Impulse Elm board purchase, possible coffee table?

[Farmer Giles]

I was over at British Hardwoods this morning picking up some oak flooring for the daughters bedroom and I promised we would look in their wood shop for an interesting piece of timber for the bit in her bedroom where we had to box in some terrible old stonework.

We found a nice piece of interesting Elm for that, then two more so it looks like a bookshelf is in order. However, I saw this bit and bought it, they close at 12 and it was neigh on that time so I just thought, sod it, I'll have it and find out where to use it later

This is the "front" if you like, the waney edge of the board slopes outwards.

I like the contrast between heart and sap wood

There's a bit of damage to the waney edge, but other than that it is intact down both sides

Here's the "back", more consistent heart and sapwood.

But on the "back" there are areas not hit by the PT

The board is probably about 22mm thick so not chunky so the waney edge may make it look thicker, but on the other hand I'm not really a waney edge fan.

So not sure what to do with it, yet. We are in need of a coffee table

I'm probably passing the hardwood offcut shop soon, so I may but some chunkier elm for the legs, or should I use Ash? Decisions decisions!

Cheers
Andy

 

[LancsRick]

Stick with elm for the legs but avoid sapwood? Would make the sapwood in the top stand out all the more.

 

[Farmer Giles]

Stick with elm for the legs but avoid sapwood? Would make the sapwood in the top stand out all the more.

Good idea, I like that.

I've asked missus to think about a use for it before declaring the coffee table idea. If she comes to the same conclusion then I'm on a winner. :wink:

 

[marcros]

was that from the showroom area upstairs? I didn't get a chance to look there the other day. I went for a couple of boards of brown oak, which took me a couple of hours to go through 2 packs and find something suitably tigery. they were more than happy to let me though, and made me a cup of tea whilst I did so.

 

[Farmer Giles]

Yes, upstairs they have longer boards and we needed about 2.3m for the shelf. Which became shelves so I ended up buying about 8 boards I believe :shock:

 

[Farmer Giles]

I was working down in Basildon yesterday and was passing Brentwood on the way home so it would have been very rude not to have popped in to the Hardwood offcut shop.

I didn't have much time, I was mainly there to check it out for future reference, but I did come away with a Canadian Cherry board that I took a shine to. Not sure what I am going to do with it but it kept looking at me so had to buy it

It has some potentially interesting grain that would look good as a feature and I have loads of furniture to make so it will come in handy, I am a big believer in "better to be looking at it than looking for it"

Cheers
Andy