# How important to wax/seal figured grain?



## Daniel (Jan 5, 2012)

Quick questions about figured grain (crotch, fiddle, and so forth)... 

1) how important is it to wax the figure?

2) what's the best kind of sealant to use? Same as the end sealer, or do you folks use something different?

Thanks!

Dan


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## Daren (Jan 5, 2012)

I don't seal mine, I may very well be doing it wrong. :fool3: If someone else chimes in and says different pick their brain as to why I guess, we may both learn something.

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## Daniel (Jan 5, 2012)

Yeah, I was kind of surprised as well. I was talking to a guy who runs a gunstock shop, and he was all up in arms about how important it was. Seems to me that putting sealant on everything would just slow the drying process down so much as to be counterproductive. He did point out that figured grain was in many ways like end-grain... so maybe he has a point. It does seem to be a bit over the top, though.


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## Burl Source (Jan 7, 2012)

This is about the comment from the gunstock guy.
If walnut crotch is cut to show the feather there will be a lot of endgrain exposed that will check if not sealed. If it is sealed and dried properly a high grade crotch feather walnut gunstock blank will easily sell for several hundred dollars.


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## Daren (Jan 7, 2012)

Again throwing my $0.02 in. Grain like crotch feather is interlocking and in my experience less likely to crack than straight grain. I mill a lot of walnut crotch, one example:
A flitch fresh milled.






Another flitch from the same crotch after it dried...I did not seal the feather/figure but did heavily seal (anchorseal) the ends. The feather dried fine with no cracks...the straight grain did crack, even though well sealed, quite badly in fact and I had to use bow ties to repair it.





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Like I said in my first post, I may be doing it wrong...This is just my experience and a little added ''insurance'' if a guy wants to seal the figured part of a crotch I suppose doesn't hurt anything. For me though cleaning off that gunk from the feather seems to be problematic when it comes time to sand and finish the piece since it penetrates.

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## Burl Source (Jan 7, 2012)

I decided to wait until I could show a photo.


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## Kevin (Jan 8, 2012)

FBE crotch (and even just figure) has to be sealed or it's guaranteed to crack. 



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## Daren (Jan 8, 2012)

OK, we must be talking a species thing here then. The ones I mill, walnut-elm-maple-honeylocust (I guess those are my most common crotches I mill off the top of my head) I never seal them and the feather never lets me down. I can go to the shed right now and take pictures of several dozen dry and perfectly intact walnut-elm-maple crotches (of various thickness from 1/2''-2 1/2''). I also mill my share of curly hard and soft maple, I only end seal the lumber.

I have never milled a FBE crotch or camphor crotch.

What species are you asking about Dan, or is this just another general question ? Because it seems to me generally opinions vary.

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## Daniel (Jan 8, 2012)

Daren said:


> OK, we must be talking a species thing here then. The ones I mill, walnut-elm-maple-honeylocust (I guess those are my most common crotches I mill off the top of my head) I never seal them and the feather never lets me down. I can go to the shed right now and take pictures of several dozen dry and perfectly intact walnut-elm-maple crotches (of various thickness from 1/2''-2 1/2''). I also mill my share of curly hard and soft maple, I only end seal the lumber.
> 
> I have never milled a FBE crotch or camphor crotch.
> 
> ...



I'm mostly talking about NE hardwoods like walnut, elm, cherry, maple. My dad's been milling cherry/elm/maple/oak/birch for several years and he's of the same opinion as you: might be useful, but not necessary in his experience.

It might also have to do with doing the drying in a cool/wet climate? He exclusively air-dries his wood...


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