I have a couple slabs that I intend to make a computer desk out of. They were milled up a couple months ago and still have a decent amount of drying to go.
What I am wondering is if I can flatten them to quite a bit thicker than the final size so I can use the table for now and then once they have fully dried in a year or two flatten the, down to final size. Does anyone see any big issues with this approach. I am aware they will still warp and crack a bit in the drying process which is why I don’t plan on filling any of the voids until they are fully dry.
For reference they are maple burl slabs and each slab is approx 2′ x 3′ x 2.5″ thick. The final plan is to bookmatch them but I figured that would create some issues if I did it prematurely.
Looking forward to everyone’s input
Replies
Probably not a bad plan. After rough flattening, I would seal the end grain (if such there is on the burl) or the whole edge if there is no particular direction to the grain. This will reduce any checking around the edge, saving you work later. You can get some idea of what the slabs will do by what they have already done as far as warping or twisting. You can also screw a couple battens to the bottom of the slabs to temporarily join them together; this will also help them dry flatter. Good luck! It's a great time in woodworking history to have wood with lots of character and defects (some think those two are identical!)
Depends on how much material you are thinking on removing. The thicker they remain, the flatter they will stay as they dry. Thinner slabs will dry quicker but run the risk going out of flat -- which might compromise the final width you want. There might not be a right answer here.
The most conservative approach is to let them dry for 2.5 years and then work with properly dried and stable slabs that stand a good chance of staying flat after they have been milled down and finished.
I see no reason not to use the slabs as they dry as long as they are well supported. Even very thick timbers will bend under their own weight.
I took a sample of a 3.5"×11"×6' walnut board from a yard to show a client samples for a table build. She took a week and a half to choose the walnut. The yard had put it aside for me but not flat. I had to remove a 1/4" bow and some twist from what was a dead flat board.
I'm going to dissent. You want boards to dry evenly from both sides. A bunch of boards, stickered, dry evenly. With two slabs, I would have stickers, slab, stickers, slab, another board or plywood on top. The top board or slab keeps the top slab from losing moisture too fast on its upper surface.
Using the slab while it's pretty freshly cut means it will not lose moisture evenly, and be more prone to cup. With a single wet board, I stand them upright on the long edge.
I wouldn't use it until it was ready.
Wow, great responses everyone.
I'm going to have a very close look at these slabs and if it looks like I can get them flat while still being 2"+ then I'll go for it. If not, I'll just sand them up as is and at least have a mostly functional surface. Either way, I will make sure they are well supported and not fully secured so that the wood has room to move.
I know patience is supposed to be the name of the game here but I live in an apartment and space is an issue.
Whenever I see someone wanting to do something like this, I have to ask “why not veneer?”
The future risks of the slab going wonky is pretty high. No?
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled