Paint/Wax after resawing question

[Clancy]

I am resawing some timber & am wondering if there is a proper substance for painting the ends or if any old paint or wax will do? (I am looking at a tin of sanding sealer as I type)
Cheers

[Bob Connor]

I use old candle wax when I use anything.

I remember Kim recommending that blue plumbers glue because it won't melt like wax may if the summer gets really hot.

If I resaw at the start of winter here I won't bother with any sealer as the humidity is going to be quite high and the wood will lose moisture fairly slowly anywhere and will settle at 14-15% moisture content by the end of winter if stored in ambient conditions.

[J.F. Custom]

Hi Craig.

Bob's right. Wax will do it. A friend of mine used to have a big old electric frypan - the aluminium square type you find really cheap at op shops; full of wax. Each time he would start to re-saw, he'd just turn it on and by the time he had cut, the lot was liquid. Then he'd just dip the pieces in the pot, sticker it and he was done. At the end of the session, off it goes again and it solidifies once more ready for next time.

There are 'marketed' products - Carba-Tec sells 'End Sealer' by the tin and some paint manufacturers make it too under different trade names. You'll find it if you look around. I think its a by-product of the petroleum industry but it is basically a rubber/wax/resin blend anyway. It's white in the tin but sets a gummy transparent-ish colour. Definitely works but it's not the only way and there is no big secret ingredient that makes it better than any other method.

Jeremy

[Kim]

Yep PVC pipe glue works real well, it seals, does not wick up the endgrain regardless of heat, does not penetrate the surface grain and will sand off clean as cats whiskers without clogging up the paper. I simply stack the wood and coat the ends in one hit, wait till it dries to tack, separate and sticker out.

Cheers

Kim

[Clancy]

Thanks everyone. I just happen to have some plumbers glue on hand.

[John Steele]

Never tried PVC cement. My money's on wax. Seal the end grain and an inch or so up. No splits yet.
J

[Clancy]

Unfortunately the resawing failed.
Since I don't have a large bandsaw I knocked up a frame saw as per this

http://www.hyperkitten.com/woodworking/frame_saw.php3

I cut 23" off a length of 200 mm wide (20mm thick) Tassie Myrtle (plain).
Since there's some cupping I was only trying to resaw into 2 bookmatched pieces.
It seemed to be working fine, slow & steady, cutting in the middle on both sides, when 2 thirds through the saw teeth suddenly appeared through the side of the wood!
Even though I had the blade so tight it was starting to bend the 2 beams that hold it, the blade had still managed to bend inside the cut & eventually find it's way outside!
So I sealed the end of the rest of the plank & put it away until I have another bright idea.

[J.F. Custom]

Damn that hurts...