Live Edge Split Fix...please help!!!

[Bert Kemp]

I bought a piece of live edge slab from a guy selling them on the side of the road. Can't remember what type of wood it is , but he told me to stand it on edge in the shade to air dry it with out splitting well guess what it split. I wanted to set this on a stand for a coffee table.
can the split be fixed or at least stabilized some how. I'm not a woodworker persay and don't have a lot of tools for wood woodworking. any idea would be appreciated. laymens terms please .
thanx guys

[scott vroom]

Google: butterfly on split wood slab

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Bert,

You can also repair splits by filling them with colored epoxy. On some of my turnings that split, I repaired them with epoxy colored with crushed instant coffee crystals.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Bert...one thing might help. There are some serious turners in you neck of the woods and bowl turners often use a green wood sealer. Some of them probably have some wood sealer that you could paint on the end grain of the slab to slow the rate of drying down to help try to prevent further cracking. Of course, that means it would take longer to dry before you could use it.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Care to share a photo, so we can see what you are dealing with?

[Bert Kemp]

thanks for the replies, I'm lost as to what a butterfly is. Turner out here I don't know any but maybe someone will chime in.
I think I'm going to have to take some pictures to show you. this is a split that went to the edge and kinda warped also. really need to show you , I'm thinking this piece is lost. tomorrow morning I'll take pictures. Wish I knew what kind of wood this is.

[Peter Kelly]

http://tightropetoday.blogspot.com/2...joint.html?m=1

[Tom Ewell]

Once you have the wood fairly stable, you can have some fun if it suits your taste

http://wonderfulengineering.com/simp...w-in-the-dark/

[Bert Kemp]

Now that looks like fun, maybe if I can fix this piece I'll try that. Thanx

Once you have the wood fairly stable, you can have some fun if it suits your taste

http://wonderfulengineering.com/simp...w-in-the-dark/

[Bert Kemp]

This is what I'm dealing with and I notice now the split goes to the center then all the way to other side , I think I'm going to lose this piece its gonna split in half.IMGP0003 (2).JPGIMGP0004.JPG

[Bert Kemp]

Ken its a slab no end grain would doing the underside work? its pretty dried out all ready, doesn't take long here, days in 80's no humidity things dry very fast.

Bert...one thing might help. There are some serious turners in you neck of the woods and bowl turners often use a green wood sealer. Some of them probably have some wood sealer that you could paint on the end grain of the slab to slow the rate of drying down to help try to prevent further cracking. Of course, that means it would take longer to dry before you could use it.

[Bert Kemp]

Like I said I'm not a wood worker. were do you get the butterflys and how do you put them in?

http://tightropetoday.blogspot.com/2...joint.html?m=1

[Shawn Pixley]

Bert, what you have is end checking. It is splitting along the grain from the end grain cut. The end grain loses moisture faster causing shrinkage and the splitting you see. Putting Anchor Seal on the end grain slows the drying in that area reducing the splitting / checking you see. The slab is losing moisture too quickly.

My thoughts:
1 Anchor seal the ends
2 Consider a butterfly or short-term anchor to reduce further splitting
3 Sticker it somewhere where it can dry slowly with air movement all sides (could be several years)
4 After drying (MC 7-12% in center), patch with butterflies and epoxy
5 Flatten slab and make what you make

This may not work due to the already existing split. Just one man's opinion...

[Doug Herzberg]

Bert, if I'm seeing it right, it's a round, like you would cut off the top of a stump to get it down to ground level, not a slab, which would be ripped down the length of the trunk. If that is the case, the entire top and bottom are end grain, which is going to be difficult to sand and finish, unless you just want to leave the chain saw marks. It would have been extremely difficult to prevent the checking you're experiencing, especially in Arizona, but it would have required sealing the entire top and bottom and keeping it out of the sun for a long time. I wouldn't mess with butterflies in end grain, if that's what it is. Unless you want to make the checks a feature of your table, filled or unfilled, I'd toss it and chalk it up to experience.

[Bryan Cramer]

This is what I'm dealing with and I notice now the split goes to the center then all the way to other side , I think I'm going to lose this piece its gonna split in half.IMGP0003 (2).JPGIMGP0004.JPG

That's one big split! It appears there is fundamentally a problem with the way the slab was cut. I see a "bulls-eye" or the pith of the tree in the second photo. Either this is an end grain slab or it was a large branch that got sliced with the slab. To put it simply a round limb shrinks in all directions; a complete circular pattern. That grain pattern is doing the same thing; its trying to shrink all the way around and to get smaller so something has to give hence the crack. To understand wood's properties purchase the updated book Understanding Wood by Bruce Hoadly (you can find used ones). Its a dry read but full of great information. If its already dry and stable (you need to check the moisture content with a good moisture meter) I think large thick butterfly keys on both sides should hold it stable. End grain can do funny things so there isn't a guarantee that it will cooperate. End grain also behaves differently than flat grain so the combination of the two might be a disaster.
I would:

Check the moisture content now. If its fairly dry add butterfly keys (maybe rough flatten); if not wait until its drier.
Once the butterfly keys are in wait a year (full season change) and monitor the moisture content.
If it cooperates proceeded to finish smoothe it and add a base.
If it doesn't cooperate at least you aren't out the cost of a base and your time finishing it.