What carpenters can do to reduce wood cracking at the ends of logs, beams and planks

It is well known that wood tends to crack during drying. It happens because of the natural outflow of water, especially through the cross-sectioned area where the ends of the grain are located. To limit cracking, the area must be protected. Facebook post byarticle on drying walnut wood gave us the opportunity to learn some original ways to protect the fibre end zone. Some we found interesting and think would be appreciated by those who are faced with drying cut trees in their own yard or who have purchased whole trunks. You'll discover them in the article below, along with other information on wood splitting and a professional way to protect wood during the drying, storage and/or transportation processes.

Why cracks appear at the ends of logs, planks or cabinets

Cracks occur mainly at the ends of logs, cabinets or planks and lead to wood loss. The cause of cracking is the rapid outflow of water, which causes high stresses inside the wood. Drying to equilibrium moisture is a natural process that starts as soon as the tree has been felled. Most of the water escapes through the ends of the grain, the area subject to the greatest stresses.

The wood cracks because the bond between the fibres is destroyed or certain anatomical elements break. Cracks occur in the longitudinal direction and have several causes: growth defects, growth stresses, drying, dimensional variation due to moisture exchange with the environment, cutting errors, wrong construction solutions. More information about the most common cracks caused by growth defects - gelivorous and rolling - can be found in hereand about swelling and shrinkage, i.e. the dimensional variation of wood due to air humidity, I have written extensively here.

Wood must be dried before being used in construction or furniture production

Drying wood before using it in furniture, musical instruments, decoration or construction is mandatory. Relative to the relative humidity of the air in this geographical area, the humidity of wood in Romania should be 8-12% for indoors and 12-16% for outdoors. There are also exceptions, such as wood used for the manufacture of musical resonance instruments, which must have a humidity of 5-7%, or wood used for the manufacture of barrels, whose normal humidity is 18-20%.

Wood must be dried before use to be used safely. Excess water will cause it to lose water uncontrollably until it reaches a balance which will lead to tensions inside. The result will be the appearance of warping and cracking in the wood, i.e. compromising the project it was used for. High humidity also lowers the properties of the wood and makes it vulnerable to attack by insects and fungi that can cause it to rot. Wood drying and moisture balanceare important issues to understand and respect.

Recommendations received from carpenters or woodworkers

In the article posted on the popular social network, in addition to many warnings not to cut walnut without approval from the County Agricultural Board 🙂 I also found a number of recommendations to limit the appearance of cracks at the ends of logs and solid wood elements. Below are some of the suggestions we received, some quite ingenious:

• Several successive layers of aracet and newspaper on the ends of logs that have been dried.
• The log is beat the ends with a sledgehammer until they flake, then apply a layer of glue. Then apply metal bracelets on the heads. The bracelets must be made so that they can be moved or removed when needed.
• Application of a layer of earth used in the construction of stoves on the end of the log.
• Var stins on the ends or even on the entire surface of the board.
• Arachne, wax, paraffin or thick coat of paint in the area of fiber ends.
• Metal Ss fixed on the ends of the logs.
• Log cutting to reduce tension.
• Watering with water dailyin the morning and cover with dark foil.
• Drying logs in hay.
• Anointed log end with cow dung.

Among the suggestions I found was the recommendation to use burnt engine oil. We do NOT recommend this solution because of the toxicity of the product itself. Neither is the use of oil in general recommended because the purpose is to prevent water from escaping quickly, and oil does not do this, it does not clog the fibres. The oil prevents water from entering and helps it to run off, in case of rain, but does nothing to control the outflow of water contained in the wood.

What professional solution that prevents wood from cracking at the fiber ends exists?

The solutions recommended above can be used for drying walnut cut from your own yard or other self-cut trees. When it comes to drying large quantities of wood, long-term storage or long-distance transport, professional solutions are needed that are easy to apply, remove without trace and offer a guarantee. One such solution is TISZAWAX paraffin emulsion from the Szolvegy. The Târgu Mureș-based company, known mainly for its TISZABOND brand of wood adhesives, aracite adhesives, also offers this product for protecting wood.

TISZAWAX paraffin emulsion is a water-based solution used to protect wood in professional dryers, wood stored for a longer period of time or wood transported by land or sea. The solution forms a paraffin film on the surface of the wood which causes water to evaporate uniformly from the wood. It is liquid and therefore easily applied to the ends of logs and solid wood elements. It can be applied by brush, roller or spray gun. The solution has a milky white appearance, but can be coloured at the customer's request. Consumption when sprayed is 0.7 kg/m².

TISZAWAX Liquid Paraffin can be used to protect log ends, lumber, beams and other solid wood blanks. The protection greatly reduces cracking and therefore wood loss. It is an effective solution, protecting even hard, dense wood such as oak or beech. It can also be used to protect veneer logs or other high-quality semi-finished products because it does not alter their final appearance.

I hope you find the above information interesting. If you have also used original solutions to limit wood cracking, we would love to hear from you. And if you have any questions or queries, please leave them in the space below. I'm sure I'll answer them.