New Curley Maple stock having shallow cracks - What to do?

[cannonball1]

I purchased a Curley Maple stock from a main supplier of wood everyone said to use. He told me he had a really good hard maple stock with good curl that was really old. I got the stock and it seemed a little heavy, but he told me it was a really old hard stock. The stock looked good so I proceeded to shape the wood blank. I got to the finish work and I noticed a hairline crack in the butt plate in two different places. both were an inch long and not very detectable. I drilled 1/16" holes and filled with Triu-bond and a hypodermic needle. That process didn't even slow the one crack. It is now 2 1/2" long, but it doesn't not seem to go really deep. After many, many hours of work it looks terrible. I am not going to mention who the supplier is -Yet, but plan on hearing their response. Aggravating to say the least! I am sure they sent me green wood.

Responses would be appreciated on what to do about the supplier, but mainly how to disguise the crack and any other information I can get.

 

[64Springer]

I doubt they sent you green wood. Weigh your stock and write down the weight and the date. Weigh it again one week later. And see if the weight changes. If the weight remains the same, it's totally dry wood.

Is there a way to drill a Liberty Bell type hole in the stock to put a check on the cracks and prevent them from running?

 

[cannonball1]

I didn't weight it four months ago, but it was way heavier than any other blank I have finished which have been quite a few. Now the gun is nearly finished and the cracked is showing up. I can almost guarantee it was green just because of the excessive weight. I was told a green blanks will dry 1" per year and I was told this was a very old piece of wood by the supplier. There were no cracks when I started and these seem like a surface crack maybe 1/8" deep is my guess. The crack is now very noticeable and at least to me looks like a drying crack.

When I first noticed the crack I tried to stop it from the butt plate, but it didn't work.

 

[TDM]

Relay all your concerns and problems to the supplier and see what they have to say.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Once you lay chisel to wood you own it. I buy wood several years in advance so it has time to acclimate to my climate.

 

[rchas]

Is the crack parallel with the growth rings (shake), or perpendicular to the growth rings (check)? A shake is a structural defect in the wood that can't be detected until it is cut/dried. A check is caused by poor or improper drying.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Pic?
Maybe when he said it was very old wood he was referring to the tree

 

[Eric Krewson]

It could be the wood originated in a wetter area and dried out when it got to your area. I have seen this in bow wood a lot, wood stored in my house crawlspace will always be 16% MC even if it has been there for 20 years, when I take it to my shop it will eventually dry to the local ambient of 12%MC.

 

[cannonball1]

They were checks in the wood and seem to be quite shallow. I should have know better due to the weight of the blank. There were two of them. One on each side of the butt plate. I drilled a1/16" hole a little farther in than the check at a 45 degree which crossed the affected area because they were to close to the surface. It seemed to stop one of the checks, but the other one is now at over 3" now and seemed to grow when I used heat to change the aqua-fortis acid stain. It sounds like the supplier may be out for any monetary responsibility like sending me another stock, but I am going to check. I will follow-up with where it came from and his response.
Guess the next thing I need are suggestions on how is the best way to cover it up now it seems to stop growing? Remember the crack is not deep.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Once you lay chisel to wood you own it. I buy wood several years in advance so it has time to acclimate to my climate.

Amen, Bro. I know wood workers/turners who set their wood aside for as much as four or five years before working. Especially curly maple, it looks for an excuse to crack.

 

[TDM]

The crack will need to be stop drilled to some degree.

 

[cannonball1]

Here is the crack. Just makes me sick. I thought I would take some fine sawdust from the same maple, mix it some tint then mix with epoxy and finish it to match.

 

[cannonball1]

TDM,
Are you saying drilling an obvious hole at the end of the check?

 

[rchas]

I'm not sure I would even bother with a repair right now. That piece of wood is relieving internal stresses, and I am doubtful it is finished. Any "repair" you try is not going to stop it, and the crack will continue past your work. Give it a couple of months to settle down.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Non-expert here. But, to me, it looks like that crack does not go all the way through. I think I would pin or dowel from the bottom for strength then fill the crack with a matching filler. Personally, my favorite choice for a wood filler is TIMBER-MATE, an Australian product. It is the easiest to work with I have ever found. It comes in a great variety of colors and shades but one is colorless and can be stained to your needs. Let us know what you do.

 

[64Springer]

Here is the crack. Just makes me sick. I thought I would take some fine sawdust from the same maple, mix it some tint then mix with epoxy and finish it to match.View attachment 221979

With respect, that's not a crack. That is grain separation from the drying process. During drying the grain said that's it. We've had enough. And the wood went off in separate directions. You can still see the fibers trying to hang on for dear life, but the strain of drying was too much.

Now the really bad part. There is nothing you can do about it. The good news is that it's old and likely won't keep running.

In my opinion it's not that terrible. I've been working with wood for a long time and sometimes you have to take what Mother Nature throws at you.

I can't tell you how many Finnish M39 birch butt stocks I've seen with imperfections just like that.

 

[TDM]

TDM,
Are you saying drilling an obvious hole at the end of the check?

Yes, but after seeing a photo of the crack, No.
I don’t think your going to fix that without the repair being noticeable. But that won’t be the end of the world. You could try using a small half round rasp to remove the crack, it may not be that deep as you say. Then use the product @Rifleman1776 suggested or just let it sit 2 or 3 months as @rchas said and see what happens.

 

[TDM]

Here is the crack. Just makes me sick. I thought I would take some fine sawdust from the same maple, mix it some tint then mix with epoxy and finish it to match.View attachment 221979

And that might work well after the wood stabilizes.

 

[cannonball1]

Thanks for all of the information.

 

[JimFlint]

Whenever I work hardwood I always cut the first 6 inches off from both ends of the piece. When lumber is cut and stacked it is placed on sticks about every 18" to airdry and depending on the time of year and conditions it can be there months before going the the kilns. From the last stick to the end of the board there is something known as "Bottleneck checking". This is where the pressure from the sticks from the weight from the pile and the accelerated drying of the ends exposed to the air, stresses the material at the ends more than the rest of the board causing the checks.
Looking at the good work you have already done, if this were mine, I wouldn't do anything to hide the wood defect. I think it adds character the piece and not uncommon to what you might find in an original work.