Elm headboard WIP

[Trigs]

So I made a bed a few years ago and have finally got round to making the headboard. The bed was made from ash and elm so I decided to pick up an Elm slab. Which required the obvious flattening and finishing. Hope you enjoy
T

 

[Trigs]

To get the board flat I used my track saw rails to create a rail for a router sled which worked really well, Ive used this method a couple times always to a great result

 

[Trigs]

After a couple hours planing and sanding I used a good helping of danish oil on the face side to see how its gonna finish. I also had to clean out some rotten bits from the crack which I will fill with resin once the weather warms a little.

 

[Trigs]

I should have the board fitted tomorrow as Ive finished the back and edges, it just needs a final coat of oil. I was wondering though when I fit the board should I keep the heating off in that room to begin with and slowly introduce it so that the slab has time to acclimatise ????

 

[woodbloke66]

I should have the board fitted tomorrow as Ive finished the back and edges, it just needs a final coat of oil. I was wondering though when I fit the board should I keep the heating off in that room to begin with and slowly introduce it so that the slab has time to acclimatise ????

Elm is liable to move and twist quite a lot. Assuming that the board you bought was air dried, the moisture content ought to be around 20% so bringing it into a warm room quite suddenly could produce unexpected movement. I've found with elm that it's best to take it quite slowly, letting it condition for a month or so before doing any work and then taking a little off both sides just to see how it behaves. It's great stuff but IMO needs to be treated carefully - Rob

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I remember at school many moons ago being shown a board of elm, about 12' x 14"x 1 1/4" - one end was at a perfect right angle to the other. :shock:

 

[Steve Maskery]

I don't know if they still do, but Ercol used to use a lot of elm. I wonder how they kept their table tops flat?

 

[Yojevol]

by Steve Maskery
I don't know if they still do, but Ercol used to use a lot of elm. I wonder how they kept their table tops flat?

From ercol website
"We make our furniture from high quality timber which is sourced from around the world. We use mainly hard woods ash, elm, beech, oak and walnut to create our beautiful furniture."

That surprises me. I think they originally based themselves in High Wycombe because of the availability if Chiltern beech.

Brian

 

[woodbloke66]

I don't know if they still do, but Ercol used to use a lot of elm. I wonder how they kept their table tops flat?

It will stay flat Steve once it's been seasoned and conditioned; it's the seasoning process until the final MC has been achieved that causes all the problems..... if you're unlucky enough to get any. Sometimes I've come across a good board and it stays flat, but it can be very 'iffy' - Rob

 

[MikeG.]

I don't know if they still do, but Ercol used to use a lot of elm. I wonder how they kept their table tops flat?

It will stay flat Steve once it's been seasoned and conditioned.........Rob

True, but they can carry on moving in width. I made an elm kitchen table from 300+ year old elm about 20 years ago after storing it inside for a year. There is a gap now between the two 4" thick boards of 6 to 8mm.

 

[AndyT]

That's a very pretty board.
Assuming that you are leaving the waney edge on and just mounting the board on some supports, a little bit of movement won't ruin it, I'd have thought.

 

[Trigs]

yeah I used French cleats to fix to the wall so any movement shouldn't cause any problems