Working with rough condition slab - Need advice

[Dean Egnater]

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So I was going camping last weekend and ran across a small sawmill with slabs displayed outfront. Of course I fell in love with the one in bad shape... a piece of what they called Canyon Oak or Live Oak. It is in very rough shape...lots of checking, bug holes, splintering. I have absolutely no experience using wood like this and was hoping to get some advice. Going to be an entry table.

My plan is to....
- Plane the two faces with a standard slab / router jig...currently 3" .... need to get down to at least 2.5" to make it not look top heavy. (and hopefully get to more stable wood)
- Then I am going to apply Total Boat Penetrating Epoxy, thinned out as much as possible. Soak as much as possible into wood.
- Then rip the edges of the board and trim the ends, idea being that the epoxy will keep the edges from splintering
- Penetrating Epoxy over the new cuts
- Epifanes Varnish over the sanded epoxy

Smaller piece basically the same procedure...but I will soak with epoxy to stablize then cut off 3/8 " veneers for drawer fronts

[johnny means]

I posted a build in the projects forum of a walnut credenza. There are a couple of photos showing how I stabilize lumber with character. It's a little more involved than just filling with epoxy. https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?280182-The-Walnut-Credenza

[Jamie Buxton]

Do most of the work on this oak before you build any other part of the table. You might find your plans change depending on what the oak lets you do.

[Mark Gibney]

Dean it sounds like you know what you're doing. Just like with any wood, you'll get a feel for how it machines once you begin. I've found live oak to be often extremely hard, but it can look wonderful.
Post some photos when you get somewhere with this.

Mark

[Dean Egnater]

Thanks for the info

[Dean Egnater]

Good point....was actually my plan....I have no idea what the thickness will end up being

[Jim Becker]

Dean, what you're going to do first is test the moisture content... ;) But you knew that! This is especially important for "backyard wood sellers" offering up slabs that are quite often pretty darn green, if not sopping wet. There's no harm in surfacing it toward where you want the thickness to be (taking the same amount from both sides as much as possible), but don't move forward with final surfacing and the resin work until the material is down in the 10-13% MC at least.

[Earl McLain]

I'm watching this thread for my education. Would there be wisdom in sealing the ends before starting with the work Jim Becker mentions above? If the MC is already at the 10-13% level would that not even be a consideration? Thanks!!
earl

[James Jayko]

Be careful with that CPES...its nasty stuff and it'll rot your lungs without ventilation!

[Dean Egnater]

I'm watching this thread for my education. Would there be wisdom in sealing the ends before starting with the work Jim Becker mentions above? If the MC is already at the 10-13% level would that not even be a consideration? Thanks!!
earl

The wood is bone dry....I think they cut it out of a tree that has been down for a while. I think I am going to fill checks on the side of the board for stability before I start machining the faces

[Dean Egnater]

Be careful with that CPES...its nasty stuff and it'll rot your lungs without ventilation!

I read that...that is why I am going with the Total Boat version that has no VOCs.

[Jim Becker]

Total Boat has some really nice products...

[Mike Cutler]

Dean, what you're going to do first is test the moisture content... ;) But you knew that! This is especially important for "backyard wood sellers" offering up slabs that are quite often pretty darn green, if not sopping wet. There's no harm in surfacing it toward where you want the thickness to be (taking the same amount from both sides as much as possible), but don't move forward with final surfacing and the resin work until the material is down in the 10-13% MC at least.

Jim
You reminded me that I need to get a moisture meter.
Five years ago I bought into two walnut trunks that have been milled to 2" thick slabs. I have stacked, stickered, and banded them since I got them home.
I think it's time to do some walnut projects. ;)

[Tom Bender]

Hi Dean
You may machine a lot of character off that piece. Maybe just wire brush it and varnish.

[Bruce King]

Agree, start with the worst side and try simple things first.

[Dean Egnater]

Wire brush wasn't an option...oxidization was way too deep and needed to be planed level. Here is my test piece...planed...stablized with penetrating epoxy....worm holes and cracks filled with black epoxy...sanded.....wiped down with Mineral Spirits for photo. Grain patterns are amazingly cool (pure luck...couldn't see when I was buying)438002

[Tom Bender]

Very nice.

[Dean Egnater]

Ok...after much trial an error wood is finished...very happy with the results....waiting on hairpin legs to be delivered to finish it up.

Planed the board down with the usual router jig and a spoil board blade.

Literally poured/soaked the board with Total boat penetrating epoxy (diluted 1:1 with acetone)

Filled voids with T88 and graphite, sanded, repeat, repeat, repeat. Every time I sanded it revealed new voids, so at some point I just had to declare it done.

Sanded down to 320

I purchased some Allback linseed oil and beeswax finish thinking it was for a different project....tried a little on my test piece and was sold. Original plan was to coat with epoxy and varnish but this is waaaaay better looking and much more organic looking. Feels like glass when you slide you hand across it.

I'll post one last picture with the legs when they come over the weekend.
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[Jim Becker]

Really beautiful!

[Robert Hayward]

I agree, very nice! Old repurposed wood is always a favorite of mine. Just cannot get that character in most new wood.

[Alan Lightstone]

It's really quite beautiful. Nice job.

Never used T88. Does it have any advantages over the West Systems epoxy, or did you just have it on hand?

[Jim Becker]

Never used T88. Does it have any advantages over the West Systems epoxy, or did you just have it on hand?

T88 is a structural epoxy designed primarily for bonding things together. It's not ideal to use in place of a resin designed for pouring/deep work, but it would work, of course.

[Dean Egnater]

None of it was for deep pouring (but I admit that shrinkage was a problem)...and the board was checked, punky in places and lots of insect damage. So the structural properties of the T88 was helpful.

[Devin Brenan]

Ok...after much trial an error wood is finished...very happy with the results....waiting on hairpin legs to be delivered to finish it up.

Planed the board down with the usual router jig and a spoil board blade.

Literally poured/soaked the board with Total boat penetrating epoxy (diluted 1:1 with acetone)

Filled voids with T88 and graphite, sanded, repeat, repeat, repeat. Every time I sanded it revealed new voids, so at some point I just had to declare it done.

Sanded down to 320

I purchased some Allback linseed oil and beeswax finish thinking it was for a different project....tried a little on my test piece and was sold. Original plan was to coat with epoxy and varnish but this is waaaaay better looking and much more organic looking. Feels like glass when you slide you hand across it.

I'll post one last picture with the legs when they come over the weekend.
441228441229

That looks awesome. Nice job with it. What kind of wood was that again?