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slab coffee table

Started by metalspinner, July 17, 2007, 10:53:31 AM

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metalspinner

Here is a coffee table I've been working on.  Finally got it moved into the house.  It is 5 1/2' long and 4' wide at its widest and about 2" thick.





Then cracks along the crotch areas are filled with black epoxy.  Legs are 12/4 walnut.
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

jpgreen

-95 Wood-Mizer LT40HD 27 Hp Kawasaki water cooled engine-

Sprucegum


breederman


cool-a-reno :)  Very nice!
Together we got this !

blaze83

DanG  that is one cool table.... 8) 8) very nice job...is the slab walnut also?

blaze83
I'm always amazed that no matter how bad i screw up Jesus still loves me

Don K

Chris, is the top walnut also? Looks very nice. That's where a slabber comes in handy.  Don

Blaze83 beat me to the question by seconds, but it still stands. ;D
Lucky to own a WM LT40HDD35, blessed to have a wife that encouraged me to buy it.     Now that\'s true love!
Massey Ferguson 1547 FWD with FEL  06 GMC Sierra 2500HD 4X4 Dozer Retriever Husky 359 20\" Bar  Man, life is getting good!

metalspinner

Sorry, Guy's.
Yes, the slab is wanlut.  It was a three way crotch.  This is the smallest piece of the four slabs taken from it.
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

Tom

Wow!  That's beautiful.

Have you considered putting little knicknacs in the cracks and holes and then filling with clear epoxy?  You can use things like dry peas or beans, little toys like you used to get in Cracker Jacks or family momentos like Uncle Jack's belt buckle or the shotgun shell that shot your first turkey, or the hook that you used to catch that big bass, or maybe even a few buttons.

I sure wish we could come up with another name for the use of rustic pieces of wood like this.  Slab is beginning to get confusing.  It means to me the first slice off of a log.  It means to others a thick piece taken from a large log.  It means to a butcher a section of ribs.

I can understand a slab table being made from the waste of a log where the first cut was used for the top, but most of the tables today aren't usn't waste.  They are using specific cuts that require special tools and handcraft.  It takes a good eye and an artistic bent to create stuff like metalspinner's table and it seems we should come up with a special name for the piece of wood to justify the artistic effort.

Norm

That is beautiful MS.  :)

Is that cherry flooring underneath it?

metalspinner

Tom,
I have a "special" piece of walnut set aside for just such a project.  When Jim, my sawyer, opened up a 24" log for me once, he looked disappointed that the center six inches or so was rotted away.  You know, with the dust and carpenter ants flowing out.He looked confused when I looked so excited. :D  My plan is to infill it with some gravel on the bottom and a couple of glass trout and epoxy to make it look like a brook seen.  But that's a project for another day. :)

These cracks just were not wide enough to get to creative with.  I considered doing nothing with them, but I have lots of little fingers around here that would keep picking at the holes until some damage was done.

"Natural Edge" is another term for something like this, but it is still a kind of ho-hum way of labeling it.

Norm,
Yes, the floor is Brazilian Cherry.  My wife found an incredible deal on the internet somewhere.  It's a prefinished 3/4" solid wood floor.  We had an area rug in that spot under the old table, but it just didn't look right with this table.  Can you see how much lighter the floor is where the rug used to be? :D
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

LeeB

Beautiful table. I always like to see stuff made from the out of the ordinary. I expecially like to see "defects" incorporated in a piece. I try to do a lot of my designs to incorporate them and highlight them. I used to cut a lot of mesquite for a custom maker in Texas before I moved to Arkansas. Mesquite is very prone to defect and shake. He would often fill the voids with chips of turquois or other semi precios stones and clear epoxie. After sanding and finishing it was a very nice feature.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

SwampDonkey

Quote from: metalspinner on July 17, 2007, 05:52:02 PM
the floor is Brazilian Cherry.  My wife found an incredible deal on the internet somewhere.  It's a prefinished 3/4" solid wood floor. 

Jatoba or Brazilian Cherry (Hymenaea courbaril)

Did you know black cherry is found in Mexico and Guatemala as well?
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

SwampDonkey

Very nice work and wood in your coffee table.  8) Mom has a big burl made into a coffee table. I think it was yellow birch.  :)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

pigman

Wow. 8)  That table would hold a lot of coffee cups. Na, it is too pretty to put anything on it. :)


Bob
Things turn out best for people who make the best of how things turn out.

metalspinner

QuoteNa, it is too pretty to put anything on it.

Well, the inlaws are coming for a visit next week.  We will have 12 people in the house for 7 days.  I'm guessing it will get broken in. :-\

QuoteI used to cut a lot of mesquite for a custom maker in Texas

I wish we had mesquite here.  It is so beautiful.  I remember visiting furniture shops in south Texas and seeing amazingly beautiful things made from mesquite.  It has such a rustic look about it, but can be finished very formally.
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

Dodgy Loner

That is truly a work of art, MS!  Don't think we were going to let you out of here without telling us how you built it ;D.  What I really want to know is how you flattened such a wide piece of lumber.  I've got a 5' x 2' white oak crotch log that I'm having sawn up soon, and I've got just such a piece in mind, but I'm not sure what the best way to flatten it will be.
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

WDH

MS,

After seeing that table, I am ready to drink some coffee :D.  I love it 8). 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Paschale

Nice work!  That's just fantastic!   8) 8) 8) 8) 8)


Quote from: Dodgy Loner on July 17, 2007, 11:53:05 PM
That is truly a work of art, MS!  Don't think we were going to let you out of here without telling us how you built it ;D.  What I really want to know is how you flattened such a wide piece of lumber.  I've got a 5' x 2' white oak crotch log that I'm having sawn up soon, and I've got just such a piece in mind, but I'm not sure what the best way to flatten it will be.

As to how he flattened...I'm pretty sure I know that answer!   ;D

Check this link out.
Y'all can pronounce it "puh-SKOLLY"

Dodgy Loner

Well, heck, I've done that before!  I did it with a 4' by 14" slab, and it took forever ::).  I was hoping that MS had found a better way, but it looks like I'll be in for another long night of routing sometime in the future! :D
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

Tom

You could do it the Tom/redneck way.  drill a hole in the front, tie a rope to it and the other end of the rope to the back of a pickup and drag it down a sand road.  A little weight helps.  The weight cold be a kid that is interested in skate boards. :D

Dodgy Loner

Now that's the kind of ingenuity I was looking for, Tom! :D :D :D
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

Ianab

You can scale the router thing up as big as you need - I made a jig that mounts my big Makita router on the carriage of my mill. So it now has wheels plus side and height adjust from the mill. The big router bits cost a bit, but it does a good job. I can surface a dining sized table in about 1/2 an hour.

Some pics in this thread.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=11464.0



Cheers

Ian

P.S. - Thats one COOL piece of wood in the first picture  8)
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

getoverit

SHHHHHHhhhhhh!  Tom, yer givin away all of our trade secrets!

Beautiful table spinner !!
I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok, I work all night and sleep all day

metalspinner

QuoteWhat I really want to know is how you flattened such a wide piece of lumber.

Yep.  Ya'll guessed it.



The most important thing is to make sure everything is in the same plane.  Those log sections below are pedistals for a future patio table.  They were planed the same way.  Then of course the rails and such were jointed and planed.  After all that setting up, the router bit was slightly out of plane to the board face, so I got little ridges (about .003") all the way across the board.  It all smoothed out nice with my blockplane, though. That was the real work. The spokeshave got a nice workout as well on the ends.

One thing I would have added to the rail setup would be pin holes about 1/2" in diameter across the lenghth of each rail to guide the router sled.  That way we could have routed on the push and pull strokes without losing control of the sled. The actual surfacing of the board with the router only took about 30 minutes.  That was three passes on each side.  The slab had about a 1/4" of bow across across the four foot width.

QuoteDon't think we were going to let you out of here without telling us how you built it

It's from my signature Design-on-the-Fly series. :D  Just kind of eyeballing the sizes of things.  The legs(12/4) and stretchers(8/4) are mortice and tenon with a half lap where the legs cross.  The top has battons underneath with slotted screwholes for movement.  The battons slip into grooves(?) in the top of the legs.  That's it.

I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

MemphisLogger

Absolutely beautiful, MetalSpinner!
Scott Banbury, Urban logger since 2002--Custom Woodworker since 1990. Running a Woodmizer LT-30, a flock of Huskies and a herd of Toy 4x4s Midtown Logging and Lumber Company at www.scottbanbury.com

sawguy21

That table is beautiful, a real show piece. Well done.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

OneWithWood

One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

Dodgy Loner

Aaaahhh, I see.  You had a helping hand.  I'm not so lucky :-\

Ian- that's about the slickest trick I've seen for surfacing wide panels.  Now all I need is a nice mill like you've got! ;)
"There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey." -John Ruskin

Any idiot can write a woodworking blog. Here's mine.

DWM II

Thats real slick spinner. Were you able to kiln dry the slab, and if not what kind of M/C % is it at now?
Stewardship Counts!

WDH

Metalspinner, you are one ferociously creative dude (to employ such fine help) ;D
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

metalspinner

QuoteWere you able to kiln dry the slab, and if not what kind of M/C % is it at now?

DWM,
The slab stopped losing weight, so i figured that was good enough.  I could have put it in the solar kiln, but I figured something that thick (10/4) would have degraded to much.  The top is basically just sitting on top of the legs, so any movement should not be noticable.  If it checks a bit, that's OK, too.

WDH,
That is my sister.  She is putting in some sweat equity for her future furniture projects. :D  She is moving to town and needs to fill her house with some furniture.
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

WDH

If that is the case MS, you come from some smart stock :D.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

metalspinner

Did I mention these slabs came off Teenswinger's Peterson?  He cut them for me a couple years back.  He's kind of shy, so I'm trying to draw him out. :D
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

Furby

Yeah, that boy young man sure don't say a whole lot round here does he. :-\

brdmkr

That is a true piece of art.  WOW.
Lucas 618  Mahindra 4110, FEL and pallet forks, some cant hooks, and a dose of want-to

TexasTimbers

ms I missed this thread. Nice work. I love the look of that table.  I have many slabs waiting for me to apply these techniques you used. Thanks for the lessons.
The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

metalspinner

QuoteI have many slabs waiting for me to apply these techniques you used

How is that large RO crotch piece holding up that you free handed with the chainsaw?  I know it's been a bit wet in your neck of the woods, so maybe it hasn't dryed too much yet.
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

TexasTimbers

I think I allowed them to dry too fast actually. One of them looks like the dihedral wing of a glider at the pith, but the others are staying fairly flat. I have quite a few walnut crotches still in the log, and of course that huge red oak one that will take every bit of the 6' bar to slice into.

I can't wait to get around to them. This winter I am sure. I need to go back and read this thread i am sure you described how you finished it. I have ruled out polyirethanes i am going to stick to oils and maybe lacquers for the slabs. But I am also real intereted to use some of that thick pour-on bar topper stuff as well and see how I like it.

The oil is all in Texas, but the dipsticks are in D.C.

turningfool

metalspinner..master craftsman! great looking table :o

Greg


WDH

I had to scroll back and look at that table again.  Looked better than the first time ;D.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

metalspinner

Thanks again, guy's! :)

The table has been in the house for three months now.  A couple of hairline cracks opened up a bit in the extreme crotchity areas.  Also, the epoxy that I used to fill the large cracks from the drying defects or bark inclusions have shrunk(?) a bit.  The shrinking looks more like little pits than anything.  Having said that, those issues are extremely minor and add to the "look" of the piece.  The slab has stayed flat as far as my eye can tell.  Winter is coming , however, and this table is right in front of the fireplace.  Sooo.... my fingers will be crossed. :-\
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

WDH

How is the slab table holding up through the winter?
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

metalspinner

WDH,
I just looked at that today!  We have a large fireplace in the livingroom.  It looks like The Cracker Barrel in there. :o  I am happy to report that the table survived the first winter in excellent shape.  Very minute checks opened in a couple of places in the crotch areas, but nothing most people would notice. :)  The table even survived an extended stay by my family over the holidays.

We have lots of visitor's to our home each month.  Meeting type things...boy scouts, parent groups from school, etc.  Most people just don't understand different woods.  Of course, this table sparks lots of conversations that give me a chance to point things out.  There is a genuine disbelief in some people that different trees can produce different colors of wood.  It's just something they never had thought about until they came to visit me. :)  I guess that is just good marketing by the finishing and furniture industries that color comes from a can. :'(
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

WDH

Yeah, to many people, cherry is a stain :).  I am glad the table is acclimating well.  A piece like that will become a beloved friend.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

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