Popular Post wtnhighlander Posted September 5, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted September 5, 2017 Some of you may have seen a thread by@RichardA, where we had the chance to meet while picking out some oak slabs for a dining table. Well, here is my journal for the table. My client is a fellow employee at the steel mill where I keep my day job. For several years, he was in charge of building & grounds maintenance. This included construction as well as repairs, and he developed a reputation for 'overbuilding' to keep operations from destroying everything. Unfortunately, that's a losing battle, because making steel is a very destructive process. Anyway, he asked if I could build a dining table to his specifications, and I agreed. He wanted red oak, because it matches his home, and has a reputation for strength and durability. After discussing the design, he gave me a deposit to buy some 2" thick material. It took some searching, but I finally located Darryl Emily of urbantimbersupply.com, near Murfreesboro TN. He had the red oak I needed, so a trip was planned. This is me,@RichardA, and my son, Cody, at Darryl's yard. Next is me with Darryl, and some of his stock in the background. Closest thing TN has to Matt Cremona! Then, here are some of the slabs I bought. Cody was about done in after we unloaded! We got 4 slabs, 2" thick, 9' long, and averaging 30" wide. Today, I spent several hours on layout. I knew my estimate was close, but by the time I marked all the parts I needed, there isn't enough waste to make a shoebox! Maybe you can see chalkmarks in the photo. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted September 5, 2017 Report Share Posted September 5, 2017 Looks like if you cut into those slabs and the pieces start to warp or twist it's gonna be a bad day in Mr McCormicks shop. I wish you luck. I had some 2 1/4" thick walnut slabs that were about 1 3/8 by the time I got them flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted September 5, 2017 Report Share Posted September 5, 2017 Never worked with large slabs. Like the look allot and it will be fun to follow your journal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted September 5, 2017 Report Share Posted September 5, 2017 Looking awesome! Always fun to meet and play with forums folks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted September 5, 2017 Report Share Posted September 5, 2017 Glad you got to meet Richard and vice versa. Glad for your sake, it wasn't " 5:00 p.m. somewhere"!! Dude's a hoot! Looking forward to this journal Ross! Mind sharing what design you have planned? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2017 Ken, I have a trestle design roughed out in sketchup. I'm no@denette, I just use it to check proportions and joinery fit. I'll try to export an image for you tomorrow, the laptop is offline for tge night! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wtnhighlander Posted September 5, 2017 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted September 5, 2017 As requested by Coop, here is an image to illustrate the table design. Roughly ... 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted September 6, 2017 Report Share Posted September 6, 2017 Ross, this is two views of the table or there will be a bench with the same design? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wtnhighlander Posted September 6, 2017 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted September 6, 2017 Ross, this is two views of the table or there will be a bench with the same design? Its a table and matching bench. Doubling as an emergency earthquake shelter. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wdwerker Posted September 6, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted September 6, 2017 I love the design ! I would join you to hide under that table when the New Madrid fault goes off again one day. Pretty sure that's the only fault close to either of us. It had a little rumble when I was a kid and the only one home. Something fell off the mantle & broke. No one would belive me until the earthquake was on the news that night. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 6, 2017 Report Share Posted September 6, 2017 8 hours ago, wtnhighlander said: Doubling as an emergency earthquake shelter. LOL I was gonna say there's a whole lotta meat in that table. Gonna be a beast. Could be a workbench. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tom King Posted September 6, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted September 6, 2017 Let me know where that thing is when North Korea lobs one this way. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgreenb Posted September 6, 2017 Report Share Posted September 6, 2017 3 hours ago, Eric. said: . Could be a workbench. Nah. Now maybe if it were alder... Pretty cool pics Ross. Looking forward to following this one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pondhockey Posted September 7, 2017 Report Share Posted September 7, 2017 22 hours ago, wdwerker said: I love the design ! I would join you to hide under that table when the New Madrid fault goes off again one day. Pretty sure that's the only fault close to either of us. It had a little rumble when I was a kid and the only one home. Something fell off the mantle & broke. No one would belive me until the earthquake was on the news that night. You must be a youngster, Werker! I'm pretty sure I remember that tremblor as a sophomore in Urbana, Illinois. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pondhockey Posted September 7, 2017 Report Share Posted September 7, 2017 To Erik's point, I think I see twist in one of the slabs. Maybe that part of the slab is a trestle? This will be a lot of fun to follow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2017 Yes, there is a bit of twist. But this is NOT actually a slab table. All of these pieces will be broken down into smaller components, which I think will flatten with minimal loss of thickness. The table top will actually be 3 pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denette Posted September 7, 2017 Report Share Posted September 7, 2017 Very nice design! Kind of has a beefiness that makes me think of Vikings. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wdwerker Posted September 7, 2017 Popular Post Report Share Posted September 7, 2017 Breaking the slabs down before flattening should save significant thickness. And it should be so much easier to flatten on the jointer instead of a router jig/ drum sander. Maybe you could leave a little live edge on the bottom of the arched pieces ? That might be interesting without changing the whole look. I was 10 in 1968 when the New Madrid had a 5.4 - 5.5 quake and it was quite a shock to me then. Nowadays the local quarry sets off a blast 3 or 4 days out of the week in the morning so I am quite used to it. Freaks my dog out for a minute, she keeps looking around like " what the hell was that " 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2017 Unfortunately, the edges of these slabs are quite dead. On the other hand, my client doesn't care for live edge, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted September 7, 2017 Report Share Posted September 7, 2017 Thats a nice looking design Ross. I am looking forward to this. Truck going to be in the driveway for a while? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2017 Thats a nice looking design Ross. I am looking forward to this. Truck going to be in the driveway for a while? No longer than absolutely necessary! I started breaking the slabs down into manageable chunks, but didn't have much time to work. I needed a jigsaw to work around the odd layout, so I grabbed the Kobalt cordless seen in photo 1. Pretty impressed with it so far. A new Bosch 10 ppi blade produced the cross cut in photo 2. Ripping is another matter.... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted September 8, 2017 Report Share Posted September 8, 2017 A good start Ross. I'm gonna hang with you all the way, from start to finish. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2017 Slowly "eating the elephant". Slab #1 went pretty well, but slab #2 is a bit thicker. Neither my circular saw nor my jig saw could make the rip cuts all the way through. That, combined with time lost to a mower breakdown, kept me from making much progress today. Boy, does that oak have an 'interesting' aroma! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted September 11, 2017 Report Share Posted September 11, 2017 oh wow look at those slabs!! This should be a fun project to follow here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted September 11, 2017 Report Share Posted September 11, 2017 I know a lot of people here don't care for the smell of Red Oak but it is one of the smells that take me back to ninth grade shop. It was a real common wood used back then for bigger projects. Everytime I smell it being cut, I can picture the shop and almost everyone's project from that year. Yea, I know, it's a little weird. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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