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10th July 2009, 02:23 PM #1Novice
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Opinions on table top preperation wanted!!!
hi
im currently doing my DAT major work for yr 12 in sydney and, quite truthfully i have left my work waaayyyyy too late.
anyway i have a Jarrah burl table top for a coffee table. for this table top i have a set of wrought steel legs and an ornate wrought steel magazine rack for underneath the table top.
here are some photos of the table top
ok so basically i have a beautiful piece of wood which i dont know how to use, not a good placxe to be in, especially when a deadline is involved.
now as it stands i am incredibly confused about how to deal with the table top. i have been given tips on how to finish the top differing from flow/glass coat to tung oil etc.
so to start off i think i will use fibre glass resin to fill the cracks. does anyone have any ideas as to what colour i should use to dy the resin (remember it is a deep pink/light red jarrah colour) and where i can get it from??
and finally finishing. now as it stands i think the best suggestion i have had so far for finnishing is the suggestion of Feast Watson; Floor Sealer. you see the dilema is that i need something which is strong and tough for everyday use which will be able to take heat, alcohol etc. which other finished may not be able to deal with. but by the same token i dont particularly want to use flow/glass coat as i have heard that it is tempremental to no end. also there is the sides which i would not be able to coat with the flow/glass coat.
so, who ever has a suggestion for filling colours and/or finishing materials and methods, it would be greatly appreciated.
THANKS, in advance for your help.
jim
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10th July 2009, 07:30 PM #2Skwair2rownd
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A beautiful slab!!
If you insist on filling the "cracks" why not go for a dark to deep blue?? Ground charcoal in a resin mix will do a good job also and the black will match the red nicely.
I would be tempted to leave the slab as natural as possible, but that is a personal thing, and not fill anything.
Sand very well , make sure there are no scratches and use the Feast& Watson as suggested. It's a great product.
Good luck.
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10th July 2009, 07:59 PM #3
I'd be taking a trip down to the local bricky suppliers and seeing what they have in the way of pigments/oxides for their mud.
Works well when tinting resins and they tend to use natural(ish) pastels; I'm pretty sure you can buy a purply-red that's already close to the darker parts of the "eyes."
- Andy Mc
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11th July 2009, 12:32 AM #4Natural Edge
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Natural does it for me on that particular slab , if for any reason you might run out of sandpaper or something you could always send it over to me .
It will look superb when its finished i am sure
All the best Paul , k
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11th July 2009, 12:34 AM #5
One more thing: whatever finish you use, make sure you use it equally on both top and bottom!
It's important for large slabs and vital for large burls.
- Andy Mc
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11th July 2009, 12:39 AM #6.
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Go natural. Always puzzles me that the first thing people want to do with slabs is to fill the holes with epoxy. I would even go one step further and have it sandblasted to accentuate it. That’s what I done with this little slab
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11th July 2009, 12:50 AM #7
It's a burl. Unlike a normal slab, they tend to move a lot in random directions and checking can be a serious problem. From the minimal checking on that one, I'd guess 'twas dried and stored in a controlled environment.
Filling the cracks is a lot easier than trying to ensure the interior of the cracks are equally coated with <whatever> finish, to reduce movement and make the piece last.
I'm not saying don't leave it natural. Just that it has it's risks.
- Andy Mc
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11th July 2009, 12:58 AM #8.
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11th July 2009, 10:45 AM #9Novice
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Awesome, thanks guys.
i really hadn't thought about leaving it natural at all!!! i guess it gives me a bit more scope.
just one question, why is the finishing over the whole slab essential?
i was planning on bolting a 3mm steel plate under the slab as one of the corners of the burl is wobbly and burl, having no grain can be reasonably easily broken, as i have discovered from past endeavors and i really don't want to take such a risk with this one. i would bolt the steel to the underside after i have filled and finished the slab.
thanks again,
jim
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11th July 2009, 11:02 AM #10
You have a great looking slab and it will make a very nice table.
I would go with most of the comments above.
Sand it with a good random orbital sander to at ;east #400 grit. Keep checking to make sure you get rid or any scratches or squiggles from coarser sanding.
I like Feast and Watson Floorseal and it will do a good job on the slab.
But My preference would be an oil finish. Danish Oil - any brand, Ardvos, Organoil hard burnishing oil....will all do good jobs.
Brush a heavy coat after you finish sanding.
Wait 10 minutes then wipe it off with an old T shirt or similar. Make sure you wipe it completely dry.
Repeat this - 4 coats should give you a good sheen and provide protection from hot, cold liquids.
Do the top and the bottom and the sides. On the bottom I would sand to #220 and only give it 2 coats of oil.
or
If you want to be more creative.....
Fill the cracks.
You can buy coloured wood fillers. I might use them if I wanted to match the Jarrah. Personally I think that with this burl it would not look very good.
Epoxy with a stain added to it would do a good job.
The most natural look would be to stain the epoxy black.
Over fill the cavities, let it dry then sand it with the rest of the table and finish as above.
I have seen outstanding burls that have the cavities filled with coloured epoxy.
Red, blue, yellow, silver...... The burl looks like it is glowing.
Try some on a piece of scrap and see how it looks before attacking the big burl. You need to be careful to make sure you get all the bubbles out of the epoxy. You can add heat to get the bubbles out before the epoxy dries.
How long before the project needs to be finished?Scally
__________________________________________
The ark was built by an amateur
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11th July 2009, 02:13 PM #11Novice
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wew! thanks for that scally, thats a great help.
i think i have till mid-late august some time to finnish the table so i have a little while although i have trial HSC exams in the middle so i will lose a week or 2.
in your opinion would a brightly coloured epoxy filling look good. at first, a few months ago i was thinking of attempting to melt brass, aluminium or copper into the cracks but then the problem of burning the wood around the cracks became apparent. also, any idea where i might be able to get colourings for epoxy or fibre glass casting resin, would food colourings work or oil paints work???
now as to sealing the surface i do have a 4L tin of organoil danish oil which i got from bunnings for $22 . but will this give a tough enough surface?? i suppose it will
thanks again.
jim
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11th July 2009, 03:49 PM #12
The reason you want to seal both sides equally is so that the moisture can leave/enter both sides at equal rates. Have you ever seen a slab table or countertop that has cupped, bowed or gone wavy? It probably wasn't sealed underneath.
The few extra minutes sealing the underside is worth it in the long run, regardless of whether you're bolting a steel plate underneath.
If yu have the patience, you can fill the crack with metal dust (brass looks excellent!) and flood it with CA. Because CA doesn't penetrate far into the dust and you really want it all the way through, it's best to "wet" the crack with CA, press in some dust - only a mm or two - add more CA, then more dust, building it up in layers until the crack is filled.
I say metal "dust" because shavings, such as from cutting keys, tend to be too large to give that "solid" look.
also, any idea where i might be able to get colourings for epoxy or fibre glass casting resin, would food colourings work or oil paints work???
now as to sealing the surface i do have a 4L tin of organoil danish oil which i got from bunnings for $22 . but will this give a tough enough surface?? i suppose it will
The downside with a PolyU is that if it's damaged you need to sand it all off to repair. With the Danish Oil you can lightly sand just the affected area back and then give the whole piece a recoat.
It's a trade=off situation.
- Andy Mc
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11th July 2009, 05:05 PM #13
If you want to clear fill the cavities Digger's Casting Resin works extremely well, and I've successfully stained the resin with Feast Watson spirit based stains. All available from Bunnies. Be very vcareful to follow the instructions for the Casting Resin to the letter, shrinkage can be a bitch. And when it comes to the stain, less is more, add literally a single drop at a time to get the desired colour. You'll be surprised just how dark the stuff will appear in the burl.
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