Stabilised timber

[ORBOST 78]

Hi to all, I have some very old slabbed Australian hardwood scales an old timber worker friend gave to me (Jarrah Spotted Gum and Tallah ).
its very old 40 years plus , and has beautiful grain. I have used it several blades with pins, but if I use corby bolts or cutlers rivets ,it splits.
Would stabilising prevent it from splitting, and if so what would be recommended?
Any advice appreciated
John

 

[John Andrews]

How bad is the split? You could epoxy and clamp it closed with Brownells AcraGlas if it's a long crack. When cured and ready, stabilize the wood. The' Glas is a neutral color and probably won't even be noticed. If it is a surface crack, fill with the 'Glas and have the wood stabilized. Have the wood cut to handle size and then have it stabilized.

You could also use a hidden pin in the wood if it is a serious crack.

I have my wood stabilized by WSSI.

 

[A.McPherson]

K&G do a great job at stabilizing. I don't know if it would stop the so splits completely, but I'm sure it would help!

 

[C_Claycomb]

Hi to all, I have some very old slabbed Australian hardwood scales an old timber worker friend gave to me (Jarrah Spotted Gum and Tallah ).
its very old 40 years plus , and has beautiful grain. I have used it several blades with pins, but if I use corby bolts or cutlers rivets ,it splits.
Would stabilising prevent it from splitting, and if so what would be recommended?
Any advice appreciated
John

Do the drill bits that you use for drilling for the corby bolts give enough clearance on the bolts you are using? I have had bolts from different sources that has slightly different outer diameters, one order might even have been slightly tapered! Just enough to be really tight in the counterbore holes. I haven't used cutlery rivets, but they look like they need to expand a bit.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Stabilizing helps a lot. It will also improve the look of those Aussie woods when finished.

 

[J. Hoffman]

Unfortunately Acra Glass is no longer a neutral color. It now dries milky white and no longer has the strength it once had. I've used it for 12 years or so, and unfortunately I won't use it since the change.

How bad is the split? You could epoxy and clamp it closed with Brownells AcraGlas if it's a long crack. When cured and ready, stabilize the wood. The' Glas is a neutral color and probably won't even be noticed. If it is a surface crack, fill with the 'Glas and have the wood stabilized. Have the wood cut to handle size and then have it stabilized.

You could also use a hidden pin in the wood if it is a serious crack.

I have my wood stabilized by WSSI.

 

[ORBOST 78]

Unfortunately Acra Glass is no longer a neutral color. It now dries milky white and no longer has the strength it once had. I've used it for 12 years or so, and unfortunately I won't use it since the change.

Thanks for all the responses. Have glued slab and problem solved.