take more time and sealer. I will also completely seal all sides of green turning blanks, especially burl and more heavily figured Walnut.


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## Sawyer Rob (May 9, 2008)

Tree Bones said:


> Sealing the end grain helps to prevent checking, splitting and cracking through the end grain caused by uneven drying through the pours of the tree. In my opinion most paint does not work. I use anchor seal on all my valuable logs such as Walnut, Oak and Maple. I don't bother with Cedar, Pine and other common trees. I coat the logs with plenty of time for it to harden before I mill them up. You can coat them after milling but it will take more time and sealer. I will also completely seal all sides of green turning blanks, especially burl and more heavily figured Walnut.



That's been my experience too...

I don't waste my $$ on paint... Either the logs are worth doing it right, with Anchorseal, or i don't bother with putting anything on.

Rob


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## BobL (May 10, 2008)

A minor problem I've had with the wax based sealers is, even when it's dry, the wax seems to pick up sand and dirt when later moving the logs around. I usually use a hose / water jet and wash the logs down before milling but sometimes grit and sand seems to be embedded in the wax. sometimes I just cut a 1" cookie of the end of the log rather than put the chain into it. Using paint the sand and grit wash off a lot easier. The other problem I have here is 50 gallons is a minimum order of the wax based stuff.


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## oldsaw (May 10, 2008)

Interesting, old paint has worked very well for me on oak, walnut, hedge, and cherry. Another upside is that I use different colors for different batches in order to keep tabs on them when drying. When I really get going, I dip the ends of the boards in the paint, unless they are really big. However, I don't usually deal with anything longer than 8 feet, and rarely over 16" wide.

Mark


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## slabmaster (May 10, 2008)

I tend to get in a hurry and don't do anything to seal the ends.Here is some walnut and oak i did last fall. Mark


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## BobL (May 11, 2008)

slabmaster said:


> I tend to get in a hurry and don't do anything to seal the ends.Here is some walnut and oak i did last fall. Mark



You are in a hurry! [forgot to post the pics?]


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## slabmaster (May 11, 2008)

Try this. It's a beech getting old. Mark


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## Ted J (May 11, 2008)

BobL said:


> I'm not sure if you have these in the US but here in Australia hardware stores always have a stack of paint that has been returned to the store and it is usually at significantly marked down prices. I bought a 4 gallon drum of a dusty green that has lasted me for quite a while.



In places here like Home Depot or Lowes they call it "oops" paint. Somebody buys it, has the color mixed in and it doesn't match or something, so the customer returns it. The store will usually mark it down to $5 per gallon after adding additional color to the paint to alter custom mixed color. There are some who would return custom mixed paint and then buy back the same paint for $5. The stores got wise and changed the color before marking it down.

For $5, slop on as many coats as you need to seal the ends, did I say it was $5, sometimes less.

Ted


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## dallasm1 (May 11, 2008)

Lots of good suggestions here. I was just in Home depot yesterday and found exterior OOPS paint in 5 gallon buckets, $15. At this price I can slop it on everything while I find reasonable sources for Anchorseal. The softwoods that I am milling up (Fir and Cedar) will be used to build sheds. I also have some large Red Alder and Big Leaf Maple that I hope to turn into something. I was down in Portland last month and I had a chance to go into the Woodmizer store. They demo'ed an Lt15 for me, and I noticed that they sold Anchor Seal, but of course after the demo, I forgot to pick some up. So now a month later my butt is sore from self-applied size 9's.


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