Table Top

[B-Edwards]

Guys, now and then i cut very large oak trees, I've always wanted to make a solid table top out of a slice. Can it be done? I figured it would split apart pretty quick. I have done some chainsaw carving and noticed i had to seal whatever i carved fast or it would split/bust apart. Has anyone done this? or opinions please. Thanks

 

[Ianab]

Nope.. dont think it's going to work as a slice

Although.. you can try soaking the whole thing in PEG wood stabiliser.

Or cutting several consecutive slabs and cutting them into pie shapes, then letting them dry and join them up again.

Cutting the slices lengthwise does work though, as long as you like square / rectangle tables.

Cheers

Ian

 

[brian660]

I made our dining room table out of two slabs of 2 inch thick oak, I sealed all of the edges not just the ends and kept it under a piece of plywood with cinder blocks on top, what cracking I did get I filled and sanded with clear acrylic, I actually don`t mind the cracks though, gives the table character.

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Are you asking about a length-wise slab or a cross-cut cookie?

I have a barn 1/2" full of slabs (and more to come) but it can be a crap-shoot on how bad they'll check. The first thing you MUST do is seal the end ASAP, ie as soon as you cut it the log. Once a tiny check starts, it's nearly impossible to stop it. I've noticed flat sawn slabs tend check less than quarter or rift sawn slabs but they are difficult to keep flat. The number one thing you can do to increase the chances of success is to insure the slabs dry SLOWLY. Don't get impatient or you will end up with kindling. Bottom line is they will most likely warp and check to some degree so you need to plan for it. I typically cut wide slabs 2 1/2" thick if I want 1 3/4"-+ thick finished tops. As brian066 said, the checks can be dealt with in a number of ways and most folks will over look them when they see a table top made from a single slice from a tree.

I haven't tried PEG (polyethylene glycol) yet but it is on my list of things to experiment with. Here's a little info on it.
http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplrn/fplrn006.pdf
http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Using_PEG_for_dimensional_stability.html
http://firstgovsearch.gov/search?v:...v:project=firstgov&query=polyethylene glycol&

The cookie thing sounds interesting. I've seen it done before so it is possible but probably not easy. I can think of one in a building on the Texas A&M campus that's about 8' in diameter. I have a plain, straight 40" water oak log I'm considering cutting diagonally to make it more interesting. If I go that route I'll post what I learn about it here.

 

[rb_in_va]

I made our dining room table out of two slabs of 2 inch thick oak, I sealed all of the edges not just the ends and kept it under a piece of plywood with cinder blocks on top, what cracking I did get I filled and sanded with clear acrylic, I actually don`t mind the cracks though, gives the table character.

Oh, you gotta post pics of that! What a tease!

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Oh, you gotta post pics of that! What a tease!

No joke! How 'bout 'em? opcorn: opcorn:

 

[woodshop]

I have a barn 1/2" full of slabs (and more to come) but it can be a crap-shoot on how bad they'll check. The first thing you MUST do is seal the end ASAP, ie as soon as you cut it the log. Once a tiny check starts, it's nearly impossible to stop it. I've noticed flat sawn slabs tend check less than quarter or rift sawn slabs but they are difficult to keep flat. The number one thing you can do to increase the chances of success is to insure the slabs dry SLOWLY. Don't get impatient or you will end up with kindling. Bottom line is they will most likely warp and check to some degree so you need to plan for it. I typically cut wide slabs 2 1/2" thick if I want 1 3/4"-+ thick finished tops. As brian066 said, the checks can be dealt with in a number of ways and most folks will over look them when they see a table top made from a single slice from a tree.

Pretty much exactly what I would have siad, but aggie beat me too it. (boy is he fast...

 

[Adkpk]

I slabbed up a white oak 2" thick. Used for a bridge deck. I dried it over the winter, stacked and stickered but I didn't coat the ends. They are still outside on the bridge with very little cracking, three years later. I don't have any pics but I think you can do it. Red oak splits a lot easier.

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Pretty much exactly what I would have siad, but aggie beat me too it. (boy is he fast...

Yep! Fastest keyboard in the west!:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[B-Edwards]

Cookie style is what I'd like to do, just dont see how it can be done. I've had oak busting on me as soon as its cut. The carving that I've done has all been pine,it too will split if notsealed very soon after its exsposed. Thanks for replies.

 

[woodshop]

I have had success with keeping small "cookies" of various woods from cracking and giving me a complete full dry crack-free cookie eventually. But thats the catch, heavy on that word "eventually". Way I did it was dip the whole cookie in wax, sealing it, and then setting it on the shelf and forgetting about it. Done that with up to 7 inch cookies in birch and sassafras. But a cookie big enough for a table, don't think so. Ianab had the best shot I think, cover the whole thing in PEG but logistically that would be tough to do depending on how large this table is. They do sell PEG in 55 gal drums.

Another thing I have seen done is to bandsaw a nice neat strait cut from the outside to the center of the tree when wet. Kindof preempting the cracking. It will then shrink and that crack will widen till dry. You can then work a wooden wedge the exact size of that "crack" into the pie, giving you a solid cookie for your table.

 

[dustytools]

OK guys I dont want to sound stupid but ive never heard the term cookie used before. Can someone enlighten me? Thanks.

 

[woodshop]

OK guys I dont want to sound stupid but ive never heard the term cookie used before. Can someone enlighten me? Thanks.

Take a firewood log, and instead of cutting it into 16-18 inch firewood sized lengths, only cut 2-3 inches off the end of the log. Around here we call them "cookies". I guess because they look like a big wooden cookie? At any rate, they will inevitably develop a big crack as the wood dries and shrinks.

 

[dustytools]

Thanks woodshop. Im gonna guess that you would have to have a very large log.

 

[woodshop]

Thanks woodshop. Im gonna guess that you would have to have a very large log.

...well not necessarily, I've cut cookies off of a 4 inch dia sassafras branch and used them for coasters after they dried. I've also sliced a cookie off of a 36 dia oak log, and after it dried (and neatly cracked), flattened it with a sliding router jig, sanded to 400 grit and oiled it, and I plan on hanging it on the wall. I know, not a lot of people have wooden cookies hanging on their wall, but I just like looking at the rings, the grain patterns. Fortunately, the wife does also

 

[B-Edwards]

Thanks Woodshop, I also wanted to ask you ,What's the largest sassafras you have seen? I cut one here about 7 years ago that was around 50 feet tall and about 14 dbh. Everyone i showed it to here thought i was a liar that it couldnt possibly be Sassafras. I have never smelled anything like Sassafras and the leaves are distinct, so until an expert tells me I'm wrong .........

 

[woodshop]

Thanks Woodshop, I also wanted to ask you ,What's the largest sassafras you have seen? I cut one here about 7 years ago that was around 50 feet tall and about 14 dbh. Everyone i showed it to here thought i was a liar that it couldnt possibly be Sassafras. I have never smelled anything like Sassafras and the leaves are distinct, so until an expert tells me I'm wrong .........

They don't get too big here in PA, but once in a while conditions are right and we run into one thats 50-60 ft tall and a good 16 in dia. Much of the sassafras here consists of understory trees, small, less than 12 inches dbh. Jumped on the national register of big trees though just for fun and looked up sassafras, turns out the biggest one they know about is in Kentucky.

http://www.americanforests.org/resources/bigtrees/register.php?details=697

271 inches in circumference!!! .... if I did the math right, thats around 7 ft in dia!! Sheeeeesh... might not have done the math right.

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Cookie style is what I'd like to do, just dont see how it can be done. I've had oak busting on me as soon as its cut. The carving that I've done has all been pine,it too will split if notsealed very soon after its exsposed. Thanks for replies.

I did some reading on PEG stabilization and it seem to be the way to go for cookies. PEG stabilizes the cell walls of green wood before they shrink and nearly eliminated the problems associated with drying. Bruce Hoadley has a section on it in his book, Understanding Wood, that explains the process quite well.

 

[B-Edwards]

Thanks Aggie

 

[aquan8tor]

I did some reading on PEG stabilization and it seem to be the way to go for cookies. PEG stabilizes the cell walls of green wood before they shrink and nearly eliminated the problems associated with drying. Bruce Hoadley has a section on it in his book, Understanding Wood, that explains the process quite well.

I understand the concept of PEG stabilization, and a little of the process, but I don't have the book. How do most people go about the PEG solution as far as storing it--I know it takes several weeks in most cases, maybe longer.

Is there any reason not to use something like a big under-bed storage bin---the large, shallow heavy-duty rubbermaid tubs---?? You could even seal the lid with something like duct tape to prohibit evaporation. I know the tubs are strong enough to hold water long-term; I've used them for aquarium-related processes (I used to have a little coral propagation setup).