Sophora Wood

[dumper]

I cut some large holly for a wood turner, he covered the ends in bees wax, melted and brushed over thickly

[nepia]

Anything that seals will work surely.  I'd say that cheap candle wax would be more appropriate for that purpose than beeswax; what a waste of beeswax!

 

Some keep an old frying pan:  melt the wax, dip the log end, job done

[Mike Dempsey]

The PVA  glue method does work and I've been doing it for 30 years.

[sime42]

On 10/09/2022 at 10:03, nepia said:

Speaking from limited anecdotal experience I think it works if the PVA is applied heavily enough.  It shouldn't take much as some folk use emulsion paint instead; I would be cynical about the benefit of that remembering that PVA is specifically a sealing compound.

I don't think anyone would claim it stops all splitting but I'm confident it reduces it.

Perhaps I've been sucked in by woodturners' folklore though...😮

Your anecdotal experience is good enough for me, thanks. I've got plenty of PVA lying around so will use it next time I get some nice looking wood.

The other option is to turn things green. If you can remove the bulk of material it's much less likely to crack. It will probably warp but that can look quite attractive, or it can be turned true once seasoning has finished. I'm not normally organised enough to start working on things straight away though.

 

[nepia]

Re the use of PVA listen to Mike Dempsey; he knows what he's talking about

[trigger_andy]

Or you could go the whole hog and get some anchor seal. Supposedly a great sealant but also prevents cracking and splitting. 

 

https://uccoatings.com/shop/product/anchorseal/

[Mike Dempsey]

Expensive compared to PVA glue which you can buy for about a tenner for 5L in builders merchants. Just add a litre or 2 of water to aid penetration and paint the end of the logs with it. If the end of the logs are very dry you can soak them with water to aid penetration of the glue. Unlike wax it wont flake off and works very well.

[trigger_andy]

50 minutes ago, Mike Dempsey said:

Expensive compared to PVA glue which you can buy for about a tenner for 5L in builders merchants. Just add a litre or 2 of water to aid penetration and paint the end of the logs with it. If the end of the logs are very dry you can soak them with water to aid penetration of the glue. Unlike wax it wont flake off and works very well.

I just use PVA as well. Suits me fine. 
 

Anchorseal is very popular and well respected in the US by those who do this for a living. I guess it’s aimed at the high end of the market. It certainly does not flake or peel off. 

[Macpherson]

On 10/09/2022 at 00:08, sime42 said:

How well does that work? The PVAing I mean

 

Anything that slows down the loss of moisture through the end grain will help prevent this problem Pva isn't the best, a similar product SBR is better as being waterproof but really anything that retards the process does the job.

 

Cherry's notorious for splitting and Blackthorn is also a Prunus but I've not found the rest of what you mentioned too bad, the key is time.. a year per inch plus a year is about the minimum.. slower if you can.

 

cheers.

 

[se7enthdevil]

pagoda wood is stunning stuff. nick as much as you can as it deserves to be saved.

 

better than Elm in my book. also turns and dries like a dream

 

here are a couple of bowls i turned with it.

merely a danish oil finish.