# Using epoxy for the first time.



## Ray696 (Feb 12, 2017)

Hi guys and gals, first post here and I'm hoping for some advice, any is appreciated.
So I've recently got my hand on so 8×8 oak beams at a price that can only be described as a steal, they started life as skids for military machinery but are in surprisingly good condition. 
My plan for them is to machine them down to usable sections and make a few tables/coffee tables out of them but obviously oak being oak they have their fair share of splits and knots (and the odd bolt hole from a previous life). I was hopping to machine them roughly down to size and fill all the defects with epoxy the finish off to final size and do all my jointing.

A couple of questions :
How well does the epoxy hold the cracks e.g. if I sell a table to someone with a really warm house am i going to get a call to say their table has a giant crack in it. 
Can the timber go through a thicknesser after my epoxy is applied.
Can I coat over epoxy with a hard wax oil such as osmo

Any help comes with many thanks 
Ray


----------



## pontic (Sep 25, 2016)

Epoxy doesnot penetrate the wood as much as water based glues. It does fill voids better. INMHO you would be better putting Titebond clue in the cracks and clamping them together. for filling I use a mixture of Titebond glue and fine sawdust and puttyknife it in the cracks that cant be glued closed.


----------



## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

I would not fill any cracks until near the end of the build. Any future cracks will come from moisture leaving the wood which will likely happen after you mill it to size. My suggestion is to mill it a little thicker and wider than you will eventually need and let it sit in your shop or garage for several months to let the moisture stabilize. Stack it just as you would a freshly cut log with stickers to allow air flow between the logs. It wouldn't hurt to seal the ends to slow down the moisture leaving through the ends to help prevent new or expanding cracks. You might want to get a moisture meter just to see where it is after you mill it and to check when it is finally ready.

When you think that the moisture level is right, mill it to near final dimensions, let it sit for another week and then mill to the final thickness. At this point you can fill the cracks with epoxy or wait until you build what you are going to build and then fill the cracks that show right before finishing.


----------



## tomsteve (Jan 23, 2015)

1st things 1st- get a moisture meter and find out what the MC is. best to cut one open and check interior MC. youd want the MC down to 6-10%.


----------



## pontic (Sep 25, 2016)

I was assuming he already did that?
Still don't think Epoxy is a good crack filling choice.


----------



## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

Another option is to instead of filling the cracks, use butterfly inlays to embellish them. That way you are telling your customer that these cracks are naturally part of the wood.


----------



## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

IMO epoxy will fill and stabilize a small crack or knot hole better than wood glue. Another advantage is you can use dye to match color. I do not add thickeners when filling cracks.

I agree w/Lazyman re: wait till you have them milled. Personally I wouldn't put epoxy through a planer but probably OK, I use a scraper all the time to level it out….

Larger cracks (>1/8") you should use a butterfly to stabilize.

As for movement, its humidity, not heat + starting MC of lumber that is the factor . If the wood is in slab form (>2" thick) you can end up with quite a bit of splitting so its best to let them sit for several months after milling.

Once you start millling and cutting, you may find twisting occuring due to internal stresses. Oak is particularly subject to this.


----------



## Ray696 (Feb 12, 2017)

Thanks for the responses, the timber has been dry stored for the last 5 years so not to much chance of high moisture and I will be checking MC as I mill it down anyway.
I planned on putting a black pigment in with the epoxy anyway to emphasise all of the cracks and any of the larger cracks will have butterflies in. I also plan on putting threaded bar thought the pieces and using large nuts on either side to hold everything tight together and help to give a heavy duty industrial feel about the finished table.


----------



## sawdustdad (Dec 23, 2015)

A couple comments on you plan.

epoxy will be hard on your planer knives. Fill the cracks at the last minute just before you finish sand the end product.

Lumber that was used for equipment skids will have surface grain full of dirt, sand and grit. It will do severe damage to most any tool you use to cut it. It is also likely to have hidden nails. Take this into account so you don't cost yourself more in equipment damage than the cost of new wood would have been.


----------



## Snipes (Apr 3, 2012)

it doesn't matter how long they've been stored, they will still hold moisture.


----------



## oldsailor59 (Mar 22, 2017)

I know this an older thread but how did it turn out?


----------



## FreeRangeWoodworker (Feb 22, 2017)

> it doesn t matter how long they ve been stored, they will still hold moisture.
> 
> - Snipes


Even if it was stored/used close to your shop? I just picked up some large oak planks that were untreated and sitting outside for years. I haven't used it yet, but I figured it would be so acclimated to this area that I wouldn't have to worry about moisture.


----------

