On Tuesday, August 12, 2014 11:51:08 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Tuesday, August 12, 2014 10:56:40 PM UTC-5, Lew Hodgett wrote: The further this conversation goes, the more convinced that you should wait another year before continuing this conversation. Especially with your knowledge of air drying lumber. A year from now, the cracks will still be there, only things will be a little more stable. Try to push mother nature and she will bite you in the ass. Just my nickel. Lew Ayup. Going with Lew on this one.

Agreed. My present fix is to help stablize the flexing and, to some degree, make a repair, albeit a temporary one. I want to get the leg units in assembly condition, despite the green wood, not in finishing condition. I won't be able to finish them, properly, until they dry... in a few years. The plan was to get the dining table assembled for use at the camp/farm this hunting season, then fully finish it some years later. I can finish the table top, since it is, essentially, ready for permanent finishing.

One option, I originally thought (posted about, 2 months(?) ago), was to saw along the check, to remove the visible crack. Initially, I didn't want the check visable, at all. At that time, I was steered to the epoxy fix option and to color it, for a better appearance. In the future, I'll still have the option of cutting out the check, no matter how much more it expands.

In the future, the table will be easy to disassemble, since these base parts will be keyed mortise/tenon through joints. The keyed mortise/tenon approach is the best option for the expected (mandatory?) future disassembling, for making the permanent repairs and for proper finishing. The leg units will continue to air dry, while we use the table. This checked leg unit needs to be, at least, temporarily stabilized, for assembly of the trestle board (by end of next week, maybe).

Being able to readily disassemble a large heavy table, as this, is a must. There's no way to conveniently move this large of table, once it's assembled. This assemble/disassemble design approach accommodates the present temporary fix and future permanent fix, of this problematic/checked leg unit..... and will accommodate any other problem, I may have with, or refinishing, I may want for, the table's individual parts, later.

Sonny