The Forestry Forum

I may be getting a Belsaw and the owner said it has good wood just needs to be bolted together.  My question is should I paint or coat the wood with something or not? 

Depends what color you want your mill. Myself I used oil base stain with creasote where the wood overlaps.Probibly deck coating they sell to preserve decks would be as good as any. Frank C.

I don't care about looks.  Just wondering about rot prevention between the overlaps.

If the water can get in between the overlaps, then you can expect the wood to decay. So whatever you can do to prevent it (cover, roof, or ?? ) will help the longevity of the wood.

If not possible to cover, then some annual or bi-annual flushing of the joints and wood with a preservative will help.