What Should I Do About The ‘Crack’ In My Beam?

Hi Hugh,

Chances are it is nothing to worry about. Shake is different than checking, and usually not found in oak. “Cracks” are often confused with “Checks”. A check is a crack in a timber that stops at the heart of the beam that is caused by shrinkage of the sap wood around the heartwood. A crack or split that goes right through the beam is a concern. If your check is just on one side of the beam, it is fine. This page, which I wrote years ago, has a very good explanation:  https://www.vermonttimberworks.com/learn/wood-textures/shake-checking/

Oak is very prone to shrinkage and checking, but all of the engineering calculations take checking into account. So if your frame was engineered properly, you probably have nothing to worry about. Injecting glue or resin into the check will do nothing, so I don’t recommend it. If your wife is really concerned, or if it looks like a joint is coming apart, or if there is a structural failure of some sort, you should have a structural engineer have a look and make a definitive determination.

Good luck,

Doug