subject: Checking in Log Furniture [print this page] Checking in Log Furniture Checking in Log Furniture
Have you ever heard the term checking? I don't mean the checking a teacher does to a students' homework, or the check that a basketball player says to the other player when he throws the ball at the start of one-on-one. I mean checking in log furniture.
What Does Checking In Log Furniture Mean?
To the untrained eye this might be sometimes mistakenly be called cracks. Checking can be small, or sometimes large splits in the wood. These checks can range in size depending on the size spindle or log that you have. Sometimes checks are hardly noticeable and other times they are from top to bottom of a post or rail and are thick enough to hide a love note inside.
Why Does Checking Happen?
It is a natural process that allows your wood to breathe. When wood checks, it opens to let out moisture. Changes in temperature can cause checking. This is a good thing because your wood should not retain moisture. What does that mean you might ask? It means your wood is not going to stay moist which helps prevent rotting. Always a good thing.
Northern White Cedar is a perfect example of a wood that checks. This is one reason why Northern White Cedar is a perfect wood for log furniture and log railing, indoor and out. I mean, who wants to have beautiful furniture and when the weather changes your furniture begins to rot?
This is a beautiful characteristic of wood, allowing it to express itself in an artistic and unique way. This is not something that man has done to the wood. The wood does this naturally and is beautiful in each lovely check that appears.
Checking Can Occur At Any Time In Log Furniture
You may have a piece of log furniture with no checks and then one day a check appears. You might in that instance even hear when the piece does check. All the wood is doing is telling you it is doing its job for you and not retaining moisture so it will resist rot.
Does checking hurt the integrity of your log furniture? No. Again, all this is doing is allowing your wood to breathe and eliminate its moisture. If you have a check that has gone completely through the heart of your post, you may want to get an expert opinion, but checking hardly ever harms the integrity of your furniture. So don't be scared of checking, it's a good thing.
