Pippy oak table - WIP, it may take a while!

[Farmer Giles]

Thanks Andy
To be fair to the missus she only gave that as an indication as I was giving her grief about finalising a design She didn't want me to replicate it - thankfully! It was the refectory form she liked, not the railway sleeper joinery style.

I think I have managed to get her opinion on the top down to reasonable levels now, definitely sub 2", probably end up around 35mm which is much more reasonable and still quite chunky.
Cheers
Andy

 

[jkljosh]

Hey Andy

Looking really interesting. Just to throw a spanner in your design works you might want to look at the WIP I did just before Christmas for a burr elm dining table. (elm-dining-table-wip-sort-of-t75592.html). While a very different in design to what you've been looking at so far, but considering your log and broad dimensions for the finished item it falls into the same category. The main difference was my log was purchased from a yard, already sawn through and through and air dried for 2 years. The reason I draw your attention to the WIP is that there may be some useful "lessons learned" in there that you might find helpful, along with the reflection on my experience in manhandling such big lumps of lumber around the workshop. Either way your project looks great, nice to see a WIP starting so early in the process. Good luck with it.

Cheers
John

 

[Farmer Giles]

Hey Andy

Looking really interesting. Just to throw a spanner in your design works you might want to look at the WIP I did just before Christmas for a burr elm dining table. (elm-dining-table-wip-sort-of-t75592.html). While a very different in design to what you've been looking at so far, but considering your log and broad dimensions for the finished item it falls into the same category. The main difference was my log was purchased from a yard, already sawn through and through and air dried for 2 years. The reason I draw your attention to the WIP is that there may be some useful "lessons learned" in there that you might find helpful, along with the reflection on my experience in manhandling such big lumps of lumber around the workshop. Either way your project looks great, nice to see a WIP starting so early in the process. Good luck with it.

Cheers
John

John, thanks for this, I'm gob-smacked, that is one beautiful table =D>

I have learned a lot from that, and I think I will learn more as I digest it all, it may take a while. I'm still stunned :shock:

My skill level will be severely challenged by this table, looks like I'm in the right place for advice

I don't think my log will be as nice as that when we open it up, if it is anywhere near I will be happy. About 12 years ago I bought a load of kiln dried oak from British Hardwoods for flooring. I had burnt all the timber in the house in the field outside as it was all riddled with woodworm, only the pitch pine beams survived. The rest had the constitution of shredded wheat. This was before British Hardwoods moved to their posh place at Cross Hills, I think their old place was a nissen hut near Bingley. Anyway, while I was picking up the oak I was offered some lovely figured wych elm boards but turned them down, I've been kicking myself ever since :roll:

I have a few secret weapons on the big lumps of wood front. When the workshop was built I installed an RSJ with a rolling winch carrier that covers two of the four 5m bays. Plus I have a hydraulic engine hoist and a very large neighbour!. But my ace in the hole is the joiners shop at the bottom of the hill about half a mile from me. They have big resaws, jointers, large sanding machines and they like beer and I brew it :wink:

Cheers
Andy

 

[marcros]

did you get the log cut up? I am interested to know what was lurking beneath the surface...

 

[Farmer Giles]

This morning I was at the sawmill at 8:30, lots of photos taken, The timber is on the trailer but I have to stop off at my dads house to take the cantankerous little tinker to hospital for his back. By the time I get home and get it unloaded and stickered up so the neighbour can have his trailer back it will be late and I have a very early start to drive down to London tomorrow so it may be tomorrow evening before I get chance to upload 'em.

Cheers
Andy

 

[Farmer Giles]

here's a quick taster of the grain

Cheers
Andy

 

[marcros]

certainly got some potential...

 

[Farmer Giles]

Here's some more pics

The trunk on the sledge, about 12 foot long, about 22" diameter one end and about 18"

After giving it a going over we decided to chop off just over 3 foot, there were various reasons foe this, some of it was the way the centre of the tree twists along the length plus we could get the table legs out of the short bit, however this was unnecessary as later we decided to take them out of the long bit as the grain was revealed.

we then put the long bit back on the sled as sawed a flat bit on it so the log will be stable as we sawed it through

I didn't have if full quarter sawn as that costs a lot in cutting costs and there is a lot of timber wastage, so I compromised by playing to the strength of the log, it had a an oval growth ring section and by cutting a few planks across and the rest down I ended up lots of nice timber with a modest price increase.

more to come.

 

[Farmer Giles]

after a couple of centre planks off of each half of the log we rolled it through 90 degrees and sawed the rest into narrower planks and the legs.

you can see how pippy the timber is here, its a lottery how deep it goes, its not too bad, the legs look good, you can see them as we load it up.

.And here's the timber mid-journey home, I dropped off to take my dad to the docs and parked it on his drive. i also had some shorter boards in the back of the car.

I won't be unloading it until the weekend, I'll take the plane to one of the boards then. I will be applying end seal and stickering it up Friday evening.

Cheers
Andy

 

[marcros]

How long did it take, from getting the full log nearby and first examination to shutting off the saw?

 

[Farmer Giles]

probably about 2 hours.

 

[Woodmonkey]

Some lovely looking boards there, nice that it's nearly all heartwood and hardly any sapwood

 

[Farmer Giles]

Thanks Woodmonkey, I'm looking forward to unloading it and checking it out properly this weekend.

Cheers
Andy

 

[Farmer Giles]

I attacked one of the planks with a plane today to see what I've got. Looks good, this is a smaller plank closer to the bark so lots of character, the bigger planks near the centre will not be as figured. I hope to get it end sealed and stickered up by Sunday so will know more then.

Cheers
Andy