# New years resolution



## sachsmo (Jan 2, 2011)

Well since I learned all I know about milling from this site, figured I better post a pic of the slab milled up last September.

We milled up a 38"-30" standing dead Red Oak, The owner got 4 nice slabs and two crown cuts (he used the crown cuts to make some awesome benches)

They were 3.125 inch thick and 18 feet long, we had to cut them 9 feet to lift them!

My mill would only go a bit over 28 inchs so we free handed quite a bit off the sides.

He is making a bar for his basement, and insisted I take a slab home. My slab has been leaning against the wall since.

So new years morning I went out and cleaned up a little, mounted my brackets and proceeded to belt sand all the "washboard" out of it.

Wow, the spalting and figure is amazing, I am off to find some Danish oil to make it really pop.

Will post a few pics of it after oiling, heck it looks preety good in the buff.

Check it out;


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## Beefie (Jan 2, 2011)

That is a chunk of wood , sure will be a nice work bench top. Can't wait to see what it looks like sealed.


Beefie


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## sachsmo (Jan 2, 2011)

First coat of Danish oil,

Those spalted places sure do suck that stuff up, not bad for the first coat if I do say so myself.

Out to the shed to give it some more in those spongy places.

enjoy,


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## Timberframed (Jan 2, 2011)

Yonga! That's a nice piece of Oak. Good job.


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## sachsmo (Jan 2, 2011)

Here's a few after I wiped the oil off, I was thinking of topping it with Spar.

They have been using it for years on boats, so it should take quite a bit of abuse.

Any other ideas for the top coat? (Remember this is a work bench and will get the crap scraped out of it)


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## Timberframed (Jan 2, 2011)

If it's to be a workbench then I would only apply a rubbed on oil finish. Any shellacs, varnishes, lacquers will chip over use/time creating an eyesore in respect to the natural beauty.


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## sachsmo (Jan 2, 2011)

Yep it's a workbench, 6 hours of sanding, and buffing with steel wool, an hour or two to finish, and buff.

And I got bar oil on it for my favorite millin' saws photo op!

Some day i will take a few of my orange (not Hemi orange) millin' machines.

Gotta love them old 6 cubers


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## sachsmo (Jan 2, 2011)

Timberframed said:


> If it's to be a workbench then I would only apply a rubbed on oil finish. Any shellacs, varnishes, lacquers will chip over use/time creating an eyesore in respect to the natural beauty.


 
Tung oil?

My Wife used that on our Oak floors at the old place, It held up very well and would cover scratches pretty good too.


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## Timberframed (Jan 2, 2011)

Tung oil is a good candidate for what intentions you have. Wax on wax off. Very durable. Future go applications go unnoticed.


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## BobL (Jan 2, 2011)

Nice looking piece of wood there.

As far as a finish goes, you might as well put bar oil on it because that's what will end up covering it.


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## fiasco (Jan 2, 2011)

If that's a work bench, I'd love to see the fine furniture! Looks GREAT, would love to have that as a bar or table!


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## mikeb1079 (Jan 2, 2011)

nice work sach. slab looks great in the sunlight like that. good stuff!


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## betterbuilt (Jan 2, 2011)

Nice Slab. Tung Oil is nice for shop tops. I have it on an elm slab and its holding up pretty good after two years.


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## sachsmo (Jan 3, 2011)

I put some tung oil on it this afternoon, will give 'er 5 or six coats and buff between.


Here's my orange millin saws, I need a 34" .375 110 link bar to put em on the mill.


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## sachsmo (Jan 4, 2011)




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## Cowboy Billy (Jan 6, 2011)

Thats beautiful. Great job!

Billy


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## sachsmo (Jan 23, 2011)

Got my 50" Cannon last week, it came with a squre ground chain that is, uhhhhhhh,
Razor sharp!

I will get a few loops of millin' chain, make some longer rails fer me mill, and go after a big knarly burl I pass on my way to work every day.

I might take a few slabs off a giant Hackberry, before I take it out, with this set-up.





Every body knows how badd them lil' Macs are!


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## Timberframed (Jan 23, 2011)

Like the looks of that bar. Means freakin' business. Not for the faint at heart. My setup scares people who are not familiar.


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## Garmins dad (Jan 24, 2011)

Very nice bench top.. I would love that in my house..


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## sachsmo (Jan 29, 2011)

See,


It takes 200cc to hold that bar up! I will take them big dawgs off when it's on the mill, saw came without spikes so I made my own. You could say they are one of a kind eh?


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## Thorcw (Jan 29, 2011)

Are they even useable with those curls top and bottom?


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## sachsmo (Jan 29, 2011)

Thorcw said:


> Are they even useable with those curls top and bottom?


 
You have never cut with the top of the bar?


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## Thorcw (Jan 29, 2011)

I mean are the falling spike functional?


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## NORMZILLA44 (Jan 1, 2012)

Just a work bench, yeah a bad ASS!!!!!! Work bench:msp_thumbsup: Thats a nice piece of wood dude And you know I am a fan of your saws, they really make the bench what it is:msp_thumbup:


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## RedArrow (Jan 1, 2012)

I love that slab! I have a log about that size that I'm excited to open up once I get my 42"bar. Thanks for all the pics!


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## bryanr2 (Jan 1, 2012)

BEAUTIFUL piece of wood and your craftmanship with the finish! I'd leave it for a place to display the saws or drink a cold one when out in the shop. Too nice to work on. Great job. Wish it was mine.


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## Timberframed (Jan 1, 2012)

That is a great work indeed. I can't wait to replace the plywood top for the turret radial saw's bench, solid piece of Red oak 22' x 2' x 2". For a resolution I will try to find out how to jam up the computers that keep sending me these junk e-mails! Can't they figure out that someone like me isn't even remotely interested in any of the dung they keep trying to push on us? It has reeked havoc on two of my pc's. 200 cc's do tell more.


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## sachsmo (Jan 1, 2012)

Thanks Guys,

It IS a workbench.

Holding up rather well after a year of abuse.

Lots of room to set a cold one down!


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## Talltom (Jan 2, 2012)

Hey Sachsmo, a beautiful workbench like that deserves a better beer than Busch! I did not see any spalting in the original photos - it looks pretty solid all the way through. There is a lot of the pith in the center - has that started to separate or crack at all? 

Timberframed - That slab will make a beautiful bench top, but how are you going to dry it and keep it flat? Seems like alignment would be critical for a saw bench. You may want to consider putting the slab slightly below the height you want and using small stickers every couple feet to bring the wood you're sawing up to the proper height. The stickers could be easliy adjusted over time to make up for any movement in the slab.


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## Old Blue (Jan 2, 2012)

*Great looking workbench Sachsmo*

Those must be some beefy brackets holding that up. It sure looks like your finish is a great choice and is holding up well. Thats a great looking piece of wood, I want one!

Old Blue
Taxed to infinity.......and beyond! in
Kali-bone-ya


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## Timberframed (Jan 3, 2012)

Talltom, I was going to router plane it then immediately add a bunch of 3" angle iron pieces bolted to the underside. Like every 20".


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## betterbuilt (Jan 3, 2012)

Timberframed said:


> Talltom, I was going to router plane it then immediately add a bunch of 3" angle iron pieces bolted to the underside. Like every 20".



With the angle I'm seeing big Black stains. 


I was using a peice of walnut outside for a temporary table. I left some bent nails and other stuff on it and it rained. The next morning there were big black stains(not rust stains).


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## Talltom (Jan 3, 2012)

The angle iron should keep it from cupping, but not sure how it would stop twist or bow. I added a base cabinet and top to the left of my radial arm saw to support long boards a couple years ago. My saw is on legs and about 5 inches above normal counter height, so I had to raise the level of the supports above the top of the cabinet. I made two 3x3 beams which are hinged at the wall and supported above the counter top near the outside end with carriage bolts screwed into T nuts. They're adjustable on both ends and can be pivoted up and out of the way when not in use (though I seldom do this). This turned out to be beneficial for two reasons - It's easier to adjust a couple small pieces to be level with the saw table, and I don't have to remove all the crap that accumulates on any horizontal surface in my shop in order to use the saw. 

These issues will be even more important with the size slab you're going to use. So I amend my recommendation. Set the slab at least 3 inches below the level of the saw table and use temporary or permanent supports to raise long boards. This will allow easy adjustment should the slab move after installation as well as better use of the surface.


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## sachsmo (Jan 4, 2012)

I used one piece of 80 grit on a 3x21 belt sander?


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