Flattening bowed eucalyptus slab?

[Nick Crivello]

Hi guys,

Got a few questions on a eucalyptus live edge slab project I have coming up soon.

It's about 32x57" and a hair over 3" thick. Will get a welded steel base and probably end up as a coffee table. It's got a bow in it however. The gentleman I got it from suggested running a track saw down the middle of the concave side and let it settle in order to preserve material while flattening. Is this a thing? If it does, how to deal with the obvious cut that will be visible at the ends? As is, I could probably preserve ~2.25" or so.

I haven't worked with eucalyptus before, wasn't sure what finish options to consider. It's got a really interesting live edge to it as well. Any suggestions?

Edit: Added pictures. As you can see it's actually closer to 70" long but has an unfortunate chainsaw cut into the side. I can't think of a way to work it into the table design, will likely trim that section off. Any ideas there?

Thanks!

[mike calabrese]

Not sure this is what you are looking to discover but FYI here is a youtube link that deals with several solutions to the condition you aska bout.
calabrese55

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=planing+a+twisted+board

[Nick Crivello]

Not sure this is what you are looking to discover but FYI here is a youtube link that deals with several solutions to the condition you aska bout.
calabrese55

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=planing+a+twisted+board

I'm trying to see what viable options exist to reduce the bowing before going after it with a router sled.

[Richard Coers]

Yes, that's a thing. And you have the two options to remove the bow in front of you. You have to decide. A 32" wide coffee table is a monster! Finishing options are like any other wood.

[Nick Crivello]

Yes, that's a thing. And you have the two options to remove the bow in front of you. You have to decide. A 32" wide coffee table is a monster! Finishing options are like any other wood.

So a plunging cut maybe 1.75" deep running along the bottom and stopping ~6" from each end then resting it flat on wood calls for a few weeks might help it out?

I could make the base taller and shoot for a dining/kitchen table instead. Was going to fabricate the base loosely off this design:

https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=506043&d=1692066145

[Mel Fulks]

I would remove wood only from the convex side , and give it time . It’s in the old books ,and works.

[Andrew Hughes]

I don’t believe in the kerf cuts are necessary. I had a fair amount of blue gum Eucalyptus that was in horrible shape compared to what you show. Woodworkers that are adding structural steel into the bottom of tabletops are lacking confidence or experience.
The stuff I had was incredibly stable for air dried wood. Extremely heavy and difficult to mill compared to domestic ordinary stuff. It did work very well with handplanes all the boards seemed to have a very pronounced runout to the grain.
The gum in the wood really affected the machines.
Here’s what the rough boards looked like.
Good Luck

[Bill Dufour]

Location? I assume it is blue gum if you are in California. Possibly red. Well known for twisted growth. the twist is easy to see in the bark.
Bill D.
PS: tallest hardwood trees in N America are the blue gum E at uc Berkeley.

[Nick Crivello]

Location? I assume it is blue gum if you are in California. Possibly red. Well known for twisted growth. the twist is easy to see in the bark.
Bill D.
PS: tallest hardwood trees in N America are the blue gum E at uc Berkeley.

I'm in Napa; got it from a gentleman who was losing his shop in Mare Island. Not sure which species it is, but it's likely local. I'm really interested to see what's hiding in that slab.

[John TenEyck]

So a plunging cut maybe 1.75" deep running along the bottom and stopping ~6" from each end then resting it flat on wood calls for a few weeks might help it out?

I could make the base taller and shoot for a dining/kitchen table instead. Was going to fabricate the base loosely off this design:

https://sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=506043&d=1692066145

Not likely. If there is still uncut wood at the ends it's not going to flatten out on it's own.

If the wood truly is dry then it's not going to flatten out no matter what, and the only way to make it flat is to remove wood on one or both faces, or rip and reglue, or deep kerfs and filler. On the other hand, if there is a large moisture imbalance across the thickness of the slab, then it may flatten out, more or less, as it comes to some equilibrium MC. Probably a long shot, though. Slabs I've dried that have a bow in them stay bowed. I built a router sled to make them flat. Just what you often have to do working with slabs.

John

[Bill Dufour]

Bay area, almost sure to be blue gum. Red does not get that big before it rots and the branches fall off. I wonder if it has high oil content that will affect gluing and finishing. I know the leaves are full of oil and burn fast.
Bill D.
https://www.wood-database.com/blue-gum/