Well, hi all. I thought I'd exercise a little more of NCWW, get some help and generate some discussion. (Here's another place I could use some help: http://ncwoodworker.net/forums/f29/grill-case-32273/ .)
As already has been said several times :eusa_danc, yesterday's Picnic was great and sucessful and much fun! It was also a place where we could find some nice work already completed and some nice wood just begging to be purchased. In my case, I couldn't resist the 2" maple slab that Chris Brittain (CB Burls) brought with him. And even my wife has gotten over the initial shock :icon_cheers -- it's really a BIG pill! I haven't figured out yet how to embed the pics in my post, so you can see a few (4) here: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showphoto.php?photo=47730
The slab is 2" by 6 feet by 28" wide and, per Chris, is at about 18% moisture content. I have it in my wood shelter (a dismantled and reassembled steel carport) right now, but will move it into my shop to continue air drying right away (maybe today even -- believe it or not, I actually have A spot to put it -- but only one!). The pics show the slab and several closeups. It's some type of maple (I'm trying to learn what) with fascinating figure that features quilting throughout (top to bottom across the entire slab) along with several other interesting markings (I'll eventually find out how much is surface and how much is grain).
So what I'm trying to do now, is decide what to do with it. The first and obvious choice is a really nice table. I even have some large cherry or black walnut that could make marvelous legs. Frankly, I'd hate to cut it up, but one big table could instead be some incredible matched veneers that would go a LOT farther. I've already got some great black walnut slices I've done for my other big current project (the "grill case"). And with this size of wood, it could also be cut for one or more smaller tables. Let me know what you think -- I'm pretty much open on this one with the big table now at the top.
And then there would be the actual working of the piece. I'll get it cleaned up better when I can and it's dried a little more. I've only done table tops or similar work maybe up to half this size before, so that's a bit of a challenge. No problems with straight edges and winding sticks. How to get there -- well, that's open. I don't have a powered hand-planer and I don't really want to be that agressive. I've used a belt sander, so that's an option, as would be setting up a leveling frame for a router. Hand planing? Maybe some, but's that's not what I want. But I'm definitely open on this one. I don't have real concerns about messing it up, but I do want almost all of that 2" thickness if it's to be a table(s). I'm not concerned about final finish because that's what I do -- that's my special area to play with :widea: -- it's looking like tung oil or some derivative at this point.
Since air drying will take some time, I'm in no rush -- I do have a few other things to do. :tinysmile_tongue_t:
Rich
As already has been said several times :eusa_danc, yesterday's Picnic was great and sucessful and much fun! It was also a place where we could find some nice work already completed and some nice wood just begging to be purchased. In my case, I couldn't resist the 2" maple slab that Chris Brittain (CB Burls) brought with him. And even my wife has gotten over the initial shock :icon_cheers -- it's really a BIG pill! I haven't figured out yet how to embed the pics in my post, so you can see a few (4) here: http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/showphoto.php?photo=47730
The slab is 2" by 6 feet by 28" wide and, per Chris, is at about 18% moisture content. I have it in my wood shelter (a dismantled and reassembled steel carport) right now, but will move it into my shop to continue air drying right away (maybe today even -- believe it or not, I actually have A spot to put it -- but only one!). The pics show the slab and several closeups. It's some type of maple (I'm trying to learn what) with fascinating figure that features quilting throughout (top to bottom across the entire slab) along with several other interesting markings (I'll eventually find out how much is surface and how much is grain).
So what I'm trying to do now, is decide what to do with it. The first and obvious choice is a really nice table. I even have some large cherry or black walnut that could make marvelous legs. Frankly, I'd hate to cut it up, but one big table could instead be some incredible matched veneers that would go a LOT farther. I've already got some great black walnut slices I've done for my other big current project (the "grill case"). And with this size of wood, it could also be cut for one or more smaller tables. Let me know what you think -- I'm pretty much open on this one with the big table now at the top.
And then there would be the actual working of the piece. I'll get it cleaned up better when I can and it's dried a little more. I've only done table tops or similar work maybe up to half this size before, so that's a bit of a challenge. No problems with straight edges and winding sticks. How to get there -- well, that's open. I don't have a powered hand-planer and I don't really want to be that agressive. I've used a belt sander, so that's an option, as would be setting up a leveling frame for a router. Hand planing? Maybe some, but's that's not what I want. But I'm definitely open on this one. I don't have real concerns about messing it up, but I do want almost all of that 2" thickness if it's to be a table(s). I'm not concerned about final finish because that's what I do -- that's my special area to play with :widea: -- it's looking like tung oil or some derivative at this point.
Since air drying will take some time, I'm in no rush -- I do have a few other things to do. :tinysmile_tongue_t:
Rich
I have the same problem. Just can't seem to cut into a nice slab like that. :no: I've only been faced with that one time and ended up making a table out of it. :gar-La;
