Checks in end grain

[mandoboy]

I just finished constructing my first table. It came out pretty nice, but I noticed some checks in the end grain on the top. I don't think they were there when I started out.

I let the wood stand in my garage for a month before working on it. The wood is poplar.

How does one deal with these? I thought to fill them and sand out.

If so what do you use to fill them?

Thanks.

JeffG

[Bruce]

I assume since it's poplar you intend to paint the table, so filling the checked areas with a wood filler of some kind before sanding and painting the table seems like a good idea. If you don't plan to paint the table but instead have some kind of stain/clear finish in mind, you could put a breadboard on the ends. I've never done this, so hopefully someone else will chime in on the pros and cons of a breadboard end. I don't think you would want to use edge banding on a table. I would think it would peel off from all the wear the edges of a table get.

[ldh]

JeffG,
Post a pic of your table and let all have a look at your project and perceived problem. One of the folks out there in SS Land will have had the same problem
and will give you a hand.
ldh

[charlese]

Jeff, Bruce and idh had good suggestions. As there are quite a few possibilities for shaping table top ends a picture would be best.

It is not a normal thing for poplar to end check once you get away from the ends of purchased boards. I know I have had cut offs of 6 to 7 inches to get rid of end checks on some boards. I've snipped off ends by 1 inch only to find the check continued on - then sawed off another inch - then another... until I'm sure the check doesn't continue. This sometimes gets very discouraging when stock is limited.

I know this doesn't help your present problem, but careful board inspection will help in the future. If the ends didn't show checks as you made the piece, it is my guess that somehow the end (or part of board you used) contained more moisture than the rest of the wood. The only way I know how to solve this situation is by checking with a moisture meter.

[kalynzoo]

A true craftsman I knew started me using Durhams Powder wood filler, mixed with about equal parts of fine sawdust from the wood and a bit of white glue (I know it sounds like my grandma's cooking...a pinch of this and that). But after it drys, with the wood dust included it blends rather well, and it will still take some stain. A water base stain can be used to mix the Durhams if the stain is dark. Seems to work for me.

[mandoboy]

Thanks guys for the suggestions. I will take some photo's tomorrow and post them. I thought that I looked over the wood pretty well prior to assembly and didn't notice the checks.

This piece was sort of a practice piece to learn how to do mortise and tenon joints as well as how to use my biscuit joiner. I learned alot more.

I ended up purchasing a Porter Cable random orbital sander. I am really amazed that you can sand with no dust at all. I hooked it up to my dust collector and there is really no dust on the wood or in the air.

JeffG

[mandoboy]

Here are a couple of photos of the table.

This was my first try at mortise and tenon. It is a stand for a little water cooler. I still have to do the final sanding and haven't decided how I am going to finish it yet.

JeffG

[Nick]

Getting back to the problem of your checks, the most common reason a piece of wood checks at the end is that the end grain looses moisture much faster than the edge and face grains. The wood at the end shrinks while the wood in the middle of the board is still swollen, and then splits or checks begin to appear at the ends where the wood is stressed.

There are several things that could have cause this:
1. The wood was stored vertically on an unsealed concrete floor. The end grain wicked up moisture from the concrete and was more swollen than the rest of the board when you made the table. After you removed the board from the vertical stack, the swollen parts shrank and checks appeared in the areas where the fibers had collapsed due to the initial swelling.
2. After you completed the table, you moved it from an area of greater relative humidity to an area of less humidity, such as moving it from your garage to your house. The end grain released its moisture more quickly than the faces and edges and checks appeared.
3. There was a change in the weather that caused a wide swing in the relative humidity in your shop. Because the wood was unfinished, it was subjected to "shock" movement -- a quick response to changes in relative humidity when the wood is allowed to absorb and release moisture without restriction. (A finish provides a semipermeable barrier that slows down this exchange and the wood moves much more slowly -- one of the major reasons for applying a finish.) For reasons stated above, the end grain released moisture and shrank more quickly the the rest of the board.
4. The table top is fastened to the leg-and-apron assembly in without sufficient allowance for the top to move. Many beginning woodworkers glue tops to aprons, screw them down much too tight, or do not leave sufficient wiggle room in the screw shank holes.

If you have committed one of these sins, read this: http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/Index_files/wood.pdf for absolution.

With all good wishes,

[mandoboy]

Well guilty of storing the wood vertically on the garage floor. While the floor was dry, it has been raining for a few weeks here.

I also glued the top to the table and screwed it in place. The wood was already split prior to that.

If I seal the wood with an enamel paint, will that prevent or reduce later wood movement and further cracking?

I am glad that I am learning on small projects with cheap wood.

JeffG

[Nick]

I hate to be the one to tell you this, Jeff, but if you glued the top to the aprons what you've got is more of a learning experience than a table -- a nicely crafted learning experience, but a learning experience nonetheless. It won't matter how you finish it; nothing will keep the wood from moving and splitting further. The checks you're seeing now are just the beginning. Read the file; you'll be glad you did. There's stuff in there that it took me 20 years to discover.

With all good wishes,