I have some boars that the ends have spits in them, Is there a way to get these back together and eliminate further splits? Or is this going to keep splitting no matte what.
The wood is dried already and the splits look to be from when it was drying.
I was wondering if i squeezed some glue into the crack then clamped it if that would hold and eliminate any further splits?
Replies
The splitting is from the drying. It's something that's hard to stop. Sometimes CA glues, i.e. Super Glue will work to stop the progression of a crack, but not always. Sealing the ends prior to drying would have helped prevent the cracking.
Edited 10/20/2008 1:14 pm ET by basset-hound
Saw the boards down the splits. Joint the edges and glue them together. This is the only method I know that works. Next time seal the ends,I use paint,several coats. If you have a lot of boards there is a product called Anchorseal, this is supposed to be a better sealer than paint. I haven't used it myself, just any kind of paint that's laying around.
mike
Split ends in boards that are dry. This is called "bottle necking". In otherwords, moisture left the boards quicker and more easily at the ends than within the mass of the plank. The board dried unevenly, wanting to shrink quicker at the ends where the water evaporated sooner than in the middle portion, bottle necking. Since there is a limit to different rates of shrinking within the same board, something had to give. Eventually, the drier ends shrank too much and split to adjust to the different width dimension. The prevention is to seal the ends to control the rate that moisture leaves the wood.
wisky,
If the boards are truly dry, it isn't likely that the splits will continue to get worse. Once the wood is in equilibrium with the surrounding air, it will continue to move with changes in humidity, but this movement is back and forth, having the effect of opening and closing the existing cracks, not making the cracks bigger and bigger.
Depending on how wide the gap is, you may be able to glue a split closed to some degree, but trying to close more than a hairline crack isn't likely to be successful over the long haul; best to cut those ends off til you get to solid wood, and begin roughing out your project from there. If the splits are very long, over 1 foot, say, it may be practical to cut the piece overlong, then rip the board in two (extending the split), rejoint the two halves, and glue the resulting two boards back together. Often, the glue line is inconspicuous, and ripping and rejointing will eliminate the stress that caused the split in the forst place.
Ray
I got these from a reputable hard wood supplier so I assume they are dry, Dont have a moister meeter so assuming is about all i can do, The cracks are most defiantly caused from the drying process and are small only a few inches long. I can fill most and they wont be noticeable just wondering about them splitting further.
Whisky,
In the school where I learned furniture making they said always cut off an inch from each end of the board assuming that there will be splits there, some so small you cannot see them. If the splits are longer, chop 'em off--and then check the ends to make sure there are not more splits (checks) below the surface or other ones you have not seen. The end pieces with splits have little strenght--you can snap oak and maple with your bare hands.
That said, if you want to/need to use the ends you can a) rip and glue as others have said, or b) you can try crazy glue. Crazy glue "regular" is watery and will only seal microcracks, but there is a noticeably thicker crazy glue which usually has a name including the words "gap filling." Even this one will not bridge much of a gap.
Jim Bell
It's known as end checking. It's very common. Boards used to come extra long, up to an extra 6" that wasn't included in the tally. Now, you get, maybe, an extra 2". It's always been common practice to cut the board about an inch or more beyond the end of the crack, eliminating it. It should be noted that the crack points to a tendency in that particular board. If you have a split that is 6' or 8" long, you should take a good look to see if it might continue to split despite cutting off the check. These boards you may consider ripping and gluing up. To put glue in the crack and force it back together, is going up against the nature of the board, you are not going to win. You can usually see filler from my house. I don't like to throw away wood anymore than the next person but sometimes, that's what you need to do.Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
wisky,
Believe me, you'll be better off, just cutting those end checks off and discarding the last few inches before you begin cutting for your project. I know you are thinking you paid plenty for the boards and need to use all of the material, but this is part of the process and ought to be anticipated when buying, as part of your allowance for waste. Using checked material, your eye will always be drawn to those split ends, and years from now, after the expense of the boards is forgotten, the regret that you didn't use top quality material throughout, will remain. damhikt :-)
Ray
Ray
This is a case where an ounce of prevention is worth ten pounds of cure. Next time, seal the end grain well. Some use latex paint, but I find wax works much better. For the boards you have, just cut the ends off past the split (end checking) and move forward. Don't feel bad - I've got boards that end checked from end to end. Now I have two separate boards. Incredible tension - no clamps and no amount of glue will fix that.
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
As already stated, but especially when one buys graded timber from reputable merchants, there should always be allowance in the form of extra length to cater for end splits. Different species require more or less allowance and you can check this in hand books put out by the NHLA for example.
End splits are part of the waste factor that any furniture factory builds into the costing of materials.
Trying to glue up these splits is counter productive as already stated, but also glue doesn't work well on them.
As a matter of interest: how did you stack these boards/how were they stacked at the timber yard? If stood up on end rather than horizontally, this is conducive to added end splits......Not a good practice, and you won't see it done at a good timber yard.
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