Kerf cut to control/minimize checking

[Bucksaw]

I will be sawing 8x12 Eastern White Pine to build a dovetail cabin.
Would sawing a full length kerf top and bottom  with a circular saw help to localize checking to the kerf?

[Don P]

Probably not. All things being equal (uh yeah), a check will take the shortest path from heart to a surface or kerf, it'll take the path of least work. If you kerf enough to make the top or bottom of that tall timber the path the 2 sides will probably also splay considerably. So long story short I think with those timbers you'll have the major check forming on the 12" face most of the time. If you have an 8x8 you can probably control most of the checking with a kerf. The other thing that also comes into play is drying rate of the different faces. If those 8x8's are put up green the exposed faces are drying faster than the kerfed face. So although you have created a stress relief point the stress is higher on the more rapidly drying faces. Some are going to exceed tension perp to grain there first and once a check starts, the rip in the fabric has begun, that is quite possibly the better relieving kerf.

[Bucksaw]

Good info. Thanks. 

[canopy]

Something old timers did was only oil the faces you don't want to check. These faces will then dry more slowly and the non-showing face(s) will shrink quicker and have a higher chance of getting the checking. Also make sure to seal the ends and keep the timbers out of the sun to keep the drying as slow and even as possible.

[Bucksaw]

I'll be sure to try to keep checks to the inside and any outside draining down if possible. 

[firefighter ontheside]

What I can tell you is that my log home of red pine has no visible checks in the wall logs in 19 years.  They all have a relief cut on the top.  Before I chose this company, I toured other homes that had huge checks in the wall logs.  

[Brad_bb]

It's a technique the Japanese timber framers seem to have used.  I've seen it on posts.  They kerf cut to the pith.  It wouldn't hurt the strength of a post. but I would NOT do it on a beam.  It's done for asthetics, and posts are the closest thing people will see.  Checking is not a structural defect typically.  

[Lyndaker]

I have built numerous scribe fit log homes and buildings. I always kerf the top side of the log where it will be under the scribe cut of the log above. Pretty much eliminates checking and it reduces stress in the log which greatly helps the fit to stay nice. But as others have said with timbers it might be a bit different. A log will always check it can't be stopped so the idea of scribe fitters is to to put the check in a place it won't collect moisture and won't show or ruin the fit. From my experience they almost always check at the point closest to the kerf. Maybe experiment with a few "scrap chunks of log first and see how it behaves.