Hi folks,
I have a cherry tabletop, which was milled and glued about a month ago. I haven’t finished it yet. Yesterday I noticed a few small end checks (about 1/2 inch long). This is going into my house, and the end checks are barely visible. My inclination is to do nothing. My question is whether the end checks will get worse if I do nothing, and if I cut them off, will they reappear?
Thanks for your input.
-Eric
Replies
Eric,
The checking is due to moisture loss.
1) It may be that the checks were already there, but simply not visible, when you built the table. Rough-sawn lumber is, more often than not, end-checked, from shrinkage that occurs during the drying process, from green to dry. If the boards are not cut off beyond this checking, it's likely that is where your checking came from. The checking continued beyond where it visibly ended, and as the lumber continued to dry ( slight moisture loss to maintain equilibrium, after your glue up), they re-appeared.
2) If the lumber is air dried stock, it is possible that it is continuing to lose moisture (was still partially "green" and not even close to equilibrium when you did the glue up).
In case #1, the checking will probably not get much worse; in fact as summertime humidity levels rise, may even get better-- at least til winter.
In case #2, it all depends on the moisture content of the stock now, and how close it is to equilibrium. I've had air-dried stuff 3" thick several years old and supposedly "dry", check when I cut 3' off its end for a set of legs. The wide plank developed checks on the fresh end.
Ray
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