I was thinking the same as Prashun. The crack showing up in the center of the cathedral grain is not a good sign.
Ripping down the center and re gluing the two halves is what i would do.
Contributor
I was thinking the same as Prashun. The crack showing up in the center of the cathedral grain is not a good sign.
Ripping down the center and re gluing the two halves is what i would do.
Aj
Contributor
I agree with Prashun and Andrew. Just rip it and glue it back together. Though I would use dowels to keep the join strong and flat. In general I do this with wide boards because it reduces cupping. It's rare that the aesthetics are adversely affected.
You could drill at the end and fill with dowel, but I think that wouldn't look as good as just ripping and re-gluing.
Contributor
Another alternative is to simply saw off the end of the board. This assumes, of course, that you can spare the length. But it is a way to avoid a spreading crack.
If retaining the length, and the crack is indeed hairline and likely to become lost in the surface figure and finish, I would add a butterfly from below, where it is not seen.
Posted on a train to Vienna
Derek
Member
Sorry for post not related to topic but...
Have a nice vacation, Derek! I can confirm, it is beautiful already here. And also lots of good old furniture in local museums/palaces, I've heard.Originally Posted by Derek Cohen
Contributor
Thanks Andrey. Just arrived, and staying in an apartment in Spittelberg for the next week.
Regards from Vienna
Derek
Member
Mike, what a great idea! I'm hanging onto that one. Thanks!
Thoughts entering one's mind need not exit one's mouth!
As I age my memory fades .... and that's a load off my mind!
"We Live In The Land Of The Free, Only Because Of The Brave"
“The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living."
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill
Contributor
Just as others have proposed, my first thought was to rip it down the crack and glue back together. I have done this many times. Since it is at the end of the board it could have started from a checking type crack. I try to avoid using boards over 4". I rip the wider ones and glue back together to get rid of the cupping. However, I purchase skip planed lumber at 15/16 thick (and wholesale prices), so I have a lot of material to work with. the lumber has anchorseal on the ends that is put on prior to kiln drying.
Thank you,
Rich Aldrich
65 miles SE of Steve Schlumpf.
"To a pessimist, the glass is half empty; to an optimist, the glass is half full; to an engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be." Unknown author
Contributor
My first thought was to just cut that end off or get a new piece of wood.
Contributor
I'll add my vote for Prashun's recommendation. Ripping through the crown will relieve the internal pressure. After the two halves respond, their edges might not even be square to the face, which would be a huge clue that the board should never have been left together. You would then just turn up the two halves and edge-join them back. You might choose to flip one of them to alternate the grain directions.
No more crack, far less seasonal cupping, and you'll have the satisfaction of making perfectly flat and square new edges. Good luck!
Contributor
I'm finally figuring out that I"ve spent way too much time and effort trying to save cracked wood (and eventually failing). Either shorten the board to below the crack or, as others have suggested, split it down the crack, removing that material and re-gluing.
Member
Charles Neil Woodworking on YouTube has a video called "Invisibly repair a crack". It's a good method.
Member
Now that was ingenious! So much common sense to that fix. I'm going to save that trick for sure.
Thanks Alan!.
Thoughts entering one's mind need not exit one's mouth!
As I age my memory fades .... and that's a load off my mind!
"We Live In The Land Of The Free, Only Because Of The Brave"
“The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by those who vote for a living."
"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill
Contributor
YES the Charles Neil trick is brilliant.
[OP]
Member
There were so many excellent suggestions I was confused about the best way to go. After a few days I decided I'm going to rip the board with my band saw just to be on the safe side, then re-glue the board. Thanks for all the time and thought everyone put into this. I'll plan to post photos when I'm done.
Contributor
There are hairline cracks that are repairable but usually they show up when the board is flexed or stressed in some fashion. A crack that is visible when the board is just sitting there does not want to close on its own. Even getting glue in the crack and forcing it shut might work, but you are definitely causing to wood to move in a way that it does not want to. Save yourself a lot of grief by using a board that is not trying to split itself. Several methods above will stabilize the crack but unless you really enjoy looking at it get rid of it.
If you have a small crack that appears on the end of the board when flexed, pulling glue into it and clamping works really well. Otherwise you’re going to use glue to fill a gap that is not going to be closed you should be using something like epoxy.
Dan
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