live edge bread board...with a question

To answer your question simply – YES, it will.

However, there is hope! What you need to do is place butterflies on the end of each crack, which will prevent the split from getting any larger.

Take a look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_joint

Oh yeah – the other benefit of a butterfly joint is that is add a TON of beauty to the piece. :-)

good luck!

-bob

-- Man is a tool-using Animal. Nowhere do you find him without tools; without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all. - Thomas Carlyle http://www.ffrf.org

butterfly is the way to go. a contrasting hardwood would be nice but go with what you’ve got.

alternatively, you could just rip and reglue so it’s a solid piece but I think you get more character in a piece when you work with the flaws of the wood instead of hiding it. never tried a butterfly joint myself so it sounds like an interesting project to try.

-- JC Garcia, Concord, CA : "It's easier to ask forgiveness than permission..."

depending on what you’re going to do with it you could also spline the end. A butterfly is a good way to go, but doesn’t fit every application. If you don’t want the fix to show from the top, put it underneath or use the spline. There is a butterfly on this bench.

-- There is nothing like the sound of a well tuned hand plane. - http://timetestedtools.wordpress.com (timetestedtools at hotmail dot c0m)

Or you could use JB Weld Wood Restore Premium Liquid Epoxy (here) I used it on a coffee table of mine. It is super penetrating and crystal clear. It’s a bit spendy but the kit will last you a long time. I picked mine up at Menards. I’ve yet to do a review on it but I will shortly, highly recommended. Although I didn’t use my application for holding together a split but for filing in a knot. I believe it would do well in an application such as yours.

-- Grant - S/N Dakota

I’d suggest using a butterfly joint, to stop the piece from splitting further and as glenn stated a food safe epoxy to fill the existing crack. I’m not sure if JB Weld is food safe… The last thing you want is for bacteria from food to get in there. I know you can get some pretty fancy epoxy (different colors, minerals in them etc..) just make sure its food safe.

I make these all the time, and actually the answer is maybe not if the piece was super dry. With small end cracks I fill the cracks if necessary, glue it up (or epoxy , clamp it, let it dry and then sand it off. Then oil it with warm oil and let let the soak in well-reoil until it is well saturated (many times over several days). Then I wax it with melted beeswax, set it in front of low heat to let the wax melt in, reapply then buff the wax in with a car buffer. I don’t think any of my boards have ever developed a catastrophic crack (that I know of anyway.) But butterfly joints are also nice if you feel like going to the effort.

-- Homer : "Oh, and how is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain."

Thanks for all the suggestions. I was originally going to put a butterfly in it, but wasn’t sure if being oiled would stop the crack. I’ll do the butterfly and post some updated pics!

-- Tim- http://www.asliceofwoodworkshop.com; Twitter-@asliceofwood; Facebook-http://www.facebook.com/asliceofwood

I love those joints. Cant wait to see.

-- Superdav "No matter where you go - there you are." http://chiselandforge.com