What would you do with this?

[Terry Wawro]

Years ago I picked up this glued up section of walnut slab at a lumber yard during their annual sale weekend. It’s 19 x 14 x 3. It’s been sitting in my lumber cutoff bin all this time, mocking me with it’s disuse, because I can’t figure out exactly to do with it. So I’m asking for suggestions here. Throw out some ideas. (Anything but guitar bodies and cutting boards. I don’t play and I already have a stack of cutting boards ready for future gift giving.) Thanks!

[Paul F Franklin]

How about a mantle clock or two:

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[Andrew Hughes]

I would make a Treasure box.
Like this

[John K Jordan]

Years ago I picked up this glued up section of walnut slab at a lumber yard during their annual sale weekend. It’s 19 x 14 x 3. It’s been sitting in my lumber cutoff bin all this time, mocking me with it’s disuse, because I can’t figure out exactly to do with it. So I’m asking for suggestions here. Throw out some ideas. (Anything but guitar bodies and cutting boards. I don’t play and I already have a stack of cutting boards ready for future gift giving.) Thanks!

Do you have a lathe? Many possibilities.

[Terry Wawro]

John, I do have a lathe. I guess I should have mentioned that it is a glue up of 1.5 x 3 x 19 inch sections. Not a solid slab of walnut.

[John K Jordan]

John, I do have a lathe. I guess I should have mentioned that it is a glue up of 1.5 x 3 x 19 inch sections. Not a solid slab of walnut.

Doesn’t hurt a thing. People often turn things from woods glued up in a variety of ways. Optionally, make some more cuts, perhaps on angles, joint, re-glue. Turn a shallow bowl, platters, rolling pins, pepper mills, small lidded boxes, ring keepers, round picture frames, …

[Frank Pratt]

I would resaw it in two and carve a couple of nice trays.

[Terry Wawro]

Doesn’t hurt a thing. People often turn things from woods glued up in a variety of ways. Optionally, make some more cuts, perhaps on angles, joint, re-glue. Turn a shallow bowl, platters, rolling pins, pepper mills, small lidded boxes, ring keepers, round picture frames, …

If I go this route, I'll have to dust off the gouges and practice my lathe skills again. It's been months since I've turned anything.

[John K Jordan]

If I go this route, I'll have to dust off the gouges and practice my lathe skills again. It's been months since I've turned anything.

Go for it! Get to dusting and sharpening and practice! You might be surprised how quick it comes back.

Due to pandemic exhaustion on top of farm/house tasks I turned almost nothing since March of 2020 - just a few "magic" wands for a turning demo last year and a small garden tool handle the year before. But I had scheduled a demo this month (on turning metals on the wood lathe with woodturning tools) so a few weeks before I HAD to get moving or be greatly embarrassed! I had planned to turn a lidded box to show one use for small brass turnings so I grabbed an old 4x4 chunk of Albizia and made this:

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I was worried and expected to mess up at least one box (I hadn't turned a lidded box for years) but a miracle occurred and it came out ok. Once I had the sharp tools in hand and the wood spinning everything fell into place, just like I'd been turning all along.

Even if you don't use that piece of walnut, turning something, anything, can be therapeutic. :)

JKJ