Help! Split in restoration project...

[s_m]

In the week after Xmas, I put the final coats of finish onto the Kauri (or some kind of pine) baby's wardrobe I have been restoring (built in 1942). There was a 20cm long split in the timber of one side (a solid plank about 35cm wide by 1m+ long and maybe 17mm thick) which I filled with Wattyl putty before the final sand (see pic).

After finishing, the wardrobe case sat in the garage during a week of heat wave temps, and today when I went out there to get something else I noticed the split has REOPENED and grown at least 30-40cm LONGER!!

So what do I do?? [well I feel like crying actually, but that won't fix it]

When I bring the wardrobe inside, it will be in a relatively constant temperature environment (about 20-27 degrees) with lowish humidity due to a/c and heating, but I guess not as dry as outside at this time of year.

Do you think the crack will shrink when the timber is in a constantly cooler environment?

Should I try to glue/clamp the board back together (keeping in mind I have less than two months until I need it for the baby) - because the join with the top of the cupboard still looks good?

I guess my current plan is to bring it inside and see what happens over the next 3-6 months and then to fill whatever crack remains with the same carnauba wax that I finished it with.

And for future reference, did I do the wrong thing by filling the crack with a water-based filler?

Any advice or ideas appreciated! I'll post a pic of the full disaster (ie longer split) later in the week.

Thanks, Steph

[Wood Borer]

Steph,

Sorry to hear and see the bad news, it must have been disappointing.

I would be looking at the construction of the piece. Timber doesn't normally just crack. Most cracks are due to the timber wanting to move but being restricted in some way such as table tops that are screwed to the frame rather than using buttons.

If the source of the stress on the timber is not identified and eliminated then it will continue to crack.

I suggest you check out the construction of the wardrobe and perhaps with a minor modification to the construction you can allow the side to move in harmony with the humidity. Timber always moves, there's no stopping it from moving but sensible design allows it to move without it being stressed and cracking.

Then you can repair the crack and be reasonably confident it is a long term fix and not a short term solution.

- Wood Borer

[Shane Watson]

How did you treat the crack before finishing? If you did nothing and filled with waterbased filler then left in a hot humid environment unfortunatly that was just asking for trouble. But its not the end of the world.

Cracks like this need to be treated with respect. Most people just leave them and insist they add character. Wood Borer has a point about construction, but unless you pulled the piece apart you wouldn't have had the opportunity to rectify this. THen agian the crack could just be a stress fracture in the timber itself. Not uncommon but usually associated with defects in the timber like knots etc.

The only real fix to ensure the crack dosn't return or start creeping again is to cut the crack out. Again the piece would have to be removed to do this. Obviously the crack is cut out as neccessary then the board is joined back together with a strip added to the rear of the board to match the width of the strip cut out for the crack. Rather a long extravagant fix for the problem though, but this also lets you address any problems with the construction techniques that were used.

Firstly though I would dig all that putty out and let the crack settle in its new environment. You might find after 3-6mths that it has just about closed and nothing will need doing. Then again it could get worse. But I wouldn't just keep filling the thing with wax every time it gets a bit bigger. Patience is going to be required here or take it to a professional.

Cheers

[s_m]

Thanks for the advice guys.

It's hard to imagine how construction of the piece would suddenly contribute to such a sudden and large crack as the wardrobe is 60+yr old?

I think the most practical option given my current time constraints (baby due in <2 months) is to scrape out the filler and see what happens in the next six months in an indoor environment.

Steph

[Shane Watson]

steph its not the construction it was the time spent in solitary convinement in heatwave conditions ;) that caused the timber to move excessively. If the construction technique didn't make allowances for such movement then the timber can only do what comes naturally and create its own movement. Which means damage in some form. ;)

Cheers and heres hoping success is in the waiting! :D

[s_m]

Ok, here is the split in (almost) its full glory the day that the wardrobe was brought inside. Unfortunately, that end isn't up against a wall but there is another piece of furniture next to it that covers it to less than 30cm from the top...

[DPB]

If this was mine, and if it was possible to do so without damaging the piece further, I would disassemble the side panel.

I would then rip the split out of the board with two parallel cuts that enclosed the entire crack. I would then run the two edges through a buzzer (jointer). Next I would biscuit joint the two edges together. Finally, I would add a matching piece at the rear edge (again finger joint) of the panel to make up the width of the panel.

Then I would reassemble and finish.

I think this is what Shane is suggesting.

[Shane Watson]

Yeah i did mention that DBP. THough not in as much detail. haha.. But it really is a last option sort of thing to be doing.

[Neil]

Check to see if there is a rail or two glued across the grain on the inside of the panel. If so that is most likely the cause of your problem. It is a common after repairs have been done to dressers, chiffonheirs, etc. where a new drawer runner has been glued to the side panels rather than left free floating as originally designed.

If there is a glued rail(s) these will need to be removed to stop further damage, however once the damage is done it is not too likely that the split will grow too much more. Many years of being held in place have finally given way under the strain and caused the crack.

I have repaired pieces like this before by carefully cleaning out the crack with a sharp carving knife and then cutting a complimentary sliver of timber to fit the crack and gluing it in place using hide glue with a little talc and colour pigment in to act as a filler for any slight variation in the joint and help blend in with the final colour of the finished timber.

This method is a bit painstaking but definitely not quite as drastic as the cut it out and put a bit on the back solution.

I must admit this works best with cedar, as it is easier to match the timber and blend the colour. However there is no reason why it shouldn't also work in this case. If done well it is almost impossible to pick that there has been a repair done at all.

This method I usually reserved for the finest and most expensive antiques.

Before doing anything drastic I would checl for the glued pieces, remove the filler and let the piece rest indoors for a good few weeks to a month, keeping an eye on what happens. Bare in mind that it is possible for heating and A/c to do even worse things to old furniture than leaving it in the tin shed.

If the crack settles and closes up then a filler matched to the final colour of the finished wood or wax as Shane suggests should do the job.

Hope this gives you a bit more helpful info.

Cheers - Neil :D

PS Don't blame yourself for cooking it in the shed, that timber was always going to split it was just a matter of when and how bad.

[s_m]

Just posted pics of the wardrobe (http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6904) on the Woodwork Pics board.

Thanks Neil for your reply, I must say I am attracted to your "fill with sliver" method as I do not make furniture, so the other repairs suggested are definitely beyond me!

Getting the side off this one would require taking off the top and the back of the piece, and as it has four drawers on this side there isn't anywhere to put extra timber on the inside of the split.

It's interesting what you mention about glued rails - because this *is* the side that has drawers (compared to wardrobe door on the other side), it has three rails on the inside of it. I had a look and they might not be glued along their full length, but definitely are at both ends, and the top is glued on.

This definitely doesn't fit the definition of a "finest and most expensive antique" (in fact it's not old enough to be an antique at all), but it does have significant value to me as a family heirloom. I guess it's like a marquesite brooch of my Nanna's I once had repaired when only *three* out of 20+ of the original stones remained on it.

Steph