Wagon wood

[joelaudi]

Hello gents. I would like to get your thoughts on what to put on my wagon. I am building a four wheel wagon using VW spindles and other car parts. It is six feet wide by twelve feet long. The body is all rough sawn oak. I just painted the steel running gear last night and the oak is next. What would be a good product for this. I was planning on BLO [boiled linseed oil] but the man who sold the timber said that used motor oil is the way to go. The wagon will be stored outside and be used for work and play. Any ideas?
I will get some pictures up soon.

 

[ToadHill]

When I made one years ago I used Hemlock and treated it with used oil, it lasted for about 18 years sitting outside.

 

[jimmer2880]

When I made one years ago I used Hemlock and treated it with used oil, it lasted for about 18 years sitting outside.

I just re-decked my 18' utility trailer with rough-cut hemlock. Haven't treated it yet.

Does the motor oil get slippery? Did you roll/brush it on?

 

[ToadHill]

I brushed it on and it soaked in and was slippery for only a couple of days.

 

[davitk]

What kind of oak? white oak weathers fine, red oak rots quickly, especially where you bore for the fasteners.

Personally, I would stay away from motor oil, yuck. Tung oil works well, it's main ingredient is linseed oil and if you have a good source, why not.

 

[nh DRAGON]

I know people who have used new hydraulic oil to treat the out side of their log cabin. It looked good soaked in with in a day or so and protected much better than any stain you could use.

 

[Corm]

When I helped a buddy build an 18' trailer about 10 years ago, we used rough cut Hemlock for the deck. Before we started building the trailer, we sawed out the planks (he has a bandsaw mill), and let them weather for a month or so. We then 'painted' them on both sides using a 50/50 mixture of old motor oil and boiled linseed oil. They sat like this for about a week, until the trailer fab was done, and were then installed on the trailer. They have held up real well, still look nearly as good as they did that first year.

The pressure treated deck on my 18' homebuilt trailer is about the same age, and my deck doesn't look as good as his. I'm planning on soaking my deck with that same 50/50 mixture before winter in hopes it will stop my deck from cracking and splitting like PT lumber does as it gets old. If I had known how well that 50/50 mixture worked on untreated wood, I would not have spent the money I did on PT. Live and learn....

corm