Re: Finish for exterior oak/ Make that Walnut
Cooper Suter
>I'd asked about a finish for a cross of oak that'd be outdoors.
I was given a couple of warped 4'-1 x 8 red oak s4s boards to make the cross out of, it wasn't gonna work.
I called a fellow carpenter who's a foreman on the site where the accident happened and asked if they had any "hardwood" on the site.
On a heavy construction site, "hardwood" is usually around in rough slab and timber sizes for shoring, cribbing, pads, and such.
Ended-up w/ a fairly new but weathered 4 x 12 x 8'. Pretty stout weight, but indeterminate species as it lay.
The slab had been used as temporary cribbing during the assembly of the crane which fell, kinda fitting it should be a part of the memorial.
Once I started scrubbing the slab (sorry, portable power plane, times to short on this one for much hand work) it's a funky colored/grained piece of walnut.
The slab if I'm lucky was once air dried, but has spent the last year stacked outside. I don't have a moisture meter, but moisture content got to be high.
W/the change in species, and the high moisture content, is BLO still the concensus finish choice?
Will BLO adequately penetrate and adhere to relatively wet wood?
Either way, the cross will be out of this Walnut slab, just wanna give it the best shot at relative durability.
thanks, Coop