Expert: Jamie Yocono - 11/8/2010

Question
Hello Jamie

I have wanted to make a tree trunk slice table for a while
and I was looking into  how best to make one and I was told  
to used peg 1000 to insure the dimensional stability or the
wood. In my research I have all so learned that you can to
treat the wood using sucrose and that seems to me to be a
lot cheaper option.   Why should I buy a $50 pail of peg1000
if I can instead buy a $2 bag of white sugar?   What are
your thoughts on the matter?  

Answer
Hi Kevin,

Let's stop and think about what you're wanting to do - stabilize a piece of wood to eliminate cracking as the moisture leaves the wood. When a piece of wood is green, it can contain up to 90% water. As that water leaves, the wood dries out and if there's nothing there to stabilize the wood fibers, they basically shrink and cause the wood to crack.

That said, you need to replace that moisture. PEG, or polyethylene glycol, actually seeps into the pores of wood and locks itself onto the fibers, displacing the moisture and creating stability for the fibers, so they don't implode.

Although I've never heard of a sugar solution that could do the same thing, I suppose it's possible. But I'd love to read what you've seen about using sugar, if you get a chance, could you forward a link to me?

The other solutions I've read about, or actually used of logs, is to seal the ends of the wood with polyurethane, thus slowing the evaporation of the moisture. This  way isn't perfect, but it works reasonably well. I used to employ this method when I was a poor college student, carving wood. A gallon of varnish was cheap, and easy to apply after each carving session.

The problem I have with PEG is that you need to have a vat or a reservoir that is just a shade bigger than the piece of wood you need to soak. Sometimes, it isn't so easy to find something that will work. But I'll tell you this - PEG is reusable, time after time. All you have to do is add hot water to bring it back to a thinned mixture after it evaporates down over time. So a 10 or 20 pound block will last a long time. I used to make rolling pins out of solid logs of wood, and after rough turning them to shape, I would soak them in a tall, deep trashcan filled with PEG. A couple of weeks in the vat, and then another week of drying, and I never had a pin crack on me.

So until anyone can show me some evidence of how sugar works, or some pictures of wood after it's been treated with it, I'm not convinced it does what they claim it will do. Can they give you proof?

All I can offer is my opinion, but PEG is tried and true, and I'm guessing the jury is still out on sugar. This is just my 2 cents, hope it helps. Write back if you'd like to further discuss this.

Jamie in Vegas


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Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com
My woodworking blog: www.wooditis.blogspot.com