Scott Greaves
03-28-2003, 10:34 PM
Hello Friends!
I don't usually work on rustic type pieces, but I recently acquired a piece of wood that cries out for a more rustic treatment. By rustic, I mean that I am going to leave natural edges and not square the piece up. I'm even planning on leaving the bark on!
It's a burl slab from a fir tree, about 44" by 18". After cleaning it up on the wide belt sander I have it to about 1 ½" thick. Here's a picture of it next to my computer desk:
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<CENTER><IMG SRC="http://myweb.cableone.net/swedg1/ww/burl1.jpg"></CENTER>
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What I intend to do is make a nice coffee table for use at our cabin. I want to tighten up any pieces that could come loose with some CA glue, fill the voids with something, and then finish it off with a thorough dousing with BLO, then maybe top of with a satin poly. I of course can be swayed, and that's why I here asking about this. Here is a close-up of one of the gaps between the wood and the bark:
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<CENTER><IMG SRC="http://myweb.cableone.net/swedg1/ww/burl2.jpg"></CENTER>
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I will need to fill this with something - maybe epoxy. What would you all suggest? If epoxy, would you tint it or leave it clear? Here's another close-up of one of the small voids in the top:
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<CENTER><IMG SRC="http://myweb.cableone.net/swedg1/ww/burl3.jpg"></CENTER>
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I would be filling these too, to get a nice even top (easier to clean later). I managed to recycle some minimalistic black steel legs from another table that should serve well here, without detracting from the beauty of the burl. I have seen some of these type of table tops that seem to have a thick layer of plastic coating on it. My Wife seems to like this idea, but I think it would detract from the wood. That's why I was thinking of the BLO and maybe the poly to seal things up.
What would you do?
Scott.
I don't usually work on rustic type pieces, but I recently acquired a piece of wood that cries out for a more rustic treatment. By rustic, I mean that I am going to leave natural edges and not square the piece up. I'm even planning on leaving the bark on!
It's a burl slab from a fir tree, about 44" by 18". After cleaning it up on the wide belt sander I have it to about 1 ½" thick. Here's a picture of it next to my computer desk:
<BR>
<CENTER><IMG SRC="http://myweb.cableone.net/swedg1/ww/burl1.jpg"></CENTER>
<BR>
What I intend to do is make a nice coffee table for use at our cabin. I want to tighten up any pieces that could come loose with some CA glue, fill the voids with something, and then finish it off with a thorough dousing with BLO, then maybe top of with a satin poly. I of course can be swayed, and that's why I here asking about this. Here is a close-up of one of the gaps between the wood and the bark:
<BR>
<CENTER><IMG SRC="http://myweb.cableone.net/swedg1/ww/burl2.jpg"></CENTER>
<BR>
I will need to fill this with something - maybe epoxy. What would you all suggest? If epoxy, would you tint it or leave it clear? Here's another close-up of one of the small voids in the top:
<BR>
<CENTER><IMG SRC="http://myweb.cableone.net/swedg1/ww/burl3.jpg"></CENTER>
<BR>
I would be filling these too, to get a nice even top (easier to clean later). I managed to recycle some minimalistic black steel legs from another table that should serve well here, without detracting from the beauty of the burl. I have seen some of these type of table tops that seem to have a thick layer of plastic coating on it. My Wife seems to like this idea, but I think it would detract from the wood. That's why I was thinking of the BLO and maybe the poly to seal things up.
What would you do?
Scott.