Dovetail Chiseling Mallet

When you don’t have $50 to spend on a beautiful, professionally made, dovetail chiseling hammer, make one for yourself! Visit your local Home Depot, go to the lumber section and seek out the discount lumber rack. Find an oak 2×4 painted green on the ends, because green means they are $0.51 each! Then, cut four equal square pieces from that 2×4, align them straight, glue them together real good, drill a 1” hole down the center, and shove that 1” diameter oak dowel rod through there and bam!! .... A dovetail chiseling hammer for the price of less than $5 :)
I am still smoothing out the edges to make a more flat surface to hit my chisels. I sawed off each of the four corners because I wanted to make a round faced hammer, so I still have a ways to go. But, for the moment, it works quite effectively :)

Any suggestions as to what I could coat it with?? I just want to protect the wood from aging, not so much make it shiny. Thank you!