Maple slab table questions

[Dave Riley]

I have a silver maple in my back yard that will be coming down in early spring. I was going to give the wood away until a friend suggested that I make some tables out of the trunk and bigger branches. I was thinking of making some pedestal bases and attaching a 2" thick slab on top. The first few of questions I have are: Is this a good wood to use for such a project? If so, what would be the best way to attach the top to the base? Last, how long should I let the wood dry before working with it? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Ted Calver]

Welcome to the creek David. It depends on what kind of slab you are talking about. If you are going to saw the tree into lumber and use a thick plank for a top, one often mentioned rule of thumb for drying is 1 year per inch of thickness. If you intend to use a cross section 'round' of the tree, there's a good chance the round will crack in a big way as it drys. If you do a search on here or browse the forums you will find many posts detailing how to stack,sticker and dry lumber. I like to turn silver maple. It spalts easily and can often have interesting grain. It has a tendency to blue stain and turn a dark color, but should make an interesting table. Good luck.

[Dave Riley]

Thanks for the tips Ted. I was thinking of cutting the trunk into rounds, but maybe I'll rethink that. I've never worked with fresh wood like that. My experience is pretty much limited to using precut boards.

[Ted Calver]

Dave, As the rounds dry, cracks radiate out from the center of the tree and the round will split like pieces of a pie. Not much you can do to stop it.