Methods For Sealing Fresh Cut Wood

When fresh wood is cut, it should be sealed immediately to prevent it from cracking at the ends and losing moisture, which would cause swelling, shrinking and splitting due to exposure to the sun and wind.

Fresh cut wood can be sealed with a number of sealers that will keep it in good shape until it's ready to be worked on. These include:

  • wax
  • coats of end grain sealer
  • latex paint
  • glue
  • tar

Ways To Seal Fresh Cut Wood

Plastic Bag

If you don't really have a better alternative, use plastic bags, although this isn't a long-term solution.

Wrap the ends of the wood with plastic bags, but not the whole wood as this can cause unwanted fungus growth.

Wax

You can also seal the end grain portions with wax and it will last for quite a while.

Melt the wax and pour it on the ends. Using several coats of latex paints will also work.

Anchorseal

Two to three coats of Anchorseal will work wonders.

Watch this video:

Seal the end grain with Anchorseal, put them in a shaded area, and they will usually be good for a few months.

After rough turning, do the same: seal the end grain with Anchorseal, put them in a paper bag and leave them for six months or so before they finish turning.

Polyethylene Glycol

Put water in a large trough, enough to fit the size of the wood you wish to seal, and dissolve polyethylene glycol as directed by manufacturer to make a solution. Then dip the wood into the solution.

Polyethylene glycol will penetrate through the wood and displace water within the wood cells, thereby keeping the cell walls from collapsing. This stops the wood from shrinking and cracking.

Finally, remove the wood from the solution and it will be properly sealed.


There are many ways to effectively seal fresh cut wood. Pick one from above and get cracking!

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