I have been asked to make a coffee table out of a slab of wood from a client. This slab of wood is a cross-section of a red oak tree that the client would play in when she was a child. She would like to keep the slab as “natural” as possible, meaning she wants to keep the bark on the slab.
Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of how I could finish the slab and maintain the bark on the outside? Do you have any specifics as to:
– Type of finish?
– Application techniques?
– Pitfalls to avoid?
Thanks in advance. Below are some pictures of the slab.
Replies
JP,
I'm no expert, but I'm sure someone here can shed some light onto the fact that, depending on when (what time of year) the tree was felled, the bark may pop off on it's own. If I'm not mistaken, trees cut in winter retain their bark, and trees cut in the summer usually shed their bark during drying. Just something to be prepared for. As far as finishing, I have done a few slab-type tables, but never left the bark on, I strip the bark and then dimple the edges of the boards with a center punch in a random pattern. I got the idea from an article in home furniture or fine woodworking I believe. Anyway, it leaves quite an interesting effect. These weren't cross sections like you are dealing with though. Good luck and keep us posted on the results.
Lee
First issue is how recent was the slab cut? Looks rather fresh. If so, as it continues to dry expect one or two splits from bark to the center.
JP,
From the photos it looks like the bark is pretty well adhered. Mapleman is correct that wood cut in winter will keep the bark and wood cut in summer will lose it. Usually. If you do lose a chunk or two they can be glued back on.
I would recommend washing the bark before you start any work on the piece to keep the finish from picking up any of the dirt that may be in the crevices. A scrub brush and some plain water will do a pretty good job.
I am using some natural edge boards for a bed for my son and found that a few coats of shellac look nice and can help the bark from chipping too much.
If your slab isn't dry yet you may want to consider a radial cut into the center of the piece to prevent too much checking of the surface. Or cut the piece right down the middle and then joint and join it back together when it is dry. If you cut straight across now, as the piece dries the center will start to bulge as the wood looses moisture. The joint will be nearly invisible when put back together later and will help relieve a lot of the stress in the wood.
Andy
Said least is often said best,
but said best is often said least.
I've worked with walnut, ash, and birch slabs that had bark left on. In all cases where the bark was loose I used super-glue both thick and thin, to adhere it. My finish of choice is a wiping varnish or "oil." I like Varathane #66. It doesn't set so hard that you cannot dull the surface using a stiff brush. Avoid using anything that will set hard and has a gloss, like shellac. The gloss will look unnatural.
Personally I wouldn't worry about the inevitable cracks in this slab. It is what it is. Let the table base reflect that.
But depending on a lot of things it may well just split.Gretchen
An additional thought: It's too late now, but a good long soaking in PEG would have stabalized this log section. Then there wouldn't be any splitting. But, since it is partially dried, I don't think the PEG would do any good. If that is incorrect, perhaps someone could elaborate.
It's going to split and check. I've heard this pentacryl wll work on your application and is replacing the old PEG treatment. I've heard slabs didn't split at with a proper application.
http://www.preservation-solutions.com/product.php?product_id=1003&source=GoogleGreen
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