Replies

1. 
   sapwood | Aug 28, 2006 09:14am | #1

   Did you do the 1 1/2 inch treatment to the ends also? Did you apply a long grain piece across the table? Was the wood dry? You know...... all the basic questions and places where one can really boo-boo. If you know what I'm talking about then you probably didn't make a novice error and so the only conclusion is the wood is haunted. Or you are, or you broke a mirror. If so you might as well go sit on the beach for the next seven years. (don't go near the water)

1. 
   tmaxxx | Aug 28, 2006 09:25am | #2

   Thanks for the reply.  Yes the ends were thick too.  They did follow the proper grain direction.  the wood was all kiln dried(i think).   The split was actually in the center of a 6 inch wide piece about 6 ft long.  I use alot of jatoba and it seems to get little hair cracks sometimes but this one totally baffeled me.  i have been doing woodworking for many year but do not call myself an expert.  i have never had anything remotley close to this happen before. 

    Tmaxxx

   Urban Workshop Ltd

   Vancouver B.C.

   cheers.  Ill buy.

1. 
   highfigh | Aug 28, 2006 02:50pm | #3

   Look at the end grain- the answer may be there. Did you attach the cross members so the top could expand and contract? It may have tried to shrink with the outer boards locked in place, which would cause the center board to split.
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

2. 
   ring | Aug 28, 2006 05:02pm | #4

   Post us a photo of the failure, maybe it will give someone a clue.

   I have a Makita power planer that gets used only for onsite installation jobs, but it's been very reliable.

   DR

3. 
   jackplane | Aug 28, 2006 05:08pm | #5

   The short answer is that the wood was not dry in your shop. When you moved it to the clients' house, it dried rapidly in two weeks, and split.

   Next time use a moisture meter- a good investment when working with rare exotics.

    

4. 
   gb93433 | Aug 28, 2006 07:51pm | #6

   Where you live there is a lot of moisture in the air. I always put the wood inside on edge for several weeks or even months first. Then I rough mill the wood and let it set on edge for several weeks and sometimes months. Periodically I will move the wood and turn it around to ensure that both sides of the wood get the same treatment. If the wood has moved then I wait some more. If it has not moved then I begin to work it checking for movement as I work it. Most of the time when I make furniture it is made over a period of several months to ensure straightness. Often I will rough mill the pieces then let them sit. Then I will mill them oversize getting closer to the final measurement. Then let them sit some more and then finally mill them to finish size or slightly oversize. As I get closer to the final dimension I am very careful to take off the same amount on each side if I can.

   When I put the wood on edge I keep it away from the sunlight and any windows or walls. I do cover it up with a sheet or cloth tarp. That keeps the dirt off and sunlight out. It also keeps it from being exposed to direct sunlight.

   The idea is that each piece of wood is table and wil stay straight if no glue were used. Then once the glue is applied it is just simply an adhesive to keep the boards from shifting. When all the boards are at rest in the piece there will be no cracks. Also when wood is older it is less likely to move.

   When lumber is dried the inside is dried to about the right moisture content leaving the outside very dry. Then the wood is steamed to bring the outside up to the proepr moisture content. The wood on the inside is not exactly the same moisture content all the way through. The same moisture content all the way through can be closest achieved by buying the wood and letting it sit for up to about five years.