# Walnut Crotch Slab Coffee Table Order



## gideon (May 26, 2010)

So I got another order for a slab table. Walnut crotch cut, a bit sappy, interesting colors and patterns. Going with maple tiger/light quilted bowties. My client wants a lot of variation - so here we go...


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## mike1950 (Aug 29, 2010)

Looks nice!!!


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

I like that feathering!!! Nice choice!!!


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

yeah, wait till I start working with the 6 smaller slabs I picked up yesterday... Oh boy...


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

Hey
You seem to be doing a lot of these type projects these days. 
Fun and somewhat simple, eh?
What are you using to keep the slab flat as a backer? Wild grains will move, you know.

Love this one and love walnut.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

i use a heavy slab rear leg. I use two rails for additional stability and sink 6 to 8 #14 x 2" crews in through the top and plug the holes with similar grained wood. FFront rail, I tend to use cross shaped rails with a splayed leg attached.

this is the last walnut table i did


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## gus1962 (Jan 9, 2013)

Nice walnut slab. It's going to be a nice coffee table.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

Here it is asnof today. Made good progress with it.


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## Travico (Dec 25, 2012)

Looking GOOD!


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## Paul W Gillespie (Jul 7, 2011)

Looking good.


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## Chataigner (May 30, 2013)

Looks great, cant wait to see the finished job.


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## Carvel Loafer (Dec 31, 2011)

This is nice. I have some large pieces of maple I have yet to cut up to make tables, if the wood turns out good, so I am gleaning ideas.

Thanks for posting.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

And this one is done.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

Nice!!!! I like !!!


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## djg (Dec 24, 2009)

gideon said:


> i use a heavy slab rear leg. I use two rails for additional stability and *sink 6 to 8 #14 x 2" crews in through the top and plug the holes with similar grained wood.* FFront rail, I tend to use cross shaped rails with a splayed leg attached.
> 
> this is the last walnut table i did


Would you get the same strenght and stablity if you were to run the screws from the underside? I hate like all heck to have to drill holes in that beautiful top. I wouldn't be as lucky as you in hiding the holes.

Also, you may have covered this in another thread I think (I apologize), but if the cross bracing is screwed from the top, how do you allow for wood movement?

Beautiful table by the way.


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

Dun Good, Gideon.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

djg said:


> Would you get the same strenght and stablity if you were to run the screws from the underside? I hate like all heck to have to drill holes in that beautiful top. I wouldn't be as lucky as you in hiding the holes.
> 
> Also, you may have covered this in another thread I think (I apologize), but if the cross bracing is screwed from the top, how do you allow for wood movement?
> 
> Beautiful table by the way.


There are 4 screws going in thru the top into the rear slab leg. the screws with all the bracing run through the rails into the top so nothing goes through the top slab there.

to deal with with movement, I bore larger holes than the shaft diameters of the screws. So as the wood moves, the screw shafts have room to shift around.


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## Chataigner (May 30, 2013)

Very fine. What finish did you use ?


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

Gotta say Gideon.

Even though this and the last table of yours are similar in top surfaces, I like the base/legs better on this one over the last.
The other just seemed too spindly in the legs. By adding the slab end on this one, it bulks it up some.
Gives it a little beef to match the top surface.

And I love "Live Edge" projects. It's what I do.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

Chataigner said:


> Very fine. What finish did you use ?


formby's tung oil/varnish mix.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

Da Aardvark said:


> Gotta say Gideon.
> 
> Even though this and the last table of yours are similar in top surfaces, I like the base/legs better on this one over the last.
> The other just seemed too spindly in the legs. By adding the slab end on this one, it bulks it up some.
> ...


some people don't like the heft of the rear slab leg. so I have to offer them an alternative. 

I mill the top slabs pretty thin - 1" + to 1 3/8" tops so my tables don't wind up looking like log cabin furniture. I like the thinness to make the table seem like its floating. Like it's less anchored to the ground.


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

Interesting.^
I don't trust wild grains to stay stable over time when cut thin.
The nature of the beast is to move and the wilder the grain, the more it gets an attitude and does so.
I'm heavily into Extreme Contemporary Design, even in the houses I live in. The thickness is ok, if the design fills the shoes and needs.
My thinnest projects are 1.5" and up to 4"

I also back my tables up like you do with stretchers in wood and sometimes even 1.25" tube steel lag bolted in place

They all have their place. 



Here is my "projects" page. It takes a little time to load since I chose larger formatted pictures, but it has slide shows of a project.
http://gnarlywooddesigns.weebly.com/projects.html


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

what finish did you use on The OAK, MAPLE Nightmare and woodshark?


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

"Oak Maple Nightmare" is 4+ coats of 2 part epoxy, on the oak portion with sanding between coats, and ~3 coats of sprayed satin polyurethane (water based only (oil base reacts and checks)), with the features in the wood taped off (coins, etc.). The base is 10 coats of poly, sprayed. The inner rot of the base had poly poured into the surface.
Being that the oak top is essentially a cookie 4" thick with a rot hole in it, I knew it was going to split, and counted on it. I stabilized the back side with angle iron, lag bolted, and started filling the cracks with epoxy.
That table was hell to work on. 120+ hours and multiple repairs. Finally it's semi-stable.

(that table made it evident to me how wood moves even after dried to 6% mc. The thing cracked open 6 months down the line, and more than once, and it's 4" thick.)

"Wood Shark" is 3 coats of epoxy with 2 more coats on the bark surface. On the seating surface it's sanded with #0000 steel wool and rubbed with a slurry of pumice and rotten stone to semi gloss the finish. Bark was left glossy.

I use epoxy a lot, since it is a bullet proof surface for abuse. They are made to be used, not pampered.
It also fills voids and essentially glues a crack together. In 'live edge' a lot of cracking and even stabilizing rotten wood can be repaired with it.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

awesome info. I have that 2 part epoxy finish here but haven't used any yet. Was wondering how to bring that gloss down consistently.


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

2 methods I use.
Both require at least 3 to 4 days of wait time.

1) Let the epoxy harden (3 to 4 days min.) and sand it. That insures the imperfections in the surface are removed, like dust, etc. since the drying time is ~12 hours before you can touch the surface. Then start working the grits to as fine as you want. You can actually bring the sheen all the way back to hi-gloss.

2) same wait time since epoxy tends to shrink over many days. Then sand and spray wb poly to any sheen you want. The solids in a satin poly hide grain details as does anything less than a hi-gloss.
...
Epoxy is a pain to work with and takes some practice. I pour it on and brush it over the surface. It runs off and self levels. Gotta have the piece level before working it. Most people trowel it with a toothed trowel. It drips off the edge and the droplets need sanded off later.

Epoxy has properties similar to concrete. It takes 30+ days to truly harden, and like concrete, it is always curing harder and harder. The first 4 to 5 days a fingernail will dent the surface, BUT the dent returns to it's original shape. Dent disappears. (kinda cool to watch)
They claim (not so sure I buy it) that 1 coat of epoxy is equal to 50 coats of varnish. It does give a deep look to it and for some reason, epoxy and lacquer pop the grains and colors better than any other product I've ever used.


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## paintr56 (Dec 31, 2006)

Gideon,
Beautiful work. do you cut your own slabs or do you have a good source for them? I need to talk to the guy I get my rough cut wood from and see if he has any nice slabs. 

Da Aardvark,
Nice stuff, do you have a show room that is open to the public. We are thinking of heading east next summer I would love to see you work in person.

An admirer

Jim


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

Nope, I don't do the harvesting and cutting.

I go to Hearnes Hardwoods for more dimensioned lumber, Willard Brothers once in a while for slabs BUT lately I've been going to Alderfer in central PA. 

While they are 150 miles away, they are nearly HALF the price of other suppliers for excellent quality slabs as the three projects I've posted. 

I got 6-7 smaller slabs for $300 bucks! Thing is, I need to get out there and a 300 mile roundtrip day is tiring. But very worth it.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

Da Aardvark said:


> 2 methods I use.
> Both require at least 3 to 4 days of wait time.
> 
> 1) Let the epoxy harden (3 to 4 days min.) and sand it. That insures the imperfections in the surface are removed, like dust, etc. since the drying time is ~12 hours before you can touch the surface. Then start working the grits to as fine as you want. You can actually bring the sheen all the way back to hi-gloss.
> ...


I was reading up on epoxy finish and it seems like a roayl PIA to use but so durable. Looking at your photos, I can see how gets into the grain and pops it. 

With the hardness and bonding ability of epoxy, I wonder if it doesn't further strengthen the wood when absorbing in. 

I've used satin poly and absolutely hate the stuff with a passion. 

I use a low gloss tung oil/varnish mix. After 5-6 coats are applied, it can take some abuse but it also takes about 30 days to fully harden.


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## mike1950 (Aug 29, 2010)

Da Aardvark said:


> Interesting.^
> I don't trust wild grains to stay stable over time when cut thin.
> The nature of the beast is to move and the wilder the grain, the more it gets an attitude and does so.
> I'm heavily into Extreme Contemporary Design, even in the houses I live in. The thickness is ok, if the design fills the shoes and needs.
> ...


The walnut table with maple legs is some beautiful wood!!!!!!:thumbsup:

I admire your guys live edge work- Not my kind of furniture but it is a beautiful use of the wood.........


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

Gideon,
Yup!
PITA but the strength and finish are worth the effort. Try it on some small pieces and work up to the bigger.
Understand it can take a beer bottle busted on it without damage to the wood... Bar-top strong and the yellowing is very minimal over time. Two ++'s.

Mike 1950 
Thanks. I love walnut.


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## Da Aardvark (Oct 11, 2012)

Gideon.
Yes it does strengthen the wood surface and penetrates into the grain.
I also have used it on crumbling rot and it rock hardened it.
On some Catalpa pieces I used it since Catalpa is quite soft. Now I trust the wood wont dent or get damaged.


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## FranklinStreet (Nov 25, 2013)

Beautiful work Gideon! How's the stability on the single leg end?


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

FranklinStreet said:


> Beautiful work Gideon! How's the stability on the single leg end?



Perfect. The rear slab leg provived stability and weight to prevent it from tipping if someone puts their legs up on it.


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## Timothy Knight (May 11, 2013)

Great job , must feel good to stand back and look at ! How thick are your bow ties?


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

the ties are about 1" +/-. There are two ties underneath as well.


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