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The condition library

Describe the visible pattern before deciding what caused it.

Visual field note

Checks & splits

An opening along a face, edge or end.

Checks & splits — explanatory comparison
Explanatory diagram · Location and visible extent are observable. Hidden depth and residual capacity are not established by the surface image. Enlarge

What to investigate

  • Moisture-related movement is one line of investigation.
  • Local restraint, damage and material history may also matter.

Questions that separate the possibilities

  1. Which accessible faces show the opening?
  2. Does it meet an end, support or fastener?
  3. Is there a documented change over time?
What not to do

Do not pry, load-test or declare an opening harmless from a photograph.

Next step

Record the whole member and its connections. A structural-function concern needs qualified on-site assessment.

Read the full field guide ↗Start a record for this condition →

A photograph needs its context

Similar openings.
Different evidence.

These published timber inspection photographs show why a surface opening and its surrounding condition must be recorded together. They are not Ipe case studies or a do-it-yourself inspection procedure.

USDA inspection photograph showing an awl at a timber check near a discolored member end
01 / Member end and surrounding condition

The source identifies decay-related discoloration near a split. That source finding cannot be transferred to a similar-looking board.

USDA photograph of a worker examining a side check in a timber column
02 / Side check in a vertical member

Component role, access and depth assessment are additional context. Do not reproduce this probing procedure without appropriate expertise.

Photographs: USDA Forest Service, reproduced on FHWA InfoTechnology — Probing, figures 1A and 1B. Species, site and capture date are not supplied on that page. No endorsement is implied.