So I milled some black cherry (6’LX36”Wx2.5” thick) last week and stacked it this past Saturday. I stacked it on top of a tarp laying on 6x6 blocks with 3/4x3/4 stickers in between each slab (6 in total). Had it uncovered until today when I checked on it and found the top slab started cracking. We have had sunny warm weather here for the past few days so I figured the cracks could have been from the direct sun drying it out too quick or maybe ratchet straps being too tight. Any ideas? End grain was sealed with arborseal
Slabs cracking
- Thread starter Pcbw69
- Start date
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I would think some of that is unavoidable. I had slabs crack as I was milling them, and we've all run boards through our tablesaw to have them bind or open as we cut. Just because it grew together doesn't mean it doesn't want to tear itself apart when cut into slabs or boards.
Looks like you did everything right and those are some nice slabs. That outer area looks a little punky and it's only on one side, right? Maybe an injury on that side? I've seen the same with punky wood. The fibers are weak and crack as it dries.
Yea it’s just that one side
I noticed the one side of the slab the fibers looked darker and a little rough compared to the other side which was lighter and the grain looked tight
Haven’t check the ones below but hopefully it’s just that top slab
I also noticed some white spots starting to form in some of the cracks
I hope the tree didn’t have some sort of fungal infection
kimosawboy
ArboristSite Operative
Did you have them all wrapped up in that tarp? You don't want to ''hot box'' them, just enough cover to keep them dry.
Didn’t have the tarp even covering them at first. Just put the tarp over the top Monday to keep rain and sun off
I think it’s getting sufficient air flow
When I worked at a commercial mill, the hardwood stacks were placed in the shade in the woods, with just a top cover.
Was the tree a leaner? Hardwood the "uphill" side will have tension wood in it. Conifers the opposite, compression wood towards the lean side.
Was the tree a leaner? Hardwood the "uphill" side will have tension wood in it. Conifers the opposite, compression wood towards the lean side.
The tree actually came down in a storm a couple of weeks ago and looked like it was starting to rot out at the base. These slabs came from about 10 feet up from the rot. They looked solid when first milled, nice tight grain and smooth. I think I may have them in a bad spot, direct sun all day
You need air circulation but not in direct sun once it gets warm spring/summer. Tarps will heat things up too. I put an extra row of stickers then some corrugated plastic roofing on top. If I have cants/beams they go on top too for weight, then the roofing. The extra stickers lets the top row breath. You need to weight down the roofing too. I use outer waste slabs from the outside of the logs and a cant or two
, otherwise those are firewood.One other thing, I asked about the tree beaning a leaner. Same happens, tension in trees , growing on boundrys of fields/lawns. They will be heavily branched on the sunny side, not much on the shady side. Tree must compensate to not fall over.
It looks like that slab is from the outside of the tree, away from pith. I think the tarp and sun was the main problem. Was that slab from a tension side?
It looks like that slab is from the outside of the tree, away from pith. I think the tarp and sun was the main problem. Was that slab from a tension side?
benjo75
ArboristSite Guru
Drying too fast. I put bowl blanks back in their own shavings and wrap them in a paper bag. But bowl blanks get turned again so that takes care of any discoloration. Some wood just cracks. I dry my lumber as Mad Professor shows. Either metal roofing or tar paper and let the air circulate. I let lumber dry for a month or two before putting it in the kiln if I'm not in a hurry for it. I have a natural gas pipeline that runs across my property from North to South. There's always a breeze on it. That's where I stack lumber. Coat the ends as you have done and cut of the bad ends.
Not sure about tension side
I didn’t see the tree when it was standing but That would make sense considering the bad part is only on one side of the slab. I’m dreading it but I’m going to have to move them to a shady spot
Since you are milling at 2.5 inches, I'm assuming you are looking at making benches, table tops and such, not fine cabinetry. When making mortise and tenon benches, I use the natural check marks on the ends, to put my wedges in to tighten the joints. This was an old bench that I never put any finish on. After two years it completely grayed out. I knocked it apart and resanded it. These pics were from when I knocked it apart.
Agree you want a slow dry and let the water evaporate evenly
The water leaves the end grain the fastest thats why its important to seal the endgrain
Turners also use wet newspaper to slow a blank from drying to quickly and cracking
I like the bench @rarefish383.Since you are milling at 2.5 inches, I'm assuming you are looking at making benches, table tops and such, not fine cabinetry. When making mortise and tenon benches, I use the natural check marks on the ends, to put my wedges in to tighten the joints. This was an old bench that I never put any finish on. After two years it completely grayed out. I knocked it apart and resanded it. These pics were from when I knocked it apart.
Does it take down easy and hold together OK without the tennons pegged?
I might copy your design but make through tenons pegged with a tapered wedge you could remove easy.
NO, it was a mother to knock apart, with out any wedges in the end. It took me almost 4 hours to the minute taking it from 4 slabs, to sitting on it. I was told the average height for chairs was 18"s. So, I stacked four piles of left over pavers to 18". Shimmed the front piles just enough to get it to drain water off the back, and give it a little lean into the back. I cut one long slab in half to make the two ends. Clamped them together, squared the bottoms so they would sit level. Drew the arms on the top piece, and while they were still clamped, cut them out with a DeWalt battery reciprocating saw. You can see the ends are about 3 inches thick. With the seat sitting on the pavers, I sat the ends up against the seat. Put a ratchet strap on them and cranked it down. That made it so tight I could work the back in, and put another ratchet strap on it. It was so tight I could sit on it and test it. Then I drew a straight line on top and bottom of both ends of the seat, and lines on both ends of the back, front and back.Took it apart and drew lines between the seat lines to make the tenons. Started at the live edge side and cut into the line, then cut in from the end, leaving a perfect tenon on the seat. Then I took the back and did the same thing. Took the end pieces and marked where I wanted the mortises to be. Put one on the saw horses, and very carefully made a plunge cut with a circular saw. I set the front of the saw on the slab and slowly lowered it into the wood to make the plunge. After I got the two long lines of the mortise cut, I was able to work the two short lines out with the reciprocating saw. Got all 4 of the mortises cut out, then took about an hour with a wood rasp to hand fit them together. I used a big rubber mallet to pound them together. That bench was Tulip Poplar and was pretty easy to work. It sat outside in the weather. It never got loose, not even a little. When I took it apart to sand it back down to pretty wood, it still didn't loosen up. I still had to pound the devil out of it with the mallet. If I was doing a table and benches for inside I might peg them. If you look at the seat on the saw horses, you can see on one end, there is a natural check mark. When I put it back together, I made Black Walnut wedges and pounded them into the check marks. That spread the tenons. But that was mostly for the looks, they were so tight 4, 200 pound guys could rock end to end and not loosen it. Now, if you make the joints so loose they just slide on and off, it will be loose. The other thing, it was heavy, I never worried about any one steeling it, and if they did, they were better men than me.
