My custom walnut table split right down the middle after one winter

I finished this big dining table for a friend in November, using 8/4 walnut with breadboard ends. By February, a crack opened up right through the center, about a quarter inch wide. I think I made the breadboard joinery too tight and didn't account for the dry indoor heat. Has anyone else had a major piece fail from seasonal movement, and how do you fix it without starting over?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_julia18d ago

Could the split be from the wood itself, not your joinery?

elliotjenkins18d ago

Yeah, the wood itself can definitely be the culprit. I read a thing from an old furniture maker who said a crack like that is almost always from built up stress, like if the center board was cut from the outside of the log. It wants to move a ton, and if your breadboard ends don't let it slide at all, that energy has to go somewhere. It finds the weakest spot and just lets go.