TheFatBaron Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 Sometimes, at least. These pieces of walnut are the lintels for a small Japanese gate (torii) I'm building. It'll be indoors, so I'm not worried about damage from insects or the elements. Anyway, I was listening to the latest WTO, and thinking that, while i wouldn't want an all-sapwood board, it can occasionally be useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pghmyn Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 Sometimes it can be included and look really nice, but it can also stick out like a sore thumb. I usually cut it off, but it is not the end of the world if I can not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco Divetta Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 Totally agree also ..... If I have a top with a couple of boards and one of them has the white streak, if I have enough timber I might change it depending on who it's for but otherwise it's going right in the middle !! .... And I feel the same about other defects such as large knots and even some cracks . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 I never mind it as long as it blends well with the overall look I want. If it doesn't work, I cut it out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orbb Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 Totally agree. when I started woodworking people would warn me of the dangers of sapwood, as if it would cause my project to self combust. Personally I like it. Boat builders are always freaking out about sapwood, as if it will dissolve the minute the boat hits the water. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CessnaPilotBarry Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 Maybe... I like it in certain places, and it can be used to make stringing or banding when the color is wanted. It can often be dyed to work into a panel. But... stick a strip of raw sap into the middle of a table where it wasn't agreed to up front, and you may not like the reaction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mds2 Posted January 15, 2014 Report Share Posted January 15, 2014 I smell another software developer here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapid Roger Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 I have to agree, sometimes sapwood can add a little something. I made two end grain cutting boards for the kids for Christmas. Without even noticing it, I had sapwood in the walnut board. It went completely unnoticed by me until I wiped it down with mineral spirits looking for errors. After finishing with mineral oil, it popped even more and added a bit of interest to the boards in my opinion. Even a blind dog finds a bone every once in a while. Rog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Eric. Posted January 16, 2014 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 I have a love/hate with sapwood...not because of its integrity as a material, but strictly on appearance. Furniture makers don't have to worry about whether or not it'll spontaneously disintegrate at some point...it won't. I hate the willy-nilly use of sapwood in what people call "rustic" pieces. It just looks like lazy woodwork to me. But used appropriately and carefully, it can be beautiful and make the ordinary extraordinary. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted January 16, 2014 Report Share Posted January 16, 2014 The comment on WTO was mine, and it's about a cabinet I'm building. I ended up with a lot of sapwood in some boards that looked to be great, dark walnut stock in their rough state. I picked through the stack for a while to choose those particular boards as well. Anyways, I used some of the material to create an effect with the face frame, and matched the stiles ( cut from one piece), as well as the rails (same board, another section). Still not super happy with the stock, but the combination turned out nice. The sap wood blends into the heartwood, but my original idea was to have a nice, dark, cabinet. In the past I have had great dark walnut. Do a search for my countertop build, and you'll see the awesome dark boards I got, in 14 foot lengths too! I'll see what I can do with the drawers and doors to darken it up as a whole, or maybe I'll continue with the "blended theme". It just depends on what the next board holds. Forgive the crappy quality photo, it was rather dark and all I had was my iPad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wentzelwood Posted January 17, 2014 Report Share Posted January 17, 2014 as a shipwright i would never put a piece of sap wood on the exterior of a boat, inside maybe as a feature. as for furniture, bring it on. it can create great highlights. the hardest part i have with it is finishing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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