Thread: My red Gum Slab is curling in on itself - Please help

Roger,
You didnt say how thick the slab is or how long it had been drying in the garage. Even though the slab was taken from dead timber, you may be surprised how much moisture it could retain. A moisture meter would answer that question. Uneven number of finish coats can sometimes lead to cupping. Backsawn material will also be more prone to cupping. It well may be that you have scored the trifecta and have all three.
What to do now? Check moisture content. Resaw slab along crack and reglue (epoxy.) Check growth rings at end of slab, if backsawn consider turning slab over.

I would say the fact it is out in all weathers has a lot to do with it. The constant changes in temp and moisture is too much for most bits of timber to cope with. Even if it were seasoned to start with being outside like that has unseasoned it. Under cover it would have a much better chance.
As for fixing what rustynail said sounds about right.
Regards
John

Thanks for that. I can move it inside and use it on a bar I was going to build. It is a recoverable situation then ). Would you recommend stripping all the polyeurethane of it, turning it and letting it re-dry?

The slab is 2 1/2 inches think.

I'd imagine the moisture content is now shot as I saw water dripping off the inside where the polyeurethan has cracked cause of the bending.

Any thoughts on the above would be appreciated

Roger,
Yes you would need to strip it if it requires further drying. It may not have soaked up too much moisture as it takes a fair bit to get through a lump of hardwood. As the timber was sealed with poly it shouldn't take too long to get back to where it was. For an outdoor application a piece of quarter sawn would be preferable.

tricky situation. wood keeps you humble as you always need to work with it rather than force it into submission.

strip, re-dry, rip and re-glue are all good options. backsawn is also important to watch out for.
when it's resettled perhaps a design change with some bracing might help keep it stable (allowing for wood expansion metal might be appropriate.) However, 2 1/2" red gum could be quite persistent.

Would it need to be dried as if it was newly sawn, i.e 1 year per inch + 1 or is it different when the water is absorbed via the weather as in this case

With large pieces of redgum I find you have to place it it situ where it is to be used for 3 - 6 months before you work it into it's final shape. However, taking it out of a dry shed and placing it outside under direct sunlight and rain is just asking for trouble. No (repeat No) clear based finish will enable timber to withstand direct exposure to the Ozzy elements anyway so I would not even bother finishing timber this way unless it was mostly shaded and out of the rain - that's what opaque paint is for.

Thanks for that. I've turned it and will start stripping it back over the festive period. I'll clear a space in my garage and it can redry again. Think next time I'll oil it and I'll use it for my bar area. Should be a lovely bar top.

Thanks for all the advice. Really appreciate it.