Building a slab table...

[Backwoods]

Great post.
Nothing like showing off the character of the wood in a natural way like that.
A table like that will last a lifetime and then some.
Thanks for showing all the steps in detail.

 

[MNTAINGAL23]

That's beautiful! Hubby and I plan on making some slab tables from some cedar we milled. Hope ours turns out as nice as yours. Thanks for the post.

 

[pastryguyhawaii]

Very nice work! I'm quite primitive compared to you but I'm interested in your finishing method. I've started using Danish or Teak oil because it goes in the wood and you can still feel the grain. Could you go over the steps you use and how you maintain the finish once it's done?
Thanks,
Jeff

 

[deeker]

AWB, don't let it go to your head. But great pics and project. Thanks for taking the time to post 'em! And remember, Go BYU!!!!

Keep up the great work and pics.

Kevin Davis

 

[Stihl-in-Ky]

Looks realy great thanks for sharing.

 

[aquan8tor]

A little off the top...

Rough slab.

Some nice ray fleck. The saw marks were taken out using a combination of grinders /w sanding disks, belt sanders and random orbit sanders.

Flattening the legs with a router...
I probably won't be using the chainsaw method again. This worked much better than I expected on this scale. The last time I did this with a router I used a bit half the size in a much smaller router. Here I used a 1" bit in a 3.25 HP router.

How did you cut the slabs for the legs? Just curious, as I'm going to be doing a coffee table this summer for my lady friend out of a walnut crotch I milled a couple summers ago. A radial arm saw doesn't have quite the length of cut needed to square the 20-24" wide bottom & top edges. Just curious. I was going to kinda eyeball the first cut with the chainsaw, then scribe a line & cut it on a bandsaw.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

How did you cut the slabs for the legs? Just curious, as I'm going to be doing a coffee table this summer for my lady friend out of a walnut crotch I milled a couple summers ago. A radial arm saw doesn't have quite the length of cut needed to square the 20-24" wide bottom & top edges. Just curious. I was going to kinda eyeball the first cut with the chainsaw, then scribe a line & cut it on a bandsaw.

My guess is a crosscut sled on a table saw. I have one built for mine but the fence isn't quite square and the dang plywood base warped :bang: . I'll post some pics this evening if Aggie hasn't done so already.

Ian

 

[dbol]

Thanks for the great pics and your knowledge. I am a tile /flooring guy that loves other people skills. Great work. by the way My wife bought a table from the amish for a ridiculous price last year. yours I am guessing will sell for in the 3000-5000 range. You can laugh at me if I am off base.

 

[Dai Sensei]

Great looking table Aggie

 

[rxe]

I use a Whiteside inlay kit. It has a matched bit and bushings so you use the same template for both the mortise and inlay.

Thanks! I never cease to be amazed at what a router can do......

 

[TNMIKE]

Killer Work

Very nice indeed

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Thanks again folks...

Very nice work! I'm quite primitive compared to you but I'm interested in your finishing method. I've started using Danish or Teak oil because it goes in the wood and you can still feel the grain. Could you go over the steps you use and how you maintain the finish once it's done?
Thanks,
Jeff

I've used Waterlox finishes for some time now and I'm pleased with them. It's a wipe-on tung oil / varnish blend and application is about as easy as you can get. The first coat I apply liberally, let it sit for a few minutes the wipe it off. Depending on the wood you may have to wipe several more times as porous woods tend to weep back out for a few hours. The next few coats I wet sand with the varnish and waterproof sand paper and wipe as described above. This creates a slurry of varnish and wood that fills any remaining open pores. Once the surface is smooth to my satisfaction, I'll apply a few more coats until I achieve a consistent sheen. It typically fully cures in a few weeks but the piece can be used (carefully) in a day or two. Spot repairs are easy as wipe and buff.

How did you cut the slabs for the legs? Just curious, as I'm going to be doing a coffee table this summer for my lady friend out of a walnut crotch I milled a couple summers ago. A radial arm saw doesn't have quite the length of cut needed to square the 20-24" wide bottom & top edges. Just curious. I was going to kinda eyeball the first cut with the chainsaw, then scribe a line & cut it on a bandsaw.

Circle saw w/ a good blade and a straight edge.

Thanks for the great pics and your knowledge. I am a tile /flooring guy that loves other people skills. Great work. by the way My wife bought a table from the amish for a ridiculous price last year. yours I am guessing will sell for in the 3000-5000 range. You can laugh at me if I am off base.

Good guess.

 

[Backwood]

AWWWWESOME

 

[Neubauer6]

Just a question, how does the top fasten to the legs? Excellent work by the way!

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Circle saw w/ a good blade and a straight edge.



Good guess.

I guess my guess wasn't such a good guess... LOL Just got home and it's too late for me to go take pictures of my warped sled with the 87.3º fence anyway.

Ian

 

[Trigger-Time]

aggie, I'm very, very IMPRESSED!

bout what's size of the top?

Gary

 

[Bushler]

Aggie, I'm real interested in how the insets will work for stabilizing such a big piece of wood. Specialy since you've 'straddled' the heart check.

I gave up on trying to work slabs like that. Ended up resawing the slabs into smaller pieces then drilling and bolting the pieces togeather. A pluged hole under the top gave me access to the nuts so I could tighten the parts as they continued to shrink/expand. Edge banding to hide the through holes.


Nice shop!

 

[aggiewoodbutchr]

Just a question, how does the top fasten to the legs? Excellent work by the way!

I epoxied threaded inserts into the bottom of the slab and bolt through the legs and stretchers. I'll post more pics of this later.

aggie, I'm very, very IMPRESSED!

bout what's size of the top?


Gary

38"-42" x 100"

Aggie, I'm real interested in how the insets will work for stabilizing such a big piece of wood. Specialy since you've 'straddled' the heart check.

I gave up on trying to work slabs like that. Ended up resawing the slabs into smaller pieces then drilling and bolting the pieces togeather. A pluged hole under the top gave me access to the nuts so I could tighten the parts as they continued to shrink/expand. Edge banding to hide the through holes.


Nice shop!

The inlays prevent the checks from opening any further. I allow for overall shrinkage and seasonal movement in the base attachment to prevent any new checks from opening.

 

[Adkpk]

but there is a good bit of my sweat in that wood. I hadn't decided if I should charge extra for it yet...

Oh, ya!

Nice table "woodbutcher". Very interesting thread.

 

[pastryguyhawaii]

I've used Waterlox finishes for some time now and I'm pleased with them. It's a wipe-on tung oil / varnish blend and application is about as easy as you can get. The first coat I apply liberally, let it sit for a few minutes the wipe it off. Depending on the wood you may have to wipe several more times as porous woods tend to weep back out for a few hours. The next few coats I wet sand with the varnish and waterproof sand paper and wipe as described above. This creates a slurry of varnish and wood that fills any remaining open pores. Once the surface is smooth to my satisfaction, I'll apply a few more coats until I achieve a consistent sheen. It typically fully cures in a few weeks but the piece can be used (carefully) in a day or two. Spot repairs are easy as wipe and buff.

Thanks for the info. I don't see the Waterlox out here but I think the teak oil I use is a similar product. What grit of sandpaper do you use for the wet sanding? And are the coats after that just wiped on? I'm just getting started so it's a big help to see what you and others are doing. Do you ever work with kiawe (mesquite)? It's a bit on the hard side but I like the way it looks. Keep posting your work.