Thread: I have a question

Wolffie, this is a very confusing question, who is telling you to "cut it up into planks"?
I am guessing that someone has told you, or you have read, that to make a stable bench top, you should cut it up to reverse the cupping so that it doesn't warp in use?
My suggestions are.....

• if it has been slabbed for a long time (= >1 year per 25mm thickness), is dry and hasn't warped then it probably wont warp IF YOU DON"T DO ANYMORE HEAVY MACHINING
• if it wasn't wide enough to do the job then you could cut it such that you halve the thickness, open it like a book and you would have a beautiful mirror reversed grain BUT IT IS WIDE ENOUGH!

So, if you don't have to do a lot of dressing, such as halve its thickness, if it is wide enough AND IF YOUR DESIGN RESTRAINS IT FROM WARPING, then use it as it is.
fletty

What type of timber is it? Some types will move more than others, but if it meets Fletty's conditions, you should be able to design around it, either by restraining it or allowing for movement.

It is Acacia Mangium aka Brown Salwood.or Hickory Wattle

I have over 1 ton of it and I am not too keen on cutting it up but I don't want it to warp either.
I have been told by our local timber guru that it moves very little.
Cheers
Wolffie

I have cut a couple of the slabs up and it did not twist at all
Cheers
Wolffie

Never used it, but if it's like blackwood I wouldn't expect it to move too much. Use buttons or such to attach it to the carcass to allow for normal expansion & contraction * you should be OK.
The worst situation will be if it is moved from, say, a hot humid environment to a cool dry one (eg air conditioned room ) or vice versa.

What Alex said plus finish the top and the bottom with the same number of coats to avoid cupping.