Ring shake in slabs

[Kicker_92]

I've ended up with some slabs that have a pretty bad ring shake in the middle. The center of the slabs will likely seperate more as the pieces dry, since this log had some tension in it.

It's a nice chunk of wood, so I'd like to salvage if possible. Should I resaw the slabs into smaller pieces, or any suggestions on how to prevent them from becoming scrap?

I have another log that the ends are showing a shake in the center 8". These were goign to be quartersawn, but that would just fall apart. How do you best cut to avoid the bad rings?

 

[diesel&coffee]

whats ring shake?? whats causes it??

 

[Kicker_92]

This might be a local terminology, but ring shake is basicly checking that occurs around one of the growth rings. Picture the end of a log, and the center section shrinking more than the rest. That center core cracks and seperates from the rest of the log.

If you quarter saw the log, your pieces will split in half. If flat sawn, a chunk will fall out of some of the centers. I'll try to unstack and take some pics if I can.

 

[billstuewe]

The Wood DR on Woodweb says that it is caused by a fungus that gets in a ring and causes a bit of decay following that ring. I have seen it through long sections of a tree and if the tree is straight enough and the ring shake is complete enough, the inside portion can literally come out of the log when cut at both ends yielding a log "pipe" of several feet in length

 

[rarefish383]

:agree2:, I've seen the whole center fall out of a log and look like log "pipe". The one tree I remember this happening to I dropped on a 3 or 4 foot terrace. The majority of the log was on the higher terrace and about 10" flapping in the air hanging over the low side. I thought it may have been from the violent flexing of the log as it bounced. having a fungus in that one or two rings sounds like a much more viable explanation, Joe.

 

[stipes]

I milled a piece of cherry that bown out in the middle...

The upper part of the log was good,,but the but end,,the center came apart,,like a log inside a log...Still got some nice pieces frm it,,but the but end,,,had to cut up for firewood..... : (

 

[Daninvan]

I get slabs that crack or split for various reasons, though I don't think I have seen the exact same case as you describe.

If a slab is cracking most of the way along the length already, and there is an obvious path that the crack will continue on, then I would just let it run its course. Obviously you will wind up with two narrower boards instead of one wider board. You could just cut the last uncracked bit yourself to finish the job, might be easier to handle/store the two separate pieces.

If the crack is not too far along the slab, you could consider cutting the split part off slab. That way you wind up with one shorter but full width section, and two pieces that are narrower and shorter from the portion that has split.

I feel for you, it's disappointing to do all that work and have it split. If the logs were wide enough in the first place you should still wind up with usable boards though. Just maybe not usable for what you had in mind initially!

 

[Brmorgan]

A big cause for ring shake is trees swaying heavily in frequently windy areas. As a tree bends, the inside fibers compress and the outside ones expand. Do this enough and the fibers can become separated, causing a ring shake. Trees that are dead standing are especially prone to this because dry wood isn't as flexible and separates easier.

It is a PITA because it can be very hard to tell if a piece will or won't develop it as it dries. I'm getting better at reading Birch for it, but don't have much problem with it in the Douglas Fir or Pine really so far

 

[forestryworks]

ring shake is also called windshake in some places.

it's a vertical separation of the annual rings, a type of log defect as well.

 

[Kicker_92]

I get slabs that crack or split for various reasons, though I don't think I have seen the exact same case as you describe.

This is quite differant that then cracks that usually originate from the pith. The description of windshake would make sense. The rings are essentially seperated by a layer of sap. This goes all the way around the tree, which makes slabs out of the question, and not much decent sized lumber left to salvage.

Here's a slab:

And the whole side pealed off by hand:

 

[Brmorgan]

Yep that's a classic problem with windblown Douglas Fir. They get a bit of a ring shake and then fill the crack in with pitch.

 

[Daninvan]

Kick,

Thanks for posting that picture of the Doug fir. Definitely not what I have seen before for sure. Most of what I cut up are urban logs though, I don't see too much of the native species. The split seems to be right in the middle of the best qs part of the log.

I am more familiar with cracking on or near the pith or a crotch, or when drying.

Dan

photo is of a maple. The two narrower boards are still usable.

 

[billstuewe]

Check out this for more info on ringshake than you ever wanted to know:

http://www.woodweb.com/cgi-bin/sear...=ring+shake&submit.x=14&submit.y=12#reference

Make sure you get the whol line copied into your search bar. Look at the top knowledge base discussions. The wood Dr--Dr Gene Wengert--is head of the forestry department at Wisconson State

 

[DRB]

How disappointing that would be. Thanks for the pics. I have never cut a fir like that around here. But we don't get much wind. I have always wondered what was ment by wind shake. People around Kamloops talk about it and its windy there.

Can you see it in the end of the log?

 

[Brian Harnett]

I have found Hemlock seems to be very susceptible to ring shake compared to other softwoods I have milled, but it ages a lot nicer than pine.

 

[Brmorgan]

I have found Hemlock seems to be very susceptible to ring shake compared to other softwoods I have milled, but it ages a lot nicer than pine.

Yes, Hemlock is known for being prone to ring shake, at least the two varieties we have out west here. That might be because it tends to grow only on mountainsides in really wet areas, which by their nature get a lot more severe weather out here.

 

[mirkaba]

It looks like Doug fir in the picture. I have never seen ring shake saw out (vertically) in a tree. At least around here (western Montana). Even if you can't see it farther up in the tree it will show up as the wood dries. I don't know if there is any way to repair it. You might try cleaning the pitch out and laminating it back together. I have had some success cleaning excess pitch up with white gas.......Bob