I have a large slab of cherry wood which I want to make a headboard of. I want to keep it as natural as possible. It has the bark still on the sides and I would like to keep this. What is the best way to do this, take it off carefully and then glue it back on or what? The slab is 4 feet by 2 feet by 1 1/2 inches. Thanks in advance for help that anyone may have.
Discussion Forum
Get It All!
UNLIMITED Membership is like taking a master class in woodworking for less than $10 a month.
Start Your Free TrialCategories
Discussion Forum
Digital Plans Library
Member exclusive! – Plans for everyone – from beginners to experts – right at your fingertips.
Highlights
-
Shape Your Skills
when you sign up for our emails
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. -
Shop Talk Live Podcast -
Our favorite articles and videos -
E-Learning Courses from Fine Woodworking
-
-
Replies
The tightness of the bark depends in large part to the time of year when the tree was cut - unless the bark is loose already, (if it's not loose, I don't know of any way to 'carefully' remove it) I'd leave it alone except to remove scales that would snag fabric; then finish it as the rest of the board -
When i worked for a burl clock and table business, some species of wood were almost unsalable without their bark, like cottonwood. So it if fell off, we'd mix up a batch of polyester resin, glue the bark back on and fix it with finishing nails. Once driven below the bark, it closes in and you can't tell they're there. You can use the same resin to coat the back of the piece, with either the fiber glass matting sold for body work or the low-tech alternative, FG insulation, used as reinforcement. It is NOT pretty on the back side, but it works great.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled