Sorry if this is not the proper place for this question. Perhaps someone can
suggest somewhere else if this is OT.
During the recent storm, we had three large black walnut trees come down. A
guy at work said that this is alot of valuable wood. I called a couple of
mills nearby and they said that by the time we had the tree picked up and
hauled over there, it wouldn't be worth the effort. My wife and I came up
with the idea of making a sort of keep-sake by cutting (chainsaw) a 3 or 4
inch thick disk from one tree (about 40 inch diameter), sanding and
finishing it and putting it on a pedestal (sp?) as a small table. Is this
idea feasible? Would it have to be dried somehow, or could we just leave it
in the basement (6 months? 1 year?) until it was ready to to be worked
with. Would this type of treatment make it warp or crack? We would like to
keep the bark on, but I think the saw would probably mutilate that. Any
thoughts would be welcome. Thanks.
Bill
Greetings and Salutations...
Uh yea...they are worthless...where are you..perhaps
one of the folks here could come by and, out of the goodness
of their heart, "help you out" by hauling some of that
trash off for you.
On Tue, 23 Sep 2003 23:19:08 -0400, "Karen, Matt & Bill"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Sorry if this is not the proper place for this question. Perhaps someone can
>suggest somewhere else if this is OT.
>
>During the recent storm, we had three large black walnut trees come down. A
>guy at work said that this is alot of valuable wood. I called a couple of
>mills nearby and they said that by the time we had the tree picked up and
>hauled over there, it wouldn't be worth the effort. My wife and I came up
>with the idea of making a sort of keep-sake by cutting (chainsaw) a 3 or 4
>inch thick disk from one tree (about 40 inch diameter), sanding and
>finishing it and putting it on a pedestal (sp?) as a small table. Is this
>idea feasible? Would it have to be dried somehow, or could we just leave it
>in the basement (6 months? 1 year?) until it was ready to to be worked
>with. Would this type of treatment make it warp or crack? We would like to
>keep the bark on, but I think the saw would probably mutilate that. Any
>thoughts would be welcome. Thanks.
> Bill
>
>
Did you tell them that it was 40" in diameter? That is a good
size and, even though it IS a "yard tree", it would likely be
worth the chance.
However, instead of that (or perhaps in addition to that), I
would suggest contacting woodmizer to see if there is someone in the
area that could bring the sawmill to you.
Now...as for cutting a slab... That is "possible", but could
be a challenge. The only way that would have a chance of success is
to get a container big enough to hold the slab. Then, get some PEG,
and soak it for a while - say - six months or so. Here is a link
for the PEG
<http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/showdetl.cfm?offerings_id=686&objectgroup_id=475&catid=53&DID=6>
That may stabilize it enough that it will not crack. However,
if it DOES...then, don't think of it as a defect...think of the crack
as a design component. Follow Nakashima's example, and, put in a
couple of butterflys to tie it together, or, fill it with black
Epoxy and polish it off.
Alternatively, if you have a WoodCraft in the vicinity,
(or, any other shop that concentrates on woodworking tools) post
a notice that turning blanks are available. I suspect you will
see the trees vanish in record time.
Regards
Dave Mundt
I'm not an expert in this area, but here are my thoughts...
A slab / disk of the tree won't make a very strong table top because the
grain is running vertically.
The disk would most likely get quite a lot of checking (or even splitting)
during the drying process. The thicker the board is the more prone it is to
checking.
One last note.. You may want to do more research and see if you can find a
"port-a-mill" in your area. Port-a-mill owners will cut the tree on
location. Also, there are some good articles on "air-drying" out there if
you have the time, energy and space for it..
Good luck.
"Karen, Matt & Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:eY7cb.12652$AH4.5808@lakeread06...
> Sorry if this is not the proper place for this question. Perhaps someone
can
> suggest somewhere else if this is OT.
>
> During the recent storm, we had three large black walnut trees come down.
A
> guy at work said that this is alot of valuable wood. I called a couple of
> mills nearby and they said that by the time we had the tree picked up and
> hauled over there, it wouldn't be worth the effort. My wife and I came up
> with the idea of making a sort of keep-sake by cutting (chainsaw) a 3 or 4
> inch thick disk from one tree (about 40 inch diameter), sanding and
> finishing it and putting it on a pedestal (sp?) as a small table. Is this
> idea feasible? Would it have to be dried somehow, or could we just leave
it
> in the basement (6 months? 1 year?) until it was ready to to be worked
> with. Would this type of treatment make it warp or crack? We would like
to
> keep the bark on, but I think the saw would probably mutilate that. Any
> thoughts would be welcome. Thanks.
> Bill
>
>
>A slab / disk of the tree won't make a very strong table top because the
>grain is running vertically.
>
They sure make a lot of tables out of cypress slabs around here. Once you soak
both sides with Epoxy I am not sure how you would break it. I have one with
some pretty thin "arms" sticking out that have held up to plenty of abuse. It
is out on my patio now.
Where the table top is end grain showing the rings? I'm sure that they are
made, but I wouldn't expect any thin areas to hold up well at all unless the
strength is coming from the epoxy. There are probably some woods that hold
together better than others in this type of situation, but none will be as
strong as if the top is cut like a regular board with the grain running
lengthwise.
I probably shouldn't used the word "slab" at all.. as that word alone makes
me think of a regular thick board (perhaps with the bark on the sides
yet)...
Now I am curious about your table... Is it cut so that the end grain is the
table top? How "thin" are the arms? and where are you located that these
tables are so popular?
"Gfretwell" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >A slab / disk of the tree won't make a very strong table top because the
> >grain is running vertically.
> >
>
> They sure make a lot of tables out of cypress slabs around here. Once you
soak
> both sides with Epoxy I am not sure how you would break it. I have one
with
> some pretty thin "arms" sticking out that have held up to plenty of abuse.
It
> is out on my patio now.
Just yesterday afternoon I e-mailed the customer service e-mail address at
woodmizer (at the suggestion of someone here in this group). By this
morning, when I read my e-mail, they had sent me 4 contact names and numbers
of peole in the area that do portable sawmill work. GREAT service and
excellent idea!
"Dave Mundt" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Greetings and Salutations...
> Uh yea...they are worthless...where are you..perhaps
> one of the folks here could come by and, out of the goodness
> of their heart, "help you out" by hauling some of that
> trash off for you.
>
>
> On Tue, 23 Sep 2003 23:19:08 -0400, "Karen, Matt & Bill"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >Sorry if this is not the proper place for this question. Perhaps someone
can
> >suggest somewhere else if this is OT.
> >
> >During the recent storm, we had three large black walnut trees come down.
A
> >guy at work said that this is alot of valuable wood. I called a couple
of
> >mills nearby and they said that by the time we had the tree picked up and
> >hauled over there, it wouldn't be worth the effort. My wife and I came
up
> >with the idea of making a sort of keep-sake by cutting (chainsaw) a 3 or
4
> >inch thick disk from one tree (about 40 inch diameter), sanding and
> >finishing it and putting it on a pedestal (sp?) as a small table. Is
this
> >idea feasible? Would it have to be dried somehow, or could we just leave
it
> >in the basement (6 months? 1 year?) until it was ready to to be worked
> >with. Would this type of treatment make it warp or crack? We would like
to
> >keep the bark on, but I think the saw would probably mutilate that. Any
> >thoughts would be welcome. Thanks.
> > Bill
> >
> >
> Did you tell them that it was 40" in diameter? That is a good
> size and, even though it IS a "yard tree", it would likely be
> worth the chance.
> However, instead of that (or perhaps in addition to that), I
> would suggest contacting woodmizer to see if there is someone in the
> area that could bring the sawmill to you.
> Now...as for cutting a slab... That is "possible", but could
> be a challenge. The only way that would have a chance of success is
> to get a container big enough to hold the slab. Then, get some PEG,
> and soak it for a while - say - six months or so. Here is a link
> for the PEG
>
<http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/showdetl.cfm?offerings_id=686&objectgroup_id=4
75&catid=53&DID=6>
> That may stabilize it enough that it will not crack. However,
> if it DOES...then, don't think of it as a defect...think of the crack
> as a design component. Follow Nakashima's example, and, put in a
> couple of butterflys to tie it together, or, fill it with black
> Epoxy and polish it off.
> Alternatively, if you have a WoodCraft in the vicinity,
> (or, any other shop that concentrates on woodworking tools) post
> a notice that turning blanks are available. I suspect you will
> see the trees vanish in record time.
> Regards
> Dave Mundt
>
Like I said, I am not an expert, and I could very well be wrong as I usually
build with regular boards rather than circular stump disks... but I'm not
convinced yet.
Your example of arts and crafts style furniture tops is not the same as what
I believe the original poster was talking about. I understand that
quartersawn lumber is cut so that the growth rings are perpendicular to the
width of the board, but the fibers are running the length of the board and
not vertically (as in the ring cut from a tree -- like a very short log) In
short, quartersawn lumber does not have end grain at the top/bottom of the
board, but at the ends just like any other plain sawn or rift sawn boards...
A simple example of my thoughts (incorrect or otherwise) is seen by how
firewood is relatively easy to split down the length of the log -- and a
short log would be even easier to split or break...
I'm not trying to be argumentative, but am in search of the answer... -- or
maybe there is some misunderstanding somewhere, but I have a hard time
believing that a 1" thick disk (with end grain at the top and bottom) will
be as strong as a 1" thick board with the wood running lengthwise. ???
-Trevor
p.s. - Unfortunately, I wasn't able to google up any examples of George
Nakajima's work online to see what you were talking about (I didn't spend
hours looking...)
"Mike G" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> My apologies Trevor. I can't think of a non blunt way to put it but, even
> though the logic is reasonable, it's incorrect.
>
> If that were the case quarter sawn arts and crafts style furniture's tops
> would also be failing all over the place and George Nakajima's natural
slab
> table tops grace places such as Buckingham Place and the White House.
>
> Of course if you were to make the top really thin you could have the
> problem.
>
> --
> Mike G.
> Heirloom Woods
> www.heirloom-woods.net
> "Trevor Borgmeier" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I'm not an expert in this area, but here are my thoughts...
> >
> > A slab / disk of the tree won't make a very strong table top because the
> > grain is running vertically.
> >
> > The disk would most likely get quite a lot of checking (or even
splitting)
> > during the drying process. The thicker the board is the more prone it
is
> to
> > checking.
> >
> > One last note.. You may want to do more research and see if you can
find
> a
> > "port-a-mill" in your area. Port-a-mill owners will cut the tree on
> > location. Also, there are some good articles on "air-drying" out there
if
> > you have the time, energy and space for it..
> >
> > Good luck.
> >
> >
> > "Karen, Matt & Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:eY7cb.12652$AH4.5808@lakeread06...
> > > Sorry if this is not the proper place for this question. Perhaps
someone
> > can
> > > suggest somewhere else if this is OT.
> > >
> > > During the recent storm, we had three large black walnut trees come
> down.
> > A
> > > guy at work said that this is alot of valuable wood. I called a
couple
> of
> > > mills nearby and they said that by the time we had the tree picked up
> and
> > > hauled over there, it wouldn't be worth the effort. My wife and I
came
> up
> > > with the idea of making a sort of keep-sake by cutting (chainsaw) a 3
or
> 4
> > > inch thick disk from one tree (about 40 inch diameter), sanding and
> > > finishing it and putting it on a pedestal (sp?) as a small table. Is
> this
> > > idea feasible? Would it have to be dried somehow, or could we just
> leave
> > it
> > > in the basement (6 months? 1 year?) until it was ready to to be
worked
> > > with. Would this type of treatment make it warp or crack? We would
> like
> > to
> > > keep the bark on, but I think the saw would probably mutilate that.
Any
> > > thoughts would be welcome. Thanks.
> > > Bill
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
My apologies Trevor. I can't think of a non blunt way to put it but, even
though the logic is reasonable, it's incorrect.
If that were the case quarter sawn arts and crafts style furniture's tops
would also be failing all over the place and George Nakajima's natural slab
table tops grace places such as Buckingham Place and the White House.
Of course if you were to make the top really thin you could have the
problem.
--
Mike G.
Heirloom Woods
www.heirloom-woods.net
"Trevor Borgmeier" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm not an expert in this area, but here are my thoughts...
>
> A slab / disk of the tree won't make a very strong table top because the
> grain is running vertically.
>
> The disk would most likely get quite a lot of checking (or even splitting)
> during the drying process. The thicker the board is the more prone it is
to
> checking.
>
> One last note.. You may want to do more research and see if you can find
a
> "port-a-mill" in your area. Port-a-mill owners will cut the tree on
> location. Also, there are some good articles on "air-drying" out there if
> you have the time, energy and space for it..
>
> Good luck.
>
>
> "Karen, Matt & Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:eY7cb.12652$AH4.5808@lakeread06...
> > Sorry if this is not the proper place for this question. Perhaps someone
> can
> > suggest somewhere else if this is OT.
> >
> > During the recent storm, we had three large black walnut trees come
down.
> A
> > guy at work said that this is alot of valuable wood. I called a couple
of
> > mills nearby and they said that by the time we had the tree picked up
and
> > hauled over there, it wouldn't be worth the effort. My wife and I came
up
> > with the idea of making a sort of keep-sake by cutting (chainsaw) a 3 or
4
> > inch thick disk from one tree (about 40 inch diameter), sanding and
> > finishing it and putting it on a pedestal (sp?) as a small table. Is
this
> > idea feasible? Would it have to be dried somehow, or could we just
leave
> it
> > in the basement (6 months? 1 year?) until it was ready to to be worked
> > with. Would this type of treatment make it warp or crack? We would
like
> to
> > keep the bark on, but I think the saw would probably mutilate that. Any
> > thoughts would be welcome. Thanks.
> > Bill
> >
> >
>
>
It takes about a year an inch to air dry wood. It has to be stored in a
stable environment and sticker'd (separated so the air can circulate
completely around the wood.
You will almost assuredly have some cracking and splits in the pieces but
for the kind of table top you are talking about many feel it adds to the
natural look of the piece.
Good luck.
--
Mike G.
Heirloom Woods
www.heirloom-woods.net
"Karen, Matt & Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:eY7cb.12652$AH4.5808@lakeread06...
> Sorry if this is not the proper place for this question. Perhaps someone
can
> suggest somewhere else if this is OT.
>
> During the recent storm, we had three large black walnut trees come down.
A
> guy at work said that this is alot of valuable wood. I called a couple of
> mills nearby and they said that by the time we had the tree picked up and
> hauled over there, it wouldn't be worth the effort. My wife and I came up
> with the idea of making a sort of keep-sake by cutting (chainsaw) a 3 or 4
> inch thick disk from one tree (about 40 inch diameter), sanding and
> finishing it and putting it on a pedestal (sp?) as a small table. Is this
> idea feasible? Would it have to be dried somehow, or could we just leave
it
> in the basement (6 months? 1 year?) until it was ready to to be worked
> with. Would this type of treatment make it warp or crack? We would like
to
> keep the bark on, but I think the saw would probably mutilate that. Any
> thoughts would be welcome. Thanks.
> Bill
>
>