Woodworking 101: My Class at Palomar College #5: Snap, Crackle, and Pop

I know it has been a while since I last updated everyone on my progression in the class, so I will try and get back to where I’m at currently over the next week.

When I last wrote, I let everyone know about my selection of wood for my clock. I was initially really excited about the prospects of using the Carolina Cherry, but my excitement quickly turned to disappointment during the milling process.

Several people had warned me about the potential pitfalls with using urban lumber, so I wasn’t completely surprised, but disappointed none the less when my beautifully figured wood began to crack every step of the way.

Below is a view of an approximately 6-inch by 7-inch section of a 4/4 board that is 10” x 30”. The crack labeled epoxy was a crack that reared its ugly head when I originally sent the rough lumber through the planner. This occurred in all but one of 5 pieces. I filled all visible cracks at that time with epoxy and crossed my fingers. Unfortunately, there was so much tension in the boards that they continued to crack right before my eyes.
We tried resawing instead of planning, but that only exasperated the problem. After sitting for over a month, I can still find new fractures on a daily basis. I’ve noted some examples in the photo.

Luckily for me this was all part of the big picture, which is to learn about woodworking. What did I learn? I learned that the wood wasn’t going to work, and moved on.

I’ve since selected a nice Mahogany for my clock, and all is going well so far. I’ll continue to look for ways to utilize the Cherry, but just not for this project.

-- Wayne - Newbie looking to learn!