Replies

1. 
   Gene_Davis | Jun 30, 2012 03:41pm | #1

   I have had success mixing sawdust from sanding with epoxy, and forcing it into cracks with a putty knife.

1. 
   Shaken_not_Stirred | Jun 30, 2012 07:49pm | #2

   have you done it with wide cracks?

   Have you done this with wide cracks up to 1/4 Inch?  Have you done this sort of thing in large timbers?  How did it finish up?  I would guess teh epoxy does not take stain so teh color you get from the saw dust epoxy mix is what you get.

2. 
   Westchester | Jul 01, 2012 07:01am | #3

   Slabs

   Epoxy is a good choice but consider routing waste from both sides evenly, and before finishing let it dry for another period of time.

   SA

3. 
   RalphBarker | Jul 01, 2012 12:53pm | #4

   still green-ish

   The rule of thumb for air drying is one year per inch of thickness, depending on the local environment, of course.

   That doesn't mean, however, that any internal stresses that might exist in the slabs have been relaxed. Taking similar amounts from both sides when resurfacing is a good idea, since that will keep both surfaces "equalized", but you might still get some unexpected warpage after resurfacing. Or, cracks caused by internal stresses might continue to grow. Thus, you might need to consider adding "dutchmen" to stablize the cracks. Epoxy, alone, isn't likely to do the trick in that regard.

   I, too, would be a proponent of epoxy to fill the cracks, using some combination of sanding dust and tint (black, perhaps?) mixed into the epoxy. Depending on the size of the crack, the epoxy can be drizzled into the opening, or injected into the space with a glue injecter/needle. I'd fill to slightly above the wood surface, and then sand it down to be even. Additional care in doing so may be required if you plan on staining the slab afterward.

1. 
   Shaken_not_Stirred | Jul 02, 2012 11:46am | #6

   Epoxy?

   Thanks for the thoughts, but I have a few more questions.

   Where do you buy epoxy?  Are there different types?  Can you get them in colors?  If the cracks are very deep do you use some kind of backer rod or do you fill the crack a little at a time, drying between loads?

   Thanks

4. 
   roc | Jul 01, 2012 02:24pm | #5

   Part 1, Part 2 I'm covering it all

   Depends on what other indoor hobbies you may have.

   >Leaving the cracks<

   I find them a handy place to prop up targets.

   :   )

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cg40zvIPeU&feature=related

5. 
   swenson | Jul 02, 2012 12:03pm | #7

   I have used Apoxie Sculpt, which comes in colors. On cherry and oak I have used it in cracks and open knots and in black it looks like the crack or knot is still there. The black color makes the fill look like a void. Apoxie Sculpt has been used in model making in Hollywood for years. Parts of the monster in Alien I were made of sculpt I have been told. I love it. It comes in tubs as a two part, mix as needed, soft dough. Costs a lot for little tubs of the stuff but lasts for a long time. I have done several tables and still have lots left from the first batch I ever bought.

   .

1. 
   swenson | Jul 02, 2012 12:26pm | #8

   Apoxie pix

   Pix

   
6. 
   Shaken_not_Stirred | Jul 03, 2012 12:53pm | #9

   (Last Pic)  Beautiful.  What kind of wood is that?

1. 
   swenson | Jul 03, 2012 03:25pm | #10

   What kind of wood

   Here in Loudoun County Virginia most horse farms are fenced in with oak boards, painted black. This table, made for my son, was made from reclaimed oak fence boards that had been out in the weather for years before being torn down. My son wanted a reclaimed , rough look so the challenge was to joint one side just enough to leave some of the weathered look and places where horses chewed on the edges, yet level enough so the boards could come together edge to edge without too much hill and valley. This is hard to do if you are used to grain-matching perfection-seeking OCD-woodworking. Once enough imperfections were left I ran the other side of each board thru a planner and took it down to a consistent thickness for each board, a bit over 3/4 of an inch if I remember. The legs came from a torn down barn in Shenandoah Valley.

   I made another one like this out of reclaimed cherry for myself. I'll post pix later.

   I had the oak table finished by a professional to match exactly what my son wanted, the first time I have not done it myself.  I did put an oil finish on the cherry one I made for myself.

1. 
   swenson | Jul 03, 2012 03:49pm | #11

   Reclaimed cherry

   pix of the table you liked before finish.  pix of the reclaimed cherry table top with Tried & True oil varnish finish, about five coats, still holding up with lots of use in kitchen where we mostly eat (cause it's closer to the food).

   
2. 
   Westchester | Jul 03, 2012 04:43pm | #12

   Fence Boards

   I hope my neighbor doesn't notice his oak fence disappearing tonight-

   Happy 4th -

   SA

3. 
   Shaken_not_Stirred | Jul 03, 2012 06:29pm | #13

   Oak surprised me

   The pic is pretty small so I really could not tell to much about the wood in the picture.  I particularly loved the deep color, which I don't see in Oak very often.  I actually have never liked Oak, just not much character in teh grain, call me wrong. So often it is finished blonde.  Of course I think white oak is much more comon than red oak and this likely explains my thoughts about the blonde finish.   Love your table, is it red oak?.

1. 
   roc | Jul 03, 2012 08:25pm | #14

   Click Click

   >pic is pretty small<

   Click on the little pic

   Then click on the square with arrows pointing out that will enlarge it even more.

   You can even enlarge it further using your key board commands or touch pad commands.

   PS: on the second two pics that I posted those filled my whole screen but here it looks smaller.  If you click on the box with arrows you will see what I am on my screen.

   
2. 
   swenson | Jul 04, 2012 01:10am | #15

   is it red oak?.

   Shaken-n-s I'm tempted to say no, it's black oak, cause when I bought it it was painted black. I don't like oak much either and I don't know much about it. All the very first pix I posted were of these same boards and you can see they look pretty white under the dozens of eight foot tubes lighting my shop. (most of the tubes are blue white color temp) My son, on a visit down from Maine, saw tables exactly like this one in a shop that made furniture from reclaimed wood. I got them to sell me a load of the fence rails so I could make one for him. They had skimmed them a little to remove a bit of the paint with a planner, dried them and put them thru metal detectors. (TSA does that to me every time I fly, but that is another story). Because his wife loved the tables in the store exactly the way they were finished I got the owner to give me the name of his finish guy. After I built the table I gave it to the pro and he did it the same way he did the ones in the store. I think some tint was added but I can’t remember exactly what was involved. I just remember it cost a lot. I have built saw horses out of red oak but that's about all till this table. Maybe someone else can tell which oak it is by looking at the pix.

   roc Good to see you posting. My guess is that your home was spared and the Waldo Canyon fire missed you. I've been off the air because of a massive power outage in the DC MD VA area with over 1 1/2 million homes dark. After 48 hours we went out of town, checked into a hotel, went to dinner and got a call that the lights were back on. We never even went into our room, just came home and started throwing out food.

   Westchester Don't take those boards. Your neighbor could be armed and... oh wait... NY - Bloomberg - NoGunsAllowed...never mind.

1. 
   roc | Jul 04, 2012 04:06am | #16

   Yes Thanks

   Raining and cool here.  Finally ! (after more than three hundred families lost their homes and all their possessions )

   I am not saying that is the end of it.  What I mean is it is just the beginning of the hot season here, July, and there are plenty of ignorant savages throwing cigarette buts out of their car windows envisioning them selves looking just like Marlboro man.  Living free and riding the range (in their Yugos).

   Ah guys . . . it is called an ash tray.  Get a clue.

   Sorry to hear you have hard ship of your own.  Glad you were able to get back home sooner rather than later.

2. 
   swenson | Jul 04, 2012 07:48am | #17

   Marlboro man

   It's more like living free and dying of cancer.

   I saw the NBC Nightly News piece last night on the parade you folks gave the fire fighters to thank them. They are right up there with our troops in Afghanistan in my book. So sad about the C130 crew.

   Hardship? Having to toss freezer and ice box food is nothing compared to facing hundred foot high walls of flame, not to mention the smoke and the fear.

3. 
   Westchester | Jul 04, 2012 01:29pm | #18

   Those Boards

   Swen -

   Bloomberg doesn't like guns or soda - but he gave one Son a gun  (NYPD) - can't say anything bad about my Son's Boss ! -

   Who knows - he may be President someday -

   SA

4. 
   swenson | Jul 04, 2012 03:18pm | #19

   NYPD

   A great big "thank you for your service" to your son as well.  Happy 4th !

7. 
   Frozen | Jul 04, 2012 03:20pm | #20

   My brother has had great success filling voids and cracks with pewter. He fills them with pewter melted on the stove top in a small cast iron pot. He pours in the pewter after the board is levelled with the router (although it's probably softer than aluminum, so it might not make a difference). He's done this mostly with exotic crotches and burls used as tabletops.