Hi I've attached some images of a beam in my new house. The property is late 1800s. I removed the casing surrounding the beam as it had been done incorrectly but have noticed this massive crack along one side of the beam.
Should I be concerned about this or is it just natural checking. It doesn't go all the way through or all the way along the beam. I can't see any evidence of lighter wood suggesting the crack is getting bigger.
There has been some sagging toward the middle of the beam but I am pretty sure this has been long standing. It has had historic wood worm but has been treated historically. The wood is hard.
My initial thought was to re-cover the beam properly with enough space for the beam to breathe but I don't want to further damage the beam or ignore a structural issue if there is one.
Has anyone dealt with this before and if it is an issue what would the resolution be?
Thankyou for your help.
