I have access to a large piece of reclaimed fir, I would like to make a trestle table out of it that would be 54″ x 110″. I want to route an organic shape down the centre of it and make a pebble mosaic in it, for both appearance and heat resistance for hot dishes. The pebbles would be aquarium gravel so no more than ¼” in size. I also want to stain it in subltle colours to enhance the grain.
What is the best thickness to have this piece of wood cut to and how many supports would it need apart from the trestles at each end?
What is the best stain product to use on fir?
I am an artist, not a woodworker and it would be my first project (with my husband’s help with the trestle part. I’d really appreciate any advice at all.
Replies
That is a huge slab! I am jealous! Table top thickness is governed by cost and the look. You are only bound by the latter. Thicker pieces are more ridgid...and heavier. At 54x110 the mass will be about 111lbs for each inch of thickness. http://www.allmeasures.com/Formulae/static/materials/41/density.htm
I would say you could do 4 well placed legs if the top does not sag at your final thickness. IMO I like tops thick, at your length I would think a 3" thick top with an undercut bevel would look spectacular. It would give it lots of mass and set off the organic shaped art on top.
Squeeze
Beverley,
Are you saying the slab is 54" wide? How thick is it now, or is it still in the log? Any slab this wide is a rare bird, at least here in the northeast. Surfacing this monster will be quite a job, indeed. I'm not aware of any planer this big, so how are you planning to surface it? Could you attach a photo; I'd love to see it. This would help us give you more meaningful advise.
HI,
these can be done on a device like a radial arm on steroids with a router fitted insted of a saw. Pretty common on redgum slabs over here.
http://www.woodwizz.com/ or a thing called slabmaster.
David
Patto,
I saw one of these machines at the IWF show in Atlanta a while back, and is a really nifty looking machine. As I recall, it wasn't outrageously expensive, either. This is about the only way I could think of to perform this job also. I just felt purchasing this machine for one top was a bit frivolous, and transporting this large and heavy slab very far to have it machined would also be pricey. A very large CNC router could handle the job nicely and there might be one available for hire in the vicinity. Of course, someone still has to sand out all those machining marks. Floor sanding equipment, I presume?
"best thickness"?
as thick as you can make it. Without an apron, a trestle table needs thickness for strength.
Fir can be splotchy IIRC, so I'd apply boiled linseed oil and thinner, then stain when the linseed oil is dry.
If it's to be a real dining table or sees much use, I'd include center supports if the top is thinner than 2" or the span between legs is greater than 7'.
As mentioned this is a rare and valuable piece of lumber. You might practice first on something cheap.
Sheesh,
This is sounding less and less like something I want to tackle. The piece of wood is at a local reclamation mill, I think I need to go and take another look at it, and remeasure it. It was months ago since I saw it. I also think I need to measure it rather than guestimate it too, as everyone seems to think it must be pretty rare, it could be a lot smaller than I remember. Think I'll go up there soon and take another look.
If you want to see some of what this mill has in recylcled wood contact them at http://www.generalhilllumber.com.
Thanks for all your replies, I'll let you know what the exact dimensions are.
Beverley
Flattening a slab can be done with a router and a shop-built bridge which supports the router. You make a pass across the slab, move the bridge sideways, make another pass, etc. The bridge can be resting on some flat surface like a workbench, or it can be resting on rails you attach to the slab itself. I've used this technique on one slab which was almost 40" at its widest point. It works just fine.
I wouldn't give up on your project quite yet. Big lumber is locally, to you, not that rare. You will need to get the top flat, and from the website of the mill it looks like they can do some or all of this for you. If you need to flatten further on your own, you can do this with a router and 4 straight boards. You don't need CNC equipment or anything.Drop me a line and I can give you more details.All the best,Ted
If you want to look at a written description with pictures of flattening a wide board or bench top with a router, here is a link:
http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=58
I hope you're not feeling too discouraged. You're project sounds like a really good one.
-robert
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