Minimize cracks in a cookie or flitch, which is a slice of a tree.

Jim asked how to handle the cracking of a "cookie" or flitch of wood. A flitch is a cross section of a tree cut at a good thickness for small tables or other decorative purpose.

There isn't much you can do to stop the cracking of a flitch, but you can minimize the cracks and fill them to make the surface look a lot better than with a bunch of cracks. Good use of tung oil and wood filler will make a nice looking flitch.

Cracks in cookie or flitch, which is a slice of a tree.

Email question:

Jim wrote:

How do we minimize the cracks in a red oak tree cookie

We are getting a large tree “cookie’ section from a large red oak that is 8’ thick. In the past we have had a bad experience with the “cookies’ cracking. What do we need to do to minimize the chances of this happening. I haven´t seen the piece yet but it could be as much as 36’ in diameter.

Email reply:

Hi Jim

Cracks will happen in a cookie or flitch

Not a heck of a lot. Cracking is just one of those things "cookies" or flitches will do. It's as inevitable as kids and chocolate cake.

The way a regular board is cut lengthwise of the tree, as the moisture leaves the wood the cells all contract at the same rate since they're pretty much all the same widthwise and lengthwise and there is a side or end to pull in as everything gets smaller.

Tree cells are compact in middle and get larger toward the outer ring

When you look at the flitch notice that the cells of the wood are more compact in the middle rings than the cells in the outer ring. Each year as the tree adds a new ring the inner rings will compress more. When the flitch dries the more coarse cells in the outer rings will compress to a greater extent than the already compressed inner ring and since there isn't any edge to pull in it's easier for the flitch to split than to cup to compensate.

Keep and accept cracks in raw wood.

If you want to keep it raw, then you really can't do much, except accept the cracks.

Use tung oil generously

It might help to keep the cracks smaller if you slather it generously with several applications of tung oil on both sides. Let the tung oil soak in as much as it will and wipe off the excess. The tung oil will add oils to the wood and accent the grain pattern.

Fill the cracks in the flitch with wood filler

You can fill the cracks with a wood filler after the flitch has stabilized if you want it to look pristine. Use a wood filler as close to the color of the wood as possible, sand the filler smooth, then take an artists brush and darker stain to draw in the rings. You can stain the wood filler to match too. Use a stain much lighter than the surrounding wood, because the filler will darken considerably with a lighter stain. Let it dry for at least 24 hours, then add a few more applications of tung oil. It should look pretty good then and if you can get the colors close enough it wouldn't be too noticeable for casual observation.

Tom

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