View Full Version : Flitch (slab) Table Top
Steve Friedman
03-11-2009, 8:07 AM
I am about to make my first flitch coffee table and have tried to read as much as I can find on smoothing and finishing the top, but would appreciate any advice. The flitch I am buying will be a free-form oval with a natural edge. Not too big - roughly 4 feet long and 2 - 3 feet wide.
My available tools and budget for new ones to smooth the top are limited. I have three hand planes (scrub, #4, #6), a hand-held power planer, and a random orbital sander. I also assume I will need to buy a scraper and burnisher. Any suggestions?
As for finishing, I am just lost. I want to protect the top, since it be used in a family room and will get lots of use as a foot rest. But I want to finish it in a way that will let the natural color and grain of the wood come through.
Thanks for your help and advice.
Steve
Steve Schoene
03-12-2009, 10:48 AM
What kind of wood is it?
Steve Friedman
03-12-2009, 6:28 PM
Good question. Depends on what I buy. There is a sawmill near me in NJ called Willard Brothers that stocks lots of kiln-dried flitches in lots of varieties and sizes. My choices include walnut, chestnut, spalted maple, butternut, and too many others to list. There was some paduak, but it may bee a bit too dressy for a family room coffee table that will get lots of wear. They also had some outrageous redwood, but it was extremely expensive.
Are there some woods that are harder to deal with than others?
Thanks again
John Shuk
03-12-2009, 7:24 PM
Will it be end grain or face grain?
Steve Friedman
03-12-2009, 10:44 PM
Face Grain.
Steve Schoene
03-12-2009, 11:19 PM
Personally I'm a sucker for Walnut--you have to like the particular pattern of heart and sap wood, though. If it has been steamed as well as kiln dried, the homogeneous nature of the color would be a turn off. But air dried, or even properly kiln dried without excess steam could make that exciting to finish.
Maple is easy to finish, for clear finishes, and since it is itself very hard, it lets finishes be durable as well. If there were a curly maple flitch I'd seriously be thinking about that.
Spalted maple has a range of both hard and soft areas, which does make getting an even smooth surface somewhat challenging.
Exotic , oily woods, such as the padauk can give problems with some finishes. Oil based finishes may not cure, waterborne finishes might to adhere. The first step for oily finishes is a coat of dewaxed shellac. Padauk is hard, and so would be durable. But, you won't keep the color permanently, most varieties will turn brown. But the speed and extent of the change varies a lot among varieties. So you have a bit of a guess as to what you will have in 3 years.
Steve Friedman
03-13-2009, 8:16 PM
Wow! Terrific information. Thank you. I'll post pictures when it's done.
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