Out of my depth

[artie]

I'm sure some of you have heard of "The dark hedges" at least that's what we call them.
Some of them had to be removed a couple of years ago after storm damage.

Today I acquired a piece approx 930mm by 460 by 30mm


I would like to make a small table out of it
Although I work with wood all day every day my skills are basic, I don't even have a proper plane.
It needs smoothed on the top and I need ideas for legs.
Keep it simple.

 

[RGIvy]

My son recently used these on a small table top, worked really well:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-x-Prem...Screws-AND-Protector-Feet-Steel-/142669072156

 

[Deadeye]

I'm sure some of you have heard of "The dark hedges" at least that's what we call them.View attachment 97054
Some of them had to be removed a couple of years ago after storm damage.

Today I acquired a piece approx 930mm by 460 by 30mm

View attachment 97055
I would like to make a small table out of it
Although I work with wood all day every day my skills are basic, I don't even have a proper plane.
It needs smoothed on the top and I need ideas for legs.
Keep it simple.

Is it spalted beech?

I'd suggest you need legs and apron that don't argue with the heavy monochrome.

Perhaps tapered legs and apron in beech. There was recently a thread on one in walnut that would suit.

 

[artie]

Is it spalted beech?

As I said I'm out of my depth. Is the dark bits spalting ?

 

[Trevanion]

As I said I'm out of my depth. Is the dark bits spalting ?

Yes, it's a fungal infection/rot of the timber which usually happens when the tree is felled and the timber has been sat on the ground for a while but it's not uncommon to happen in a dead standing tree, or even in a live tree as I've found out with the Ash Dieback problems recently. It can be quite pretty but it isn't to my personal taste having seen so much naff stuff made out of it over the years, there was a fashion boom around 6-8 years ago where practically everyone was making everything out of spalted timber and getting silly prices for it and then it all died down, similar to the resin river tables with those stupid hair-pin legs and such lately.

Hard to say which particular species that is from the photo but it's usually most prevalent in Beech, Sycamore, and Ash. Those trees look like Beech though.

Without wanting to sound like I'm putting you down Artie, I'd douse it with woodworm killer (they absolutely love this stuff, prevention is better than cure!) and put it to one side for now until you've got some handtool experience under your belt with less exotic timbers and you have a clearer picture in your head of what you want to do with it.

 

[TRITON]

I remember how our college lecturer on nature and behaviour of timbers described spalting. He said the black lines are the front line battle between the fresh wood and the bacteria causing the timber to break down.
Unfortunate for the timber, but from our point of view it produces a lovely effect

 

[Noel]

Is it spalted beech?

I'd suggest you need legs and apron that don't argue with the heavy monochrome.

Perhaps tapered legs and apron in beech. There was recently a thread on one in walnut that would suit.

It is indeed Beech.

 

[TheUnicorn]

can i ask anyone who cares to respond, with the spalting being essentially part of the wood breaking down / rotting, does one do anything to halt that process when you use it, or is it halted by being inside and therefore away from a lot of moisture?

 

[TRITON]

Drying it. Once it starts to dry the spalting stops. It's moisture that starts the process along with the said bacteria.

 

[mikej460]

I strongly recommend you wear a face mask when generating any dust in order to keep the stuff out of your lungs.

 

[SimonStevensCanes]

View attachment 97055
I would like to make a small table out of it

I can't help much with skills/equipment I'm afraid, but I would think that you want to accentuate the wood as the main feature of any furniture you make from it, and that always makes me think of pairing it with painted legs.

I took a similar approach with my live edge console table. I think you could build a similar design using planed wood from B&Q and just cut to length. Of course you wouldn't get the tapered legs, but it would be a very accessible build. Maybe pocket holes instead of floating tenons.