What to make out of old T&G solid oak flooring?

[Goob]

Hi this is my first post.

I have some beginner equipment but not much. My band saw is my most used tool.

Today i managed to save a couple hundered solid oak t&g floorboards from a 1930s semi.

It was a floor layed on the original floorbaords but they look very worn and old. I cut through one just to double check it was solid and they are.

The guy was ripping these up with a spade so a lot of the grooves etc are damaged. Seemed a shame to doom them to someones log burner...

Now my shed is stuffed full I need to work out what to make out of them? Is there anything these would be particularly good for?

I was thinking a tool caddy to start but i need some other good ideas because i have so much!

Thanks again

Goob

 

[woodywoodwood]

Hi, and welcome.
I have found the t + g oak (generally American white oak)
Floorboards to be a good source of cheap timber. I have fitted loads of these floors, and saved all the leftovers. I now have enough to fit floors to several housing estates!!
The problem I have encountered is that they look like floorboards, and mine mostly have a slight bevel at the edges which means that without paying some attention to them I am unable to make them look like ANYTHING other than floorboards! A recent toy box in them just looked, to me, like it was made from floorboards. Funny, that! But I would have liked them to look better.
Do yours have a finish on them? Do they require a lot of work to make them acceptable?
A thicknesser (borrowed) is one option, but the varnish on mine is pretty brutal on blades (I think).
Drum sander is another option, which is open to me, but may not be to you. A belt sander will achieve similar results but may take some time.
Resawing an edge off may work for you? Will your bandsaw manage this?
Alternatively, leave them 'rustic', and make planters, benches, boxes, gates (if long enough) or whatever takes your fancy. Your oak should be pretty stable now, maybe aspire to some cabinets? It should take a router well, so some rail and stile doors? Jointed panel sides, top and bottom, and shelves?
I guess it really depends on your needs/desires. A bench to work at might be a good idea too.
The best thing is whatever you do, you will learn so much. Just give it a go!!! And enjoy it - its free timber!!!
Hope this helps.
W
PS - keep it dry, if possible. If your shed is damp you may find, especially as it has just been lifted, the change in climate causes movement.
What tools do you have?

 

[MikeG.]

It's the wrong question, really. You should be storing the timber somewhere dry until the right project for it comes along. Build yourself a timber rack before you do anything, and keep this timber flat until it is needed, or until your skills develop.

 

[AndyT]

About 20 years ago, I had a similar problem - I was able to salvage a bootload of oak skirting boards from an office that was being refitted.

I used it to build this bookcase

It has adjustable wooden strips to support the shelves

I had to buy a sheet of oak veneered blockboard which I edged with the salvaged oak - you don't need to do that. I find bookcases are an ideal way to use up lots of plain boards.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

If it's particularly mucky then outdoor projects are an ideal destination due to Oak's natural durability and weather resistance. The value of flooring is it's quick to make wide panels so lends itself to planters, wood stores, benches, tables (big and small), cold frames with a Perspex lid. Basically anything that has "sides" that are solid. If half the tongues are missing, just plane or rip off a strip to remove the damaged tongue or groove and edge joint them with either biscuits or dominoes or if thick enough simply a rubbed glue joint. That quickly establishes the wide panel with which the sky's your limit.

If they're not too mucky then I would plane and thickness them and use on indoor furniture but with the same repair procedure as above. I'm quite a fan of recycling timbers that are often one trip away from the woodburner. the secret is judicious use of the planer and thicknesser. The fact is that usually, just under the surface of some gnarly old knackered piece of ancient timber lurks a staggeringly beautiful piece of grain just waiting to be loved and brought into the light. Forget about the muck on the surface, the real determining factor for the planer is how much metalwork is left buried in them. If there are lots of broken, hidden, rusted nails then beware because your knives will be dinged to bits in no time. If they're clean....wack them through and you'll be shocked at how well they come up generally.

 

[Goob]

Thanks all

They are not the widest boards maybe 4 or 5 inches.

I agree i need to figure oyt how to make a timber rack in my small workshop shed...not sure how yet.

Lots of nails but they follow a distinct pattern and i am working on tapping them out.

Thanks again any other ideas welcome

 

[Dokkodo]

I made a boiler cupboard for some friends once out of old TnG oak flooring, one of the first proper self employed jobs I did. I was quite pleased with it. As others have said, i think its best to wait for the right project to come about, or youll wish you still had them when it does... sounds like you have plenty though. dont burn them either way!

 

[turnamere]

A bookcase/media storage is a good starter. I had loads of engineered oak flooring left over from our extension build and I used a bunch of it to make the AV Rack below. The boards were joined along the edges and the subsequent boards were then doubled up and lipped with oak to give the impression of 2" thick boards. The unit has 4 lockable casters and the plinth is held on with magnetic catches allowing me to pull it out easily if required. I think that I just had a router and a circular saw when I built it.

 

[memzey]

Bloody hell! You don’t half take watching TV seriously in your house!

 

[novocaine]

how about a floor? rip of the tongue and grove and cut in blocks to make a lovely oak parque floor. not that I would love to do this in my hall or anything.

obviously I'm in no way jealous that you scored a good haul there.