Eric Brownlee Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 A buddy of mine is building a life edge dining table out of poplar. There is one part where the edge of a board isn’t square. So when the boards are joined toether, there will be a hole going down the the spline, exposing what’s supposed to be hidden. What’s yalls suggestion on using this part? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post krtwood Posted January 25, 2018 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 It could be filled with epoxy, but I don't think it will look good. I would rip that edge off to get rid of it. If the table ends up 3/4" narrower than intended, well, it's not the end of the world. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 Assuming by looking at the picture, the only board I would use is the center board. It appears that both outside boards have major end cracks. However just dealing with the board on the right you will need to rip off what appears to be a couple inches. Maybe my opinion would be different if these boards where milled properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 I guess it all depends on how rustic of a table they are expecting. Most of us consider poplar to be a great paint grade hardwood. It might look good if stained carefully. ( practice on scraps first ! ) I also agree with the opinion to rip out the flaw on the internal seam . 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyoak Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 In play I applied a sealer to a piece of poplar. It killed all the natural green that I wanted to preserve. Today it is one of the best choices for paint as Steve says. Steve, do you remember the days when gum lumber was available? It painted better than poplar. But all the millable gum is gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 We never saw much if any gum around here. Lots of timber like that can be kinda regional, especially if the supply is small. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 Live edge, IMO, is meant to be on the outside edges, unless it’s meant to be entirely on the inside, not both. I agree, make all inside edges smooth on the glue up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlogan Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 Rip the piece to eliminate the gap. There appears to be an awful lot of milling that has to take place to make this a table Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 There is also a good bit of twist in one of the center boards. Either a router flattening jig or a planer sled( if a wide enough planer is available) will work but it will reduce thickness and then the rest of the boards would need to be planed down to match. I wish him luck, he probably doesn't realize how big the effort may be to make those boards into a table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Triebe Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 I'd rip about an inch off the inside edge of that right board and make it square, personally. It's going to be tough to joint properly if he doesn't, and- personally- I don't see keeping that part in there as adding anything good aesthetically to the piece. It's not big enough to be any sort of "river" feature, it doesn't have the same kind of character as a knot... just slice it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barron Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 I’d joint the interior edges and trim off the cracks. Freshly milled poplar can have some interesting colors, but they will turn brown over time. It doesn’t look bad, but it won’t be the same. I’ve never found a way to stop it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted January 26, 2018 Report Share Posted January 26, 2018 37 minutes ago, Barron said: It doesn’t look bad Eehhhhh....???? I've never seen poplar with both heart and sap wood look good to me right under any clear finish or stain. I know it's possible, but I've never seen it. To answer the op question, those boards don't look like they have even been milled yet. If he's joining them together, they need milled flat with complimentary angles on the faces meeting and the twist removed from what looks like all 3 boards to different degrees Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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