Oak slab

[tommer9]

Give it a few years and you'll be loving going back to that 6" slab!

 

Lovely bit of oak with the piece you have for the table top showing medullary rays and also a lovely touch of brown on the right! Bootiful

 

Yeah, i reckon i'll just hook the winch on it and drag it out this time, and stick it on the bandsaw.

 

Rays are good'uns arent they. I try to keep a 1/4 sawn piece out of every log for myself if i can. Chefs prerogative:001_tongue: Been lucky to get a few bits of brown oak over the years.

[tree_beard]

i did note they were still blue, so assumed nothing too sketchy had prompted the de-trousering:001_tongue:

[Mike Hill]

That looks very smart Tom.I enjoyed the pictures of the loading and attempted unloading!

 

How long does the Oak have to season before you can bring it inside?We are getting some milled before the end of the summer and I would also like to make a Table.The Oak has been sitting outside as logs for about a year.

 

I am worried that once milled,and brought inside it may crack to bits.

[DrewB]

that was going to be my question too.

[tommer9]

That looks very smart Tom.I enjoyed the pictures of the loading and attempted unloading!

 

How long does the Oak have to season before you can bring it inside?We are getting some milled before the end of the summer and I would also like to make a Table.The Oak has been sitting outside as logs for about a year.

 

I am worried that once milled,and brought inside it may crack to bits.

 

For hardwoods the general rule of thumb is that once milled the boards are left for a year per inch thickness of board, and a year 'for luck'- a two inch board will want three years..In a very dry climate obviously this will be shorter, and in a wetter climate (Norway??) this should be longer. For softwoods it is about half that. Once you have done this, in order to make funiture it should be kilned, as in this country air drying wil only achieve at best about 20% moisture content, and once brought inside there will be further drying. This having been sain, i have never kilned anything, and generally dont have too much problem. I dont have any heating in this house though or the last two places, so the process of final drying is very slow. If you dont have a kiln then the final stages of drying could just be six months in your house in a not tooo warm place. It is important to paint the grain ends of the wood to combat irregular drying- ends sooner than middle- which will accelerate cracking in the board, usually done before the log is milled. Quarter sawn boards are the most stable too- if the end grain is as close to 90degrees to the plane of the cut- and it is possible to get away with less drying. The figuring, esp. in oak, is the most prominent then too.

Edited August 3, 2009 by tommer9

[MattyF]

what did you polish it up with??? very nice peice of wood!

[tommer9]

Started with plane (electric!!) then belt sander then orbital sander. Finished withTung oil- suitable for use near food. Just been down and done a bit more to it, next is the legs etc to fabricate. Need to take a load of oak to my mate for that with surface planer. Got to go and do a quick fell now though in between rainshowers hopefully.

[Rob D]

I've been kilning wood for the last couple of years and still find I'm learning things. The most crucial as said above is to end paint the slabs to help prevent spliting. Also keep out of direct sunlight. You can use an old freezer body with dehumidifier as a kiln and you can do 2" oak in 8 weeks if all goes well. But try and dry too fast and you'll get a whole load of defects.

[tommer9]

try and dry too fast and you'll get a whole load of defects.

 

This is sooooooooo true!

cracking, warping, case hardening, checking, delaminating................

 

As with anything wood related, the slower the better.