Not a major update. The maple slab has been sitting a couple weeks since I planed it down. It has dried out a little more, few more cracks have formed, one major one as you can see in the bottom middle of the picture. I was going to run it through a wide belt sander at the local lumberyard but haven’t made it yet. So I finally went to town on it with a big buffing type sander and then normal sanding down to 220 grit. This just has thinner on it to show how it would look.
So some concerns/questions:
1) Putting a straight edge on it right now, it is cupped in the center by about 5/32nds. Do I run it through the router planer again or leave it? It’s going to be on 3 legs and is kinda a rustic table.
2) The small cracks I am not too concerned about. Do I leave them or fill them say with turquoise filler?
3) The bigger crack all down the side… a) Do I fill that one as well? b) Do I do a butterfly inlay as a decorative piece on the top and one for stability (not seen) on bottom?
What does everyone think? Would love some feedback.
Here is a link to larger version of the image: LINKY LINK
Thanks!
-- Jim, Michigan
3 comments so far
mantwi
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312 posts in 2626 days
#1 posted 09-20-2013 02:38 AM
That’s a nice chunk of wood but the heartwood looks kinda punky. You might want to fill those voids with epoxy then tone down the gloss with your topcoat. It’s funny how maple rots from the inside out, I had to take down three big trees on my place because of this. They were hollow with sapwood about eight inches thick. One of them had water in it about three feet deep. Too bad I didn’t have a wart, that stump water gets rid of warts (old hillbilly treatment). That’s going to make a nice table top. Whats the diameter?
HickoryHill
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235 posts in 4876 days
#2 posted 09-20-2013 03:42 AM
That section really isn’t that punky. Only about 1/8” in the center that I can push a drill bit in maybe 1/4”.
No finish on it yet….......that was just paint thinner rubbed on top to show the details.
Do you think I should worry about the 5/32” dip in the middle?
-- Jim, Michigan
mantwi
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312 posts in 2626 days
#3 posted 09-20-2013 06:05 PM
I think the dip in the middle is due in part to the decay that’s started there. That’s why I recommend using some type of penetrating wood hardener to lock it in place. There are several varieties available and they work pretty well. After you treat it you’ll be able to level the surface without worrying about it changing again. Once it’s cured you can plane, sand and finish the piece like any other wood. Stain won’t penetrate it but you’ll be leaving this natural anyway. You can find it at big box stores in the paint department.
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