Hey, y’all i’m new to this age of information stuff but i’m excited to talk shop (pun intended). Does anyone out there in cyberspace have any experience in dealing with massive slab tops? I have a client who found a grandfather old growth doug fir which had been windfallen for about 50 years. The finished top is to be 15’long x 5′ wide x5″ thick. I’m worried about too much movement, checking, honeycombing, etc. The slabs are currently drying in a professional kiln and i’m hoping for the lowest relative humidity possible. Is there trouble with such a large chunk not being dry in the center? It’s giong to live in western washington state which is fairly humid. I’m curious as to the hidden pitfalls, typical to all projects i start. Any and all advice is more than welcome, thanks, Joe
Edited 10/21/2005 11:15 pm ET by bonnyjoe
Replies
Where's it going to end up? Desert dry or coastal humid?
The finished table is going to live in western washington state which is fairly humid year round. I'm sure everythings's gonna be fine, i've just never needed a forklift to make a table before! Hoping for some advice from an old hand.
the cracks, pops, movement is the what gives the slab its character. If the client wants the perfect table top - buy a glulam. when working with slabs, prefection is not the primary goal. The goal is highlighting the natural character of the wood.
Depends on what the client wants/expects, too. I'm assuming that someone who wants a 5"-thick slab tabletop in the first place will want 'character' - not want it to look machine-perfect in every detail on every surface. Incidentally, I recently saw a slab-top dining table (about 2.5-3" thick) where the maker had done the surface with (near as I could tell) nothing but a scrub plane followed only by some sanding and burnishing before the finish. Shallow grooves over the whole top, and it looked simply great, very in keeping with the slabby effect. More important (or more noticeable to me), every single person who walked into the shop could NOT keep their hands off of it - wives calling their husbands over, etc. I'm looking forward to trying a similar surface sometime very soon.
Even professionally kiln-dried, I think a 5" thick doug fir slab is likely to have/develop a fair amount of checking. It might be nice if you had 10 or 15 years to let it air-dry, but I guess that wouldn't be well-received if you were to suggest it. Part of having the client be happy may be to 'educate' him that some checks and cracks are character, and that anyone could make up a laminated slab that size and veneer it to rectilinear perfection (or rather, anyone with access to a forklift!). As long as he understands that some checks/cracks not affecting functionality are themselves the 'proof' of this one-of-a-kind slab, it'll turn out OK. You might end up laying in the mother of all butterflies to stabilize it!
I would be inclined to let it shop-acclimate in a humid place for at least a month (preferably 2 or 3) after it leaves the kiln, to see what kind of twist/cup/bow you may have to get rid of. If it's a good bit, I'd want to mostly-flatten it and let it 'rest' again for a good while - a section that thick can have a lot of stresses in it. With a 5'-wide slab, what happens will also depend on what he's 'got' - that is, what section of the tree did this start as?
Good luck and we will want pictures - at least before-and-after, and preferably of the entire process! (Clients love to get these too.)
Clay
HEY, CLAY,THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO REPLY. THE SAWYER CUT THE SLABS JUST OFF CENTER OF THE PITH, TO AVOID, I SUPPOSE BAD WOOD, THE PIECES BEING IN SEQUENCE,OF COARSE. SUPPOSEDLY THE TREE WAS WINDFALL AND A SNAG FOR AN ESTIMATED 50 YEARS . I'M DEALING WITH OLD TIME LOGGERS SO THEY CAN PICK AND CHOOSE TREES LIKE THIS. THE KILN GUY SAYS THAT THEY ARE DRYING FASTER THAN EXPECTED SO I ACTUALLY NEED TO GET MY ACT TOGETHER, MAYBE I SHOULD CONSTRUCT THE BASE WHILE THE SLABS ARE ACCLIMATING?
Bonnyjoe
I did a small slab top early this year (1400*350*50) using redgum. Early in the construction I decided that the thickness was more important than how flat the top was (compared with smooth). The biggest issue was mounting it to the legs so it wouldn't rock.
What I finished up doing was using four dowel pegs protruting about 30mm from the top of the legs. These had thick leather washers placed on them (happend to have some suitable leather and punches, but you could use heavy 'O' rings I think) and the top just rests in place. Its not going anywhere fast, and the shims have sufficient movement to allow for later distortion without the top rocking in use.
David
THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD IDEA WITH THE WASHERS, I'LL HAVE TO STEAL IT SOMETIME. hOW DID YOU EARN THE TITLE " PATTO?" ONE OF MY GOOD FRIENDS HAS THAT NICKNAME. THANKS FOR RESPONDING, JOE.
Like all Australian english, there are rules.
Blokes are referred to by the first syllable of their last name with an appended 'o' for consonants and 'y' for vowels (eg, Jones would be jonesy, Jackson would be jacko).
The only time it has bee a problem was when myself and three of my brothers ran on to the same rugby match (Melbourne uni gentleman's XV). There was Patto (the club president), Big Patto (me), little Patto (the Hooker).... The lads didn't know what to call the remaining brother, so they sent him to play in the backs.
Edited 10/24/2005 10:30 pm ET by Patto
If he was sent to play in the backs Patto they probably called him Girly Patto, ha, ha-- ha, ha, ha.
Me, I'm one of the donkeys, but only tenuously as I play in the back row. As everyone knows you require the right blend for the back row. One groundhogging nutter. One ugly and brutish enforcer, and the fleet footed pretty one that thinks he's probably the most important member of the team.
Guess which one I am? Slainte.Richard Jones Furniture
Ah - always knew you were one of the elite...swift as a gazelle and courage of a lion etc?
Dave
Yeah, something like that Patto, although the speed and heart analogy you paint might be more appropriately drawn nowadays (given my hugely advanced years as a player) with a slug and lettuce.
Incidentally, I've always thought the name Slug and Lettuce makes a good name for a boozer which is where all serious rugby players end up and legends are born, ha, ha. Slainte.Richard Jones Furniture
Game they play in Heaven, but we will get the Kiwis all misty eyed if we go on like this.
Cheers.
"Incidentally, I've always thought the name Slug and Lettuce makes a good name for a boozer"
Was this a subtle sports satire that eluded me? Because there is in fact a pretty well-known London bar/restaurant called "The Slug And Lettuce."
Think I'm having you on?
See http://www.slugandlettuce.co.uk/
I wondered about the name when I was once invited there, but had a great time ...
Clay
Miami, there was no intended satire on my part. I wasn't aware of a pub of that name in London, but I do avoid going there if I at all possible. Slainte.Richard Jones Furniture
Quite a coincidence, then!
Clay
In the states a "hooker" is a brother............. could pass for your daughter but never your brotherWicked Decent Woodworks
(oldest woodworking shop in NH)
Rochester NH
" If the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy........yessa!"
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