matching American Chestnut

[Andrew Fleck]

My father in law recently asked me to make him a table out of 3 really old Chestnut planks he saved from his family farm. The planks are roughly 12/4 x 15" x 8'. There never was any nails driven through them as they were used to butcher hogs. I'm looking for lumber that resembles the old chestnut that I can get in really thick pieces to make the base. I thought about oak, but it doesn't seem right to me.

The bottom of the boards have the old mill marks and the tops have the butchering marks. He wants to keep both the mill and butchering marks which is presenting some design issues for me, namely how I'm going to put the top together without it looking like a picnic table since I can't true the lumber, but I'm working that out.


I can't use any of the existing Chestnut to make the base so has anyone had any experience matching old chestnut? I know Chestnut can be purchased, but the amount I need would be really expensive.


I'll be using strictly hand tools on this one as it just seems right to me for this particular lumber.

[Michael Kellough]

You could get by with rift-sawn fine grained (closely spaced growth rings) white oak.

[Tony Joyce]

Butternut is almost a dead ringer. Although you may only find it no thicker than 8/4.

[Tony Zaffuto]

Sadly this thread elicited a memory that surfaces several times a year. In 1996 we bought a new home, leaving one that I remodeled and resided in for about 16 years. Early in those 16 years my late father gave me quite a bit of chestnut and I stickered it in a crawl space under the back porch, out of the weather. Needless to say, when we moved, I forgot about the lumber (Also left an empty keg for which I was due a deposit). Inside the house, in a storage spot in the basement, I left two acid etched windows, about 16" X 42" in size. But the chestnut is what I miss.

[Andrew Fleck]

I've heard that about butternut, but like you said thickness may be an issue. I really don't want to laminate if I can help it.

[Andrew Fleck]

Thanks Michael. I'll check into that the next time I'm out. Oak might be the only feasible option for me.

[Michael Peet]

Hey Andrew,

Check out this technique for faking thick pieces:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?43101

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?89240

Mike

[Andrew Fleck]

Hey Andrew,

Check out this technique for faking thick pieces:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?43101

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?89240

Mike


Thanks Mike. You learn something new everyday. I've never seen that, but it certainly is clever.

[Jim Matthews]

I've tried Butternut and find it so soft that planing it by hand is an exercise in frustration.

It smells nice, and shapes well but tear out drives me crazy.
I would suggest making legs or trestles from something slightly darker.

That makes the top appear "lighter" under most household illumination.

[Frank Drew]

I think oak would be the path of least resistance, but ash could possibly be dyed to do a fair imitation of chestnut; they're both ring-porous. Ditto sassafras, but it might be difficult finding thick stock.