Walnut Slab Gloat

[John Michaels]

Just picked up this slab last week. 5 feet long, almost 2 feet wide, and 2 inches thick. I'm thinking of making a small dining room table with it.



http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-11/1108263/Walnut%20Slab.jpg

[david brum]

That's a beauty John. Are you gonna leave it full thickness? I'm curious because I have a similar slab which I also need to make into a dining table. Mine will probably get sawed down the middle and middle section added to get more width, if I can do it convincingly,

[Prashun Patel]

That's a beautiful slab!

For a dining table it might be a little narrow, no?

If you resaw it into bookmatched pieces, beware you'll likely release some tension; you'd be lucky to get 2 pieces x 3/4" thick.

Perhaps a sideboard or bench would be an easier use for the piece?

The curved form is very appealing to me; I'd incorporate it if possible...

[Dan Friedrichs]

Wow - that is beautiful.

[John Michaels]

That's a beauty John. Are you gonna leave it full thickness?

I'll leave it full thickness.

[gary Zimmel]

I agree with the side/sofa table. And perhaps with a floating top.
The walnut has some nice grain and being 8/4 would be a nice touch for a project like that...

[george wilson]

I'd be inclined to use the full natural shape of that slab.

[Tony Bilello]

...For a dining table it might be a little narrow, no? If you resaw ..., beware you'll likely release tension; you'd be lucky to get 2 pieces x 3/4" thick.
Perhaps a sideboard or bench would be an easier use for the piece?
The curved form is very appealing to me; I'd incorporate it if possible...

I agree with Prashun, use the slab as is. I think a coffee table might also be a possibility. If too long for a coffee table, the cut-off could be used for making bowls. Whatever you decide to make with the top, I would make the legs and apron as simple a design as possible. This would keep your eye focused on the top.

[John Michaels]

I'd be inclined to use the full natural shape of that slab.

I agree, I'll trim a little off the ends and leave the rest as is.

[James Phillips]

For a dining table you might think about ripping down the middle and putting the "live edges" together with a small gap. Add a piece of glass to your now "rectangular" table. This gives nice glass surface and a square edge for people to sit against, but still shows of the live edge. It also allows for wood movement.

[Kevin Gregoire]

i would leave it as is and make it into a killer coffee table!
sell it for big bucks or pass it on as a family heirloom for future generations.

[Bob Direso]

John, great walnut slab, they are my favorite. I'm guessing this was kilm dried since there is no sign of sapwood. I made a live edge slab entryway table for my daughter from air dried walnut and used the live sapwood edge as an additional item of interest. Just another thought of what you might make with it. Have fun, Bob.

[Darl Bundren]

I love working with walnut. That's a really nice piece of wood. Good luck with the project you settle on.