Need a "rugged" look

[mayhew]

First of all, I apologize if this is in the wrong section of the forum - it's about both the wood and the finishing, so I wasn't sure where to put this.

I offered to make something for my brother as a give for Christmas, and he requested a small (24"x16") cross he could hang on his wall. The thing is, he said he'd prefer for it to look more "rugged" than pristine. I've only just finished building a workbench so this is my first project ever, and I don't know how to go about making wood look "rugged". How rough is rough sawn lumber? If I leave the wood surface rough without sanding it down or using a plane on it or anything of the sort, will it still hold a finish? Does the wood need a finish, and if so, what could I use that would still leave the wood somewhat rough, rather than nice and smooth?

I hope these questions make sense, thanks in advance for any advice!

[duckkisser]

well is it rugged as in unfinished, with bark still on, saw marks, you might think of geting some drift wood branches to mount together and then you can keep a twisted natural shape but then sand it smooth and finish it so its glossy. that way its still natural looking. i would talk to your brother and find out just what he means by rugged and work from there.

[TRBaker]

mayhew, if you make the pieces for the cross and get you joint made for the cross piece, Drag your pieces backward across your bandsaw blade and it will leave a simulated rough-cut finish without all the inconsistencies of rough-cut. Then you can sand it lightly, leaving the rougher marks and still having a decent enough surface to finish.

[Jim Heinbuch]

To me rough would mean with saw marks and unfinished.

[wdwerker]

I use an oil finish on rough sawn wood. Just use a patting motion with a rag to prevent snagging fibers in the rough surface. Keep some tweezers handy for stray fibers and splinters. I would not try to build a sheen, just add a richer color and protect the wood .

[mayhew]

Thanks for the replies everyone! Sorry it's taken so long for me to respond - I had been assuming it would email me when I got a reply, but apparently I didn't have my settings done properly.

I was going to get 8/4 rough sawn walnut, but when I got there they showed me some 4/4 S2S walnut that was half the price, and once I realized it was cheap my brain shut off and I forgot I wanted it rough 8/4, not S2S 4/4. I then thought I could achieve a rough look by putting the cut edges facing outwards when laminating it into 2x2s (approx), but then after doing so I realized I couldn't line the edges up properly without cutting or planing it down. My only power saw is a circular saw which left too clean of an edge, and I don't have the skills to take off a thin layer of wood with my ripsaw, so I would have had to take off a prohibitive amount of wood to achieve a rough finish without an obvious seam between my laminated pieces.

TL;DR: Thanks to not thinking everything through properly before doing it, the rough look didn't work out, and my brother is going to have to accept a smooth look instead. Thanks for the advice though - now I know for next time!

[wdwerker]

Next time if you have a cheap steel circular saw blade try bending one or 2 teeth a little further out. This will give you a rougher cut. If you have a bandsaw you can drag the wood backwards past the blade and rough up the surface.