oak and pine stool question (warping and cracking)

[ryanluo23]

Hi Guys

I love these wooden stool i found in a local melbourne furniture store. However Im not a fan of the cracking and apparently it will crack/warp even more with time depending on moisture and weather...

I know oak is hard wood and pine is soft wood. over time the i was told that the oak (darker brown) does crack even more and Im guessing it will split the stool into half!..

which leaves me to question if pine will too? if im just using it as a simple stool/bedside table does it matter if its not hard wood?

also im guessing I can just goto bunnings to buy a stain to stain the pine into a browner/richer colour?

is there a some sort of coating/varnish i can apply to prevent further cracking?

any help and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Ryan

http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/...psc89d8a71.jpg

http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/...ps07b0b367.jpg

[hughie]

Hi Guys

I love these wooden stool i found in a local melbourne furniture store. However Im not a fan of the cracking and apparently it will crack/warp even more with time depending on moisture and weather...

I know oak is hard wood and pine is soft wood. over time the i was told that the oak (darker brown) does crack even more and Im guessing it will split the stool into half!..

which leaves me to question if pine will too? if im just using it as a simple stool/bedside table does it matter if its not hard wood?

also im guessing I can just goto bunnings to buy a stain to stain the pine into a browner/richer colour?

is there a some sort of coating/varnish i can apply to prevent further cracking?

any help and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Ryan

http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/...psc89d8a71.jpg

http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/...ps07b0b367.jpg

You pretty well answered your own question. But just make sure the timber is well dried and pick through Bunnies heap for the best.
As to the stool if its still prone to cracking etc you might want to try drying it out further before use. Try storing it away in a spot that cool with a steady temp no direct sun or draughts and leave it for a couple of months. This will give time to normalize in a controlled environment and with luck it will settle down just fine.
Both the pine and oak will darken up over time. These furniture stores have stools made from poorly dried timber and bundle it out the door before its gets too bad. Probably a form of planned obsolescence with the idea you will be back in a couple of years to get some more