New used tools

[tipusnr]

Went to a place called "New Uses" last night and picked up a used toaster oven and a used crock pot. Paid $12 for the pair. Am going to use the oven in the garage to finish curing blanks (don't want resultant smell in house and shop is in the basement) and use the pot to melt paraffin (my dad gave me two big chunks) and old candle ends to seal ends of newly harvested woods for curing.

I know there are all kinds of sealants on the market but this will let me use up things that would normally go to waste! The only possible problem I can see is that the dyes in the candle wax may discolor lighter woods. We'll see.

 

[ilikewood]

I use an old crock pot as well (note that it says crock pot and not crack pot...which some are prone to calling me) for melting wax for sealing wood. Works really good but is kinda slow melting the wax. Try using the sealing parafin you can get at the grocery store for canning....works much better than candle wax and doesn't contain the dyes that can discolor the wood.

 

[William Young]

Bill (Tip);
I would think that if you just cut the newly harvested blanks an inch or two longer than you will need them and then dip them only 1/4" to 1/2" into the wax that you can just cut those ends off with the bandsaw (color and all) after the pieces have dried..

I simply dip the ends into odds and ends of latex paint for sealing them.
I have done that for years when sticker drying lumber except in that case I slopped it on with an old paint brush.
I just dipped a bunch of round green sumac pieces about 7" long yesterday so time will tell if it works as good as it does on sawn lumber.

Question here ... .. .., should we be scraping the bark off of these round branch pieces for drying them or just leave it on.? ? ?

Bill in Idaho.
I am glad you brought up the crackpot idea. You would not beleive how often I have been called that as well.

Glad I'm using William here instead of Bill that I am normally called (besides crackpot) That would be one too many ;-)
W.Y.

 

[tipusnr]

I scrape the bark off (the few pieces that I've done. My thinking is that I do want the wood to dry just not primarily through the ends. So removing the bark is like taking off a blanket (in my thinking) it will allow the moisture to escape through the sides of the blank.