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/diy/ - Do It Yourself

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File: 446 KB, 1200x1200, oak slabs.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1309737 No.1309737 [Reply] [Original]

So i am in the process of making a life edge oak table.
I have had 2 oak slabs for about 5 years, 3 years outside drying and 2 years inside so i am pretty sure they are done warping.

But since they did warp kinda much i was wondering how one would normally flatten these slabs, Do you flatten the top and bottom side or just the bottom?
If i do both sides i lose a lot of material and the slab wont look as thick as when i only flatten the top side.
The only problem i can think of here is that i will have trouble attatching the base to the slab if i dont router in the base


Also: i am planning on cutting 1 side of both slabs straight and connecting them to eachother, will this look horrid or are there ways to do this and make it look good ?


>pic semi related, not my slabs but look like this

>> No.1309744

>>1309737

You'll be fine no matter what you do, as long as the finished product will support typical hipster things.

The cool thing about building hipster craft is that no matter how fucked up it is, as long as it barely functions, the fuckups give it character. This is in contrast to the real world where fuckups are not desirable.

>> No.1309745

>>1309744
i am going for an oak base, not those ugly hipster legs
i want it to look like an old oak table, not a design table some 20 year old dude working at starbucks bought

>> No.1309768

anyone?

>> No.1309849

>>1309768
bump

>> No.1309859

>>1309737
I'd flatten the top and just sand the bottom (no one likes splinters in your knees) - then attach the base with some play room on each leg (say 2 inches) and level it with taking bits off, using a spirit level.

>> No.1309861

>>1309737
As for attaching the two slabs, making a surface with smooth sided wood, clamps and D3 wood glue is doable enough - but I suspect you'll struggle to clamp it properly because the outer edges won't be square.

Maybe look into butterfly joints? I've seen that done on a slab table with beat results (admittedly there they were used to prevent cracking - you will need something else as well, but they will help).

>> No.1309864

>>1309737
If the warping isn't too bad, you can just cut straight across the width if it's cupped to straighten it out, or cut across the middle if it's bowed.

>> No.1309867
File: 3.51 MB, 3120x4160, IMG_20171224_133922431.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1309867

>>1309737
I hand plane them, isn't too bad. Some people make a router sled contraption, I don't have a router so never tried it.

>> No.1309893

>>1309867
This Anon knows his shit. I bet he adds a shot of black to the oil he uses on the sole of his plane. Listen to him.

>> No.1309903

You should get a moisture meter
And understand that wood will still move depending on the humidity
It will shrink in the winter and expand in the summer.
Red oak is one wood that will expand more than others because of the porous nature of the wood,
I would use a sealer and often mix a clear sealer with my gel stain,
But knowing the wood would move means you need to allow for the movement by making elongated holes when you mount the table to the base.

>> No.1309990

Should i allow for movement in both directions or just in the width?

For example, i use a large wooden dowel to attatch the base to the slab but if it fits very snugly i will have problems with the wood not being able to warp and move right?


So can i just make the hole the dowel fits in shaped like an 0 so that it can move in width

>> No.1309995
File: 12 KB, 1152x648, holes in slab.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1309995

>>1309990
I mean like this
the red holes are in the slab and the black circles are the dowels attatched to the base

>> No.1309997

>>1309990
Wood won't move lengthwise and a rule of thumb is 3% widthwise. The dowel idea is poor, look for something else. I'd recommend z clip style fasteners, or something similar. A loose fitting dowel isn't going to do anything but keep the top from sliding off sideways. >>1309867
Was 4in thick so I just mortised 2.5in deep holes to fit the legs into and glued and wedged them in. Wouldn't recommend that with anything thinner. Look at George nakashima tables for some slab inspiration

>> No.1310169

>>1309737
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQwwviE1ikM

>> No.1310186

>>1309737

it's called a planer, and dimensioning.

>> No.1310195
File: 164 KB, 960x720, IMG.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1310195

>>1309867
are you hiding a table under that? jk nice work
>>1309990
unless the table is over 6ft long movement will not be an issue

>> No.1310524

>>1310186
>dimensioning.
elaborate

>> No.1310684

Hand plane best plane.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m231_HKCOWs

>> No.1310707
File: 124 KB, 619x250, shot_kek.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
1310707

>>1309893
>This Anon knows his shit. I bet he adds a shot of black

he does.

>> No.1310730

>>1310707
Pro status confirmed for hand plane masterrace. And you're getting his advice for FREE??? If you don't listen you're a fool, OP.

>> No.1311024

>>1309867
question

That butterfly joint on the crack, its grain is perpendicular to the tables grain. Won't this cause more of a split in the long run when the grain expands and contracts?

>> No.1311147

>>1311024
try sawing the butterfly like you say, that shit will break before even installing it