Lebanese timber slab for outdoor bench

[Phalophalot]

G'day all,
I've just acquired a slab of timber that I would like to use as an outdoor bbq bench.
Unfortunately I have little knowledge in the art of woodwork.
I have been reading this forum and am getting an idea of what may be involved.

I would really appreciate it if I can use you guys as a knowledge base as a guide as I work through this project.

I have many questions but will not bore you at this stage. I will ask only questions that are relevant to the stage of works I am currently up to.

So 1st up.
I've pried off most of the bark using a screwdriver and a chisel. There are still some amount of thin stringy layers left.
I have read that a wire brush attachment to an angle grinder should work but being a soft timber species (Lebanese Cedar) is this likely to mark up the timber.

Should I just persist with the chisel & screwdriver method?
Any tips appreciated.
After this step some sanding is in order.
Do you feel a belt sander in the hands of a beginner on a soft wood will end in a disaster. Should I just start straight with an orbital sander.
As I will need to purchase these tools. Any recommendations on brands, power, size would be appreciated.
Thanks guys, in advance.:2tsup:

[jaysmith]

Hi There,
If you dont mind a bit of a rustic look with the sanding, ive had pretty good results with a random orbit sander like the bosch pex400 with 80 grit to start,180 second and a final 180 with a block by hand. ive made a few table tops with old baltic pine floorboards and they were pretty soft but youve got quite a bit of control with a random orbit just be gentle until you get the feel of it.
Oh, and dont let the sander spin up in the air always start and stop the sander while flat on the timber.
be prepared to change the pad frequently as they loose their cutting ability quicker than a belt, (or at least mine does).
I hope this helps.
Jamie

[tea lady]

You could get the rest of the bark off with a power washer perhaps.

Hand plane could be a good way to do the surface. Nice soft wood. Will be much funner than sanding.

[Phalophalot]

Hi There,
If you dont mind a bit of a rustic look with the sanding, ive had pretty good results with a random orbit sander
Oh, and dont let the sander spin up in the air always start and stop the sander while flat on the timber.
be prepared to change the pad frequently as they loose their cutting ability quicker than a belt, (or at least mine does).
I hope this helps.
Jamie

Thanks for the advice guys.
I bought a Random Orbital Sander (makita) on the weekend so am keen to give this sanding thing a go.
I'll work out what finish to apply before I start sanding though.
I'm thinking some sort of oil finish. Any opinion on Penetrol?

[Christos]

Personally I would just remove the loose bits that would normally come off by themselves in time. With the voids left I would fill with timber offcuts using epoxy and the smaller holes or cracks also epoxied as a filler. When using epoxy I would fill the other side of the hole with plasticine to stop it running through.

Using an oil for outside would not necessary be a good idea. Look for more like an outdoor decking oil that would have some additives(ploy) or an outdoor poly type finish.

Do keep the photos coming of the work in progress. :2tsup:

[Phalophalot]

Using an oil for outside would not necessary be a good idea. Look for more like an outdoor decking oil that would have some additives(ploy) or an outdoor poly type finish.


Can I elaborate that although the timber bench will be outside it will rarely get wet as it is under cover.
I will get afternoon sun however.
Does this change your opinion on the use of an oil like Penetrol?
I am aware that there is not really a product on the market that will prevent the loss of colour, and am prepared to re-oil at leat yearly to 6mnthly.
From what I have read, I am not really keen on the idea of a poly finish. Will eventually crack and need a lot of work to bring back to new again, where a oil finish appears to be more routine maintenance but easy to do.
plus I think a soft wood like cedar will likely ding it not treated with care and a poly is not so forgiving if the timber was to move under the poly coat.

What are the benefits of a decking stain over this Penetrol product.
I don't know a lot about either except the guy from the timber yard where I purchased the slab recommended Penetrol. He said that I could pour beetroot juice on a finished product & it would not stain.
Another product that has raised my eyebrow is Deks Olje #1 anyone know the difference betreen this and Penetrol?

[Phalophalot]

Thanks for the tips with using a Random Orbital Sander Jaysmith. Will remember em,
With respect to christos's comments with epoxy filling gaps. Is there any problem with not filling them. The open gaps are generally small and I guess will add to that rustic look.

[Christos]

I received a PM from Dale and thought that part of my reply should be posted to the thread.

I am not familiar with the finish you mention. The beauty of this forum is different opinions and methods. .........I used epoxy on things that I know will be exposed to moisture as my glue and then as a filler with a tint of black.

Not having the benefit of seeing the cracks it is difficult to suggests to fill or leave. The knots are the weakest part of the board as they tend to shrink and come out or remain loose. May not happen for years. .....

If others have used the finish mention could they advise on the results that they received. Or if they have advise in general (mainly to do with wood working:U).

[Phalophalot]

So I started sanding my slab this week.
I now know why it is recommended to have a slab such as this run through a thicknesser.
Creating a lot of saw dust.

Anyway. This is my first timber project ever and I have a question I hope someone can answer.
I'm using a belt sander at 40gritt to create a slat surface. i.e. remove the saw ripples in the timber.
Its going well so far. I'm chalking the high spots and sanding appropriately.
Almost there.
However my question is. I am noticing small low spots developing. i.e. 1mm craters.
Not visible to the eye, just obvious when I put a flat edge to the slab.

At this early point in time do I need to be fussy and work around these to keep the slab perfectly flat or is this something I can work on when I move up to a Random Orbital Sander at around 100 gritt stage?

[Christos]

It would be nice to have a perfect flat surface to work with and everything looking really nice but it is after all an outdoor bench. Exposed to weather and if the divots are going to hold water then they will be noticed as little circles when it dries. Then what do you do with a car windscreen as the same thing happens until you use the wipers to clean the windscreen.

A hand held belt sander is normally prone to an uneven finish as pressure is applied differently by the persons using it. Without any additional pressure on the work piece it still referenced to a limited surface area. Continue with the roughing down and finish with the orbital sander.