Bowtie Crack or Not?

[Hotwheels]

[attachimg=1]My wife purchased this walnut cookie/slab and asked me to make an end table.  Never worked with a slab before and I am not sure if I should use bowties to stabilize the crack.  The seller says: "We dry the slabs in a press in a vacuum chamber, with the control of humidity and temperature of the wood."  My wife likes the looks of the crack, but it seems that in the future the crack could continue to expand.  Would you bowtie this crack or not?

I have never used Osmo as a finish, but the seller of the slab says he has successfully used Osmo products to finish similar slabs in the past.  I'm thinking that Osmo Polyx 3043 Clear Sati Finish would work.  Anything else I should consider?

 

[Sparktrician]

I think I might use 3 - 4 bowties in graduated sizes, proportionately spaced.  Polyx may not be a good choice if the table may be sprinkled occasionally with water. 

 

[luvmytoolz]

I'd definitely put a few bowties in that! But even if it didn't need them, I'd still put some in as I love the look of them!

 

[Hotwheels]

Thanks for the responses, very helpful.  I'm thinking I will first fill the crack with some black tinted epoxy for looks and then put in graduated sized bowties to prevent further cracking.

After some reading, it does seem that Osmo Polyx might have some issues with a wet glass or such, but at least that finish is repairable.  Still thinking about the finish.

 

[ChuckM]

1) Butterfly keys or bowties will look great. Cut a few paper bowties (slightly different in size or all in the same size), and use them to guide your design and placement. I would not fill the gap or crack with anything. The two suggested steps are simply incompatible in my book.

2) The osmo polyx oil, properly applied, is highly water resistant. I've used it on my dining table (4 yrs old now), others on kitchen counter tops, floors, etc. Your end table is not going to be a concern in any way. Wipe off any water drops or condensation as it happens is all that is needed.

 

[Hotwheels]

Thanks,  for the suggestion about eliminating the tinted epoxy in the crack.  I have seen some instances where both epoxy and bowties are used.  Since the epoxy would be for appearance only and my wife likes the look of the exposed crack, I think I will just use the bowties. 

Good to know your experience with Osmo on tables, I think I will stay on that path unless there is some reason to consider alternatives.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I would completely agree with ChuckS.  Bow Ties and leave the crack. Osmo will be great too.
The real question is what to make them from. I suppose it might matter what you use for the legs?
or even metal? brass or aluminum would both work well.

 

[Hotwheels]

I'm having a local fabricator make some black hammered metal legs so bowties that are complimentary seems like a good idea.  Ebony or similar is my first thought.  I considered some black metal ones, but then I would really have to get the inlay perfectly flat rather than just sanding the wood inlay flush with the surface.  So, right now the idea is to have darker contrast wood bowtie.

 

[waho6o9]

Odies would be a good finish to use.
https://odiesoil.com/odies-universal-oil-9oz/

 

[luvmytoolz]

Odies would be a good finish to use.
https://odiesoil.com/odies-universal-oil-9oz/

How does the Odies go with water/coffee cup rings?

 

[waho6o9]

I'm not sure but from the Odie's link it states:

"Odie's Oil is great for interior and exterior applications: Boats, Brightwork, Doors, Floors, Decks, Gates, Fine Furniture, Patio Furniture, Bowls, Cutting Boards, Kitchen Implements, Toys, auto detail, concrete, leather and metal, etc., etc. The list goes on and on!"

All the Best

 

[rvieceli]

Osmo has a new catalyzed finish. I think it’s called Osmo 2K wood oil. You might want give it a try or Rubio Monocoat. They should give much better moisture protection.

There are some other issues in that cookie you need to decide how you are going to address.

There are pith points, one at the end of the big crack and one a bit above it. The higher one also has a crack starting through it as well. Those probably need to stabilized with an inlay of some kind.

You also need to investigate those lighter almost yellow spots around the higher pith point to find out how stable those are. Sometimes those areas can get kind of punky and softer. If they are softer you may be able to harden them up by treating them with CA glue.

There are also several checks or cracks radiating across grain in several areas around the cookie. One actually looks to go to the edge. You need to evaluate how severe they are. You might be able to get by with some kind of fill like epoxy or CA.

The dark spot on the right appears to be a bark inclusion, I personally don’t trust those to stay intact throughout the process and further down the line.

Also dont forget the bottom side as well

it is a nice cookie with good grain and color.

Ron

 

[Birdhunter]

I was asked by a family member to finish 6 cookies cut from a backyard tree. Probably poplar. Lots of cracks already developing. I just flattened the cookies, cleaned out the cracks, and applied MinWax poly. I thought about using bow ties but didn’t. My rationale was that stopping the big crack would just induce stress in other areas.

 

[Hotwheels]

I was asked by a family member to finish 6 cookies cut from a backyard tree. Probably poplar. Lots of cracks already developing. I just flattened the cookies, cleaned out the cracks, and applied MinWax poly. I thought about using bow ties but didn’t. My rationale was that stopping the big crack would just induce stress in other areas.

Interesting .... my wife is just ok with the bowties.  She keeps asking if we can just finish the slab and if it starts to crack more, then fix it later.  I'm going to sand it and then just let it sit for a bit and see how things develop.  She would be happier with it as is.

 

[rvieceli]

Interesting .... my wife is just ok with the bowties.  She keeps asking if we can just finish the slab and if it starts to crack more, then fix it later.  I'm going to sand it and then just let it sit for a bit and see how things develop.  She would be happier with it as is.

[member=296]John Russell[/member] Take a chisel and get rid of the bits in the crack that are kind of hanging on. Sand it and finish it. Put the legs on and call it done.  [big grin]

This falls under two rules:

"The customer is always right" AND " Happy wife, happy life"

Ron

 

[Crazyraceguy]

This falls under two rules:

"The customer is always right" ........

Ron

I have always disliked this statement. It's a massive oversimplification of what it really means. The true meaning is far more simple. "The customer gets what he wants, because he is paying". This does not make him right.
I have built plenty of dumb things because someone thought they were right. As an employee, I am not at liberty to refuse.....but I'll sure throw out that "I told you so", when it comes time to fix it.