Hello,
I'm having issues with cracking with my red oak table tops. I'm importing raw/unfinished solid red oak table tops from Southeast Asia and staining and finishing them in the US. The tops are in plastic bags and the end grain is covered with sealer to prevent moisture loss. The moisture of the wood when I receive it is about 9-11%.
Before finishing, I sand off the sealer from the ends and sand the top and apply an oil based stain. Then I apply a self sealing catalyzed conversion varnish. A few days later, I'm noticing cracks an most of the table tops that I have finished. The moisture content on these is now 7-9%. My shop is pretty dry, with a humidity of about 25-35% and there is no humidity control. I thought that the self sealing varnish was supposed to slow down the drying of my wood but it seems like it's drying as if no finish has been applied at all.
What should I do to prevent these cracks? I'm thinking about switching to a catalyzed sealer instead of the conversion varnish or buying a humidifier but I'm not too confident either one will fix the problem. I'm also nervous that these cracks will get worse in a few weeks. I've attached pictures.
Thanks!
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