live edge slab

[chris rand]

I just got a large live edge English Elm slab that I'm making into a dining table. It was air dried for 3 years and then kiln dried. I just uncrated it and laid it on stick to allow even air flow underneath. There are a few cracks and voids that I'm going to fill with West Systems epoxy. My question is: should I allow the slab to acclimate before I do anything to it, or should I fill the crack and voids right away? I was leaning towards letting it acclimate for about a week before touching it at all, but then I started second guessing myself, so I figured asking some more experienced people makes sense.

Thoughts?

[Bill Dufour]

Location and climate where you are and where it came from as well as where it will go when it leaves your shop.
Bill D

[chris rand]

Location and climate where you are and where it came from as well as where it will go when it leaves your shop.
Bill D

It came from Massachusetts (Berkshire Products). I live in the mountains in Wintergreen, VA., and the table will be staying here (building it for myself). I just used a Wagner moisture meter to check the moisture content of some walnut shelves that I in the house, and they're at about 12%. I then checked some walnut and some cherry that I have in my shop, and it was at about 13-14%. I then checked the Elm slab that just arrived, and it varied between 12% and 18% across it's whole 10'+ length, though most of it was 13-15%.

[Jim Becker]

Yes, I would do some acclimation to your environment. Aside from any filling you choose to do, you will want to stabilize the slab so no further cracking will happen, too. Even if you don't want that kind of thing visible on the top, do it on the backside with bowtie inlays that will hold any cracks as they are into the future. The resin is not sufficient for this purpose.

[Kevin Jenness]

That seems like a lot of variation and high mc for kiln dried. If your numbers are correct that piece would probably move around a lot in a typical New England interior. I would let it sit as long as practical and monitor the weight as well as with a meter to see where it settles out before working it.

How thick is it?

[Andrew Hughes]

Keep it out of direct sunlight. Or cover it with a sheet so it doesn’t heat up on one side
Good Luck

[Lee Schierer]

I agree with Kevin, those moisture readings are quite high. I just check some cherry, poplar and read oak that has been in my shop for a good while and they all read 6% on my mini ligno meter. Is there a way to calibrate your meter or compare it with another meter on the same piece/type of wood. Perhaps you could check some wood that has been inside your house for some period of time.

[Tom Bender]

How thick is it, and how flat?

My sense is that it will probably move some. I'd want to get it sealed sooner rather than later, to limit the extremes of movement. But that depends on your finish schedule.

[William Hodge]

OP, you have a big twisty grained piece of wood, fairly wet, with some cracks in it. That's the piece's appeal. It will continue to twist and crack as the moisture content goes up and down. Coating it with plastic will not dry or stabilize it. If you want the top to be smooth and flat, put a piece of glass on it.

[Kevin Jenness]

OP, you have a big twisty grained piece of wood, fairly wet, with some cracks in it. That's the piece's appeal. It will continue to twist and crack as the moisture content goes up and down. Coating it with plastic will not dry or stabilize it. If you want the top to be smooth and flat, put a piece of glass on it.

I disagree. Once it reaches equilibrium moisture content it should be relatively stable depending on the finish and the range of seasonal humidity variations. I doubt many clients would regard continuing cracking and twisting to be a desirable feature in a dining table.

[chris rand]

I've had it up on sticks to allow air flow underneath also. I've had it now for almost a week, and I've checked the moisture reading daily and had no major changes. It is very flat everywhere, with relatively few cracks (though a couple of them do go all the way through to the back, even though they are relatively thin). None of the cracks are near the edge. Am I correct in thinking that, because of this, I won't need to do any bowties, but rather simply fill them with epoxy? Also, while the MC is higher than I would have expected, it's not too much higher than stable, finished wood that's both in my house and in my shop (I live in the mountains in VA and we get a LOT of fog and mist, so things are pretty humid).

[Kevin Jenness]

The thicker it is the longer it will take to change the overall moisture content. The fact that you measured such a wide variation would concern me a bit and makes me wonder about the kiln process. Can you put it on a scale and weigh it over a few weeks?

If your table design allows for holding the slab down to a frame while allowing for movement you will probably be fine. If the cracks are not open-ended you can just fill them, but if there is significant further shrinkage they may open up more.

The fact that it is flat now is a good sign. I have been surprised at times by a particular piece's stability as it dries, then another one will cup like a potato chip.