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Sapele cracks

Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 2:45 am
by Paul Burnside
My most recent builds have laminated necks containing sapele. After completion, I have discovered these discolorations in the wood - see attached. The heel of one neck is on the top, and the headstock of the second is on the bottom. Both necks were cut from the same blank. The marks have not required filling and have not cracked the French polish finish.
I haven't worked with sapele before. Has anyone else encountered these? If so, any thoughts on their significance? Thanks.
sapele.jpg

Re: Sapele cracks

Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 6:38 pm
by David King
Wind checking? Sometimes when they drop big trees the tops will hit the ground pretty fast and they'll get little hairline fractures or sometimes very large ones

Re: Sapele cracks

Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 10:07 pm
by Clay Schaeffer
Looks like compression fractures. If they are not in the neck shaft, and being a laminated neck I wouldn't worry about them too much.

Re: Sapele cracks

Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 2:38 am
by Michael Lewis
Did these cracks show up only after finishing, or were they apparent before? Are they actually voids in the wood or do they just look like it?

Re: Sapele cracks

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2014 7:08 am
by Paul Burnside
They only showed up after finishing.
They have not required filling, so they do not appear to be voids.

Re: Sapele cracks

Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2014 3:00 am
by Michael Lewis
Very curious. Maybe examination with a strong magnifying glass, or close up zoom with a digital camera will reveal whether it is actually 'figure' in the wood or not.