Two Easy Ways To Stop Live Edge Wood From Splitting
Live edge wood, also known as wood slab is available in various shapes as well as sizes that you can use to design a variety of items, including furniture, countertops, or decorations. However, it is not a good sign as soon as the perfect wood slab disintegrate or experiences an unattractive split. When you start cutting a wood slab, make sure to dry it first so that it doesn’t crack or distort the shape when you begin working on it. Unfinished wood expectedly shortens and enlarges even after it dries, but you may minimize how much it changes with the help of a wood stabilizer. If in case you have a finished wood slab, at that time be very careful while you are using tools on it. In order to stop live edge wood from splitting & make it long-lasting, go through the below-mentioned ways carefully:
Way 1: Drying Freshly-Cut Slabs
- Dry Your Wood In An Area Out Of Direct Sunlight: Sunlight dries exterior wood faster as compared to the interior wood on a slab, which may however result in splitting. If in case you dry your slab outside, keep it in a shady place that is protected in order to make sure that it doesn’t get wet from the rain. Otherwise, slabs can also be dried in a garage or shed. Fans and dehumidifiers can also be used in order to speed up the drying process, but it can lead to crack or split in your wood.
- Brush End Sealer Onto The Ends Of The Slab: Wood dries quickly from cut ends but it can lead to twisting and cracks. Soak a paintbrush in end sealer and then start painting a thin coat onto the ends of your slab. Make sure not to seal the tops or long edges of the slab due to the reason that the wood still dries out to a feasible moisture level.
- Stack Slabs With Spacers In Between Them For More Airflow: Place some pieces of scrap wood, 3–4 inches thick, on the ground so they’re 18–24 inches away from each other. Position your slab even & uniform on top of the scrap pieces of wood. If you have some extra pieces that you need to dry, put 1 inch spacers betwixt each slab so they are in line with the scrap pieces of wood.
- Cover The Wood With Burlap Or Shade Cloth: Now, protect the wood in a large piece of breathable fabric, for instance, burlap or shade cloth, in order to ensure that air can still flow through it. The cloth will also be very helpful in trapping the heat so that the interior as well as exterior wood dry at a similar rate. Keep the fabric on the wood during the drying time.
- Allow The Wood To Dry 1 Year For Every 1 Inch Of Thickness: Inspect the wood once or twice every week in order to check whether there is any mold or rot, and sprinkle it with an all-purpose cleaner to eliminate the bacteria if required. Even if you feel that the slab is dry on the outside, it may still be wet inside. If you want to find out the moisture levels, grasp the prongs of a moisture meter in opposition to the wood to take a reading.
Way 2: Applying Stabilizer To Unfinished Wood
- Wrap The Slab In A Wet Towel For 2–3 Hours: Wood stabilizer soaks up exceptionally into moistened wood as it can flow easier. Dampen a large towel with warm water and then squeeze off any excess water. Put the towel throughout the slab and cover it across the entire piece of wood & leave it for nearly 2 hours so it can suck up some of the moisture.
- Set The Slab On Spacers Inside A Plastic Or Glass Container: Select a large as well as deep container in order to adjust the entire slab. Set 2 scrap pieces of wood, 1 inch thick at the base of the container and put your slab on top of them. In this way, the stabilizer can also soak through the base of the slab.
- Submerge The Slab In Wood Stabilizer: Wood stabilizer is one of the best resin that can help you stop your slab from changing shape and cracking. Put your wood stabilizer into the container in order to ensure that it protects your piece of wood entirely. The top of the wood should not stick out from the liquid, otherwise it may dry out.
- Cover The Container With Plastic: Take advantage of the pieces of plastic cling cover that are large enough to wrap up your container. Squeeze the edges of the plastic cover in opposition of the sides of the container in order to make it sealed. If in case your piece is too small, overlap more plastic cover by near about 1 inch.
- Soak The Slab 1 Day For Every 1 Inch Of Thickness: Keep the container with your slab in a protected place so that it doesn't spill or get knocked over. Leave the slab alone in order to make sure that the stabilizer can soak deep into the wood so that it is unlikely to warp or shrink. As soon as your slab finishes soaking, you can take it out of the container again.
- Let The Wood Dry Slowly Until It Has A 6–10% Moisture Content: Keep the wood away from direct sunlight due to the reason that it can speed up the drying time and cause it to crack. Instead, it should be kept in a dry place having less than 70% humidity so it can dry out. Check the moisture content at least once in every 2–3 weeks with the help of a handheld moisture meter. Squeeze the prongs of the meter into the top of your slab and examine the reading on the screen. If it is above 10%, keep the wood to dry longer as the wood needs to entirely dry before using it for any projects.