Got wood, now what?!

[Eric Sears]

I finally took the plunge when my wife came home today after her water aerobics class and passed along some info that a fellow woodworker gave her there. She told me that there was some freshly cut pecan, locust, and hackleberry? trees that were cut down a few miles from the house and told me to go get some.

Happily obliging, I head over there not having any idea what to expect. So I fill up the trunk of my car with oh so nicely sized pieces that are about 18-20 inches long and probably anywhere from 8 - 14 inches in diameter. Tomorrow I can head to the base woodshop and cut them up into blanks.

I searched around on here and read that latex paint can be a suitable alternative to anchorseal, of which I don't have any. I picked up a 5$ return gallon of it at Home Depot and I'm hoping it will suffice.

So, pretty much my questions are:

1) I've read that paraffin wax is even better than the anchorseal to seal the blanks. If so, what stores locally would be likely to carry enough for probably the 200 pounds I have in the trunk of my car.

2) For the crotch type wood, of which the majority of this is, can anyone recommend on how to cut it? Most of the videos I've watched assume that the logs are round and not branched.

3) If wax is easily obtainable (i.e Hobby Lobby, etc) is a deep fryer good enough to melt it in or totally unsafe?

Thanks for the time! After continually buying bowl blanks, it is refreshing to be able to harvest what the city was going to chip up anyways.

[Travis R. Nelson]

I have been buying canning wax for years at the local grocery store. I melt it in an old pan on a hot plate and when I am done I just unplug it and let the wax firm up again in the pan. I guess one could use a deep fryer in a pinch... It may get too hot though...
As far as cutting the crotches goes... The best grain is in the area surrounding the very center. Visualize how the two fork come together and combine into one trunk. Usually I TRY to get a nice "feather" on one side of a piece by cutting about three inches to one side of the center of the crotch with my chain saw. Then make another cut parallel to the first at what ever width the blank will yield. Turn the blank one quarter turn and roughly square the blank up take to lathe and rough out between centers. you may need to reposition it between centers to get the feather even on the side of the vessel... Good Luck

[John Landis]

I tried paraffin once, but when it dried, it flaked off. A friend said the wood needs to be heated to get the stuff to stick

[Steve Schlumpf]

Eric - never tried paraffin wax - so can not offer any suggestions on that. Did try latex paint and had mixed results - but it will work in a pinch. Check the latex often and when the first coat dries - apply another ASAP. Problem with latex (water based) is that as the wood dries and moves it will crack the paint and you lose any protection against checking. Best bet is to rough turn your wood as soon as possible as the latex is a temporary solution at best.

Lots of luck with this! Looking forward to seeing some turnings real soon!

[Scott Conners]

If you heat wax, especially paraffin or paraffin blends, never use an open flame. Paraffin has a low flash point, and can combust/explode if you're not careful. Safest way is melting it in a double boiler arrangement.

I used hot wax before I got anchorseal, it's far more trouble. Anchorseal is so fast and easily portable, I can seal blanks as soon as I cut them, no matter where I am. You can always use multiple coats of one is not thick enough for you.

[Cody Colston]

1) I've read that paraffin wax is even better than the anchorseal to seal the blanks. If so, what stores locally would be likely to carry enough for probably the 200 pounds I have in the trunk of my car.

I don't agree that paraffin wax is better than Anchorseal but you can get it at the grocery store. Melt it in a double boiler to be safe.

2) For the crotch type wood, of which the majority of this is, can anyone recommend on how to cut it? Most of the videos I've watched assume that the logs are round and not branched.

How you cut it depends on what you want to make from it. For turning a bowl or shallow hollow form, I would trim off the main trunk and forks fairly close to the crotch and then slice the crotch in two at right angles to the fork. That will give you two halves with crotch figure.

3) If wax is easily obtainable (i.e Hobby Lobby, etc) is a deep fryer good enough to melt it in or totally unsafe?

Use a double boiler. That can be as simple as putting some water in a pan, setting a smaller pan inside that floats on the water and then setting the whole arrangement on the stove or a hotplate. The water heats up the inside pan which holds the wax.

It would be worthwhile to pick up some Anchorseal at Woodcraft or even order it online from UC Coatings. Also, some turning clubs stock it for their members and some lumber retailers or sawmills carry it.

Good luck and congrats on the wood score.

[Eric Sears]

Thanks for the help everyone, along with the DVDs it helped out a lot. It's amazing how much waste comes from cutting up some pieces, but I got a good 20 blank sized pieces from it all. It doesn't look like the prettiest wood, but I want it mainly for practice. I'm going to order some Anchorseal tonite, I just wanted something in the meantime to prevent checking, especially since I'm leaving for Barstow, CA in two weeks for two months.

I love a community where I can post something and get quick accurate answers. Thanks for the help! Now off to the woodshop to saw it into blanks and then to seal it.