oak fielded panels shrinkage/split?

[wee dram]

hi lads
got some oak doors to make with raised/fielded panels to go in a barn conversion with under floor heating. the last time i made this type of door to go in this type of heated environment i had some problems with the panels shrinking and splitting due to the heat (i think).
does the oak need to be acclimatised or dried out before machining?, does it need any particular finish? can anyone offer any advice on this issue as these doors are for the director of the company i work for and as you can imagine i don't want any embarassing comebacks
cheers

 

[ProShop]

Did you glue the panels in the frames last time ?.
Best to fit them without glue so they can move a bit and not split.

Did you use kiln dried timber or check the moisture content when you made them. In a nut shell the timber always needs to be well acclimatised.

Hope this helps.

 

[clewlowm]

timber should be kept in a similar envoiroment. also should be around 6% moisture content.

 

[Ironballs]

Why 6%? That's very low, even for a warm, dry house.

If they're going in a barn conversion then I'm willing to bet the humidity will be higher than your average centrally heated semi. Need to work out how humid that house is and ready your timber for the same RH

 

[clewlowm]

barn conversions are usually well heated, ie aga. underfloor heating etc 6% is the norm for internal oak. you could say 15% as per usual suppliers. that means cracks and splits in the real world mate,

 

[nicewood]

Make sure the wood is dry, I agree 6% check with moisture meter. Also make sure that glue from the joints is not catching the corners of the panels

 

[Ironballs]

I'm not arguing it won't be well heated, they just tend to be a little draughtier which means higher RH so worth checking what it is

 

[MikeG.]

The guys are right about not gluing the panels into the grooves. This is the key to success here, not whether the moisture content is 6% or 8%. However, you can actually glue it in a little bit, so that it doesn't rattle around as you shut the doors........so long as you only glue the central portion of the endgrain into place. Dont glue in the corners, and don't get any glue on the long-grain sides.

And yes, just as a matter of good practice, all timber should be properly acclimatised prior to working.

Mike

 

[wee dram]

thanks for the advice lads
one other thing is it ok to pin thro the bolection moulds into the panels or will this restrict movement too
cheers

 

[nicewood]

Pin the centre of the panels top and bottom this allows movement