Large oak board

[gobbypunk]

Hi Lm where are you in the south east my workshop is in shaftesbury dorset you are welcome to come over if you need a space to work in ,I would sand with 60,120 then 240 grit then wax polish ,hope this helps a bit ,

Cheers Mark

[Lm20]

Hi Lm where are you in the south east my workshop is in shaftesbury dorset you are welcome to come over if you need a space to work in ,I would sand with 60,120 then 240 grit then wax polish ,hope this helps a bit ,

Cheers Mark

 

Hi mark, thanks for the offer I'm living 5 mins from gatwick so quite a way from you, I was thinking a wax as i don't want to change/loose the colour or the wood with the sanding is it in stages 60-120 then onto 240?

Thanks again mate.

[Big J]

Hi Big J what do you think about the point I made about a board being flat and stable stacked in my workshop and only when I take some off it and make a coffee table will the board move whats going on with that

Cheers Mark

 

As Steve says, the workshop has a different equilibrium moisture content to your house. Oak takes a very long time to dry - has it had enough time?

 

LM20 - can't offer any tips on finishing really as I don't make anything (just cut timber).

[Woodworks]

Hi there, I've just purchased myself a English oak board 2" thick 19-20" wide and around 14ft long its been aired dried for around 5 years and was at the bottom of the stack but had got a little wet as water has run off the tin onto it in places, my question is can I start working on it now as I want to make myself a tv table with it that with live indoors, it's a straight edge.

Thanks

 

The surface water has probably not made a great deal of difference to the overall dryness of the board but I would not start working it yet.

 

If I have the time this is how I like to deal with converting boards to furniture. Ideally the workshops RH should be close to the domestic environment.

 

1. Bring whole boards into workshop and leave for as long as possible with air able to circulate all around

 

2. Rough cut out components oversize and plane close to final thickness.

 

3. Leave components in stick for at least a week and again longer if possible. In stick is thin battens of which mine are 20mmx20mm placed between each board.

 

4. Finally cut and plane to final sizes.

 

This is still not really the end of it as wood will continue to expand and shrink across it's width for ever with changing RH. The design needs to take into account this movement and there are many ways to do this.

 

This all in the ideal world with lots of time but realise it don't always work like that

[gobbypunk]

Hi Lm yes go up in grades of sanding the bigger the number the finer the sanding paper as for wax ploish I would go for clear briwax or natural bees wax ,good luck with your project

Cheers Mark

[agg221]

I would echo Big J's comment about bringing it into the house. It's quite a board so I can imagine finding somewhere to put it might be tricky, in which case I would rough cut the components and bring them in - behind the sofa is where I went for. Stacked up for a month or so will do a lot of good.

 

Alec

[Big Beech]

Hi pal thanks for your help its a real nice piece I've not made anything before so any tips you have would be good, like sanding finish product with a wax... It has some great silver grain on it.

 

Once you sand you will probably loose the silvering. Wax is, in my view annoying as it attracts dust and sticks easily. I would prob use a Danish oil gives a similar matt finish

[Lm20]

Once you sand you will probably loose the silvering. Wax is, in my view annoying as it attracts dust and sticks easily. I would prob use a Danish oil gives a similar matt finish

 

Ok thanks big beech, I'll have a look online for that Danish oil.

[Lm20]

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[Lm20]

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