Revealing the wood

I'm somewhat new to woodworking and I'm planning on doing some live edge tables. My issue is I don't have enough experience reading wood grain so that I'm able to predict what kind of color will come out of a slab once it's finished. As I'm meandering through the local mill is there anything acceptable I can do to the slabs that will reveal their finished coloring? I know you can wet a slab and bring out it's color but I hardly think you should do that to one that's already been dried. Or maybe brush on a little sanding sealer...but that'd probably be frowned upon.



Any suggestions?

If that's a concern, I would go for a slab that's already been planed rather than the sawmill finish. Obviously, it will cost more but you'll be able to see exactly what you're getting. A little water won't hurt. You could also use alcohol if it was a concern but I don't think shops would let you go near a slab with finish or sealer unless you've already paid for it. Live edge tables are pretty hard to mess up. If you're unsure, maybe buy a smaller slab to experiment on. Good luck,

Erik

I agree with Eric, and even planed slabs may not reveal their true color. Given the price of slabs these days, I can’t imagine any seller refusing to let you wipe some DNA on it to see what it looks like.

You can wipe mineral spirits on the surface and it will show what it will look like when finished and leave no lasting effect.

If you don't mind the dealer making fun of you, you can take a block plane and plane a small section smooth. Then wipe some DNA or Mineral spirits on the spot.

This is really tough ability to acquire and there is really no replacement for experience and education. You haven’t mentioned what species you are considering and this makes a big difference in what the slab will look like rough, freshly planed, 5 years from now. Then one must consider the finish, exposure to uv, oxidation etc. In the short term let the dealer know what you are looking for and they may be able to point you in the right direction. Long term I would start with some books about the characteristics of different species of wood. The neat thing about starting wood working is the magic is still very new and you will undoubtedly be very pleased with the result because it is something you took from an unfinished state and turned into something useful. Let us know if you have any further questions during the process and keep us posted as to your progress.

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Originally Posted by brad hays

I'm somewhat new to woodworking and I'm planning on doing some live edge tables. My issue is I don't have enough experience reading wood grain so that I'm able to predict what kind of color will come out of a slab once it's finished. As I'm meandering through the local mill is there anything acceptable I can do to the slabs that will reveal their finished coloring? I know you can wet a slab and bring out it's color but I hardly think you should do that to one that's already been dried. Or maybe brush on a little sanding sealer...but that'd probably be frowned upon.



Any suggestions?

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I've taken a block plane and done what Prashun recommended, asking first. (One dealer wouldn't even let me smooth a rough-sawn and weathered corner with my pocket knife so I went elsewhere.)

I use to Naphtha reveal the wood color. It drys very quickly and doesn't leave a residue. The color I see is almost identical to what it would be with "danish" oil applied. I use this often at the lathe after smoothing and sanding since in the few seconds when it is wet scratches are more visible.

JKJ

I use a little spray bottle of alcohol when sifting through the wood pile.