What should I do with this hairline crack in cherry board?

[Gary R Katz]

cherry board 1.jpgcherry board 2.jpg
Last year I bought several cherry boards from a cabinet shop that was closing down. I assume the boards were there for awhile and were stable. I'm presently building a pair of cherry bedside tables and want to saw this board in half then glue the 2 pieces as the top of one table. The first pic shows the underside of the board; notice at the center there is a knot. The second pic is a close up of the end of the board and shows a hairline crack part way up the board. Originally the end of the board had a wider crack completely through the board. I sawed this end as far as I could but I still have this crack which I think is caused by stress from the knot.
I want to glue this hairline crack to prevent it from getting worse. I drilled 3 tiny holes part way through and tried to insert CA glue but it didn't work. I'm thinking I should try epoxy but I don't know how to get it in the crack. Additionally, I don't even know if I should worry about such a small crack. Any suggestions?

[mreza Salav]

West system epoxy, use syringes and inject some into the holes you drilled until is squeezes out from other parts. I'd use a packing tape around and the end of the board to prevent glue from spreading everywhere.

[Jeff Ramsey]

Have you considered a butterfly (also dutchman)?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_joint

[johnny means]

Here is how I stabilize a crack/split. It's a bit more than a hairline, but it works for that too. This is a credenza toland will get an epoxy fill and butterflies after being stabilized.

[Mike Henderson]

You can also use your glue of choice (but not CA) and blow it in with compressed air. I put glue, such as Titebond, on the crack, then come back with compressed air and blow it in. Repeat several times. Then clamp with whatever clamps you have that will put the strongest pressure on the board to close the gap.

I assume that face is going to be the bottom of the table, not the show side.

Mike

[I'll add that I've done this many times and haven't encountered any failures. Glue is stronger than the wood so if it failed, I'd expect a new crack and not an opening of the glued one.]

[Gary R Katz]

I like the syringe idea and definitely like the packing tape. I'll looking into the West system epoxy. Thanks!

[Gary R Katz]

I thought about a butterfly but wanted to avoid the extra project.

[johnny means]

The problem with injecting sticky stuff into splits is that you can never clean the mating surfaces. If the movement continues all you end up with is a crack with a mess of cracked glue down the middle.

[Gary R Katz]

Mike, this sounds like a clever idea and it might just work, especially if I open the holes up larger. Thanks!

[Prashun Patel]

I think that crack came from cupping stress at the apex of that flatsawn area, not necessarily a knot.

I don’t think you would lose much aesthetically if you just ripped each half down that split and re glued the boards possibly even reorienting them.

Those wide, flat sawn pieces might possibly be prone to seasonal cupping even if you could successfully glue that crack, so splitting the board along the stress point and reorienting may result in a long term more stable top.

Ymmv.

[lowell holmes]

Or drill a hole in the end of the split and put cherry peg in the hole.

[Rob Charles]

+1 on the peg or dowel at the end of the hole. I had had success with a vacuum used in combination with a syringe to help in moving the glue through a crack. I will have to try the compressed air trick.

[Gary R Katz]

Prashun, I think this might be an excellent idea. Some of the other wide cherry boards are cupped and it would make sense to split this one since it's already cracked.
Thanks for the idea!

[Gary R Katz]

Lowell and Rob, I'm worried about gluing in a peg on the underside because the wood is barely 3/4" thick.

[Doug Garson]

Agree with Lowell, you need to drill a hole at the end of the crack. The purpose of the hole is to blunt the end of the crack so it cannot continue to grow. Not sure what the holes in the middle of the crack accomplish other than maybe help get glue into the crack but you should be able to get the glue in without the holes.