Thread: Looking for a good slab for outdoor table

Cypress is good only hhhas a 1% shinkage wet to dry

If you are coming to Brisbane anytime soon let me know & I'll set up a meet with a mate who has a couple acres FULL of slabs

when you say a couple of acres... i'm assuming you mean wet and still living?

and what species are there?

Originally Posted by M-R

when you say a couple of acres... i'm assuming you mean wet and still living?

and what species are there?

No, not wet & living, all either dry or partly dry

Hey, i'm in QLD and always looking for wood.

What kind of wood is available? i'm assuming these are for sale?

I would think most of his slabs are for sale but don't expect to pick up cheap timber.
Prices would start @ around $2800 a cubic meter & go up depending on rarity. If you haven't logged or milled timber it's hard to understand the prices asked but I've never met a wealthy logger or miller and, bloody hell, it's hard work.
As for species there would be more Australian species than you could name & quite a few you would never have heard of.

Its always worth a look isnt it?

Do you know if he has any small stuff as well? burl or even just offcuts (well i guess if you sell slabs you'd call them offcuts) Stuff to turn pretty much?

Originally Posted by M-R

Its always worth a look isnt it?

Do you know if he has any small stuff as well? burl or even just offcuts (well i guess if you sell slabs you'd call them offcuts) Stuff to turn pretty much?

You might be out of luck there, he won't sell to wood turners (even though he is a master turner) or boat builders.

I have witnessed it for myself, they spend a LOT of time (over an hour usually) and select 1 only piece of timber and then try to bargain him down. His time is more than filled with other objectives.

Now if you were looking for a ¼, ½ cube or more of timber he would usually leave you to select which boards you want.

Wish I could afford that much timber

When I have another major project going, i'll give it a thought. Could you give us a bit more detail of what he sells

like, just slabs? species? etc

Within a couple of months I'll probably have to source a couple hundred bucks worth of something nice, is he interested in that kind of amounts?

Originally Posted by M-R

Wish I could afford that much timber

When I have another major project going, i'll give it a thought. Could you give us a bit more detail of what he sells

like, just slabs? species? etc

Within a couple of months I'll probably have to source a couple hundred bucks worth of something nice, is he interested in that kind of amounts?

Over 100 Australian species from Rosewood to Australian Ebony. He has slabs and boards. He would be interested in that sort of money as a minium

Well in that case, I'll definitely give you a message next time I need to find some timber Major. I have a project coming up within the next three months that *should* require about $400 worth (thats worked out for the minimum of $2800 a cube you mentioned)

Thanks for the info MajorPanic. I usually get up to Brisbane every couple of months for work. Next time I'm heading that way I'll give you a heads up. I would guess by quantity that I'm after something between 1/4 and 1/2 a cube in slab and boards.

Whilst current interest is for a good table. I'm also looking at making a large entertainment unit with matching bookcases. So some good matching boards would be of interest also.

The problem with slabs for outdoor tables is water and warping. I got a very large Redgum slab to make an outdoor table. I decided not to proceed due to the issue of moisture and warping.

How does the rain or other water run off the table, the changes in moisture and exposure to sun etc pretty much guarantee a warped table top.

This seems to be the reason that most furniture makers make slat tops for out door tables. If there are other ways to do this using a solid top I would be very interested. I thought that the only way to do it is to laminate relatively thin strips of hardwood, alternating the grain to minimize movement.
Suresh

My table whilst outside would be protected from the elements beneath a translucent roof. Which has quite good UV properties.

Whilst the table could get a little damp from mist etc. It will not have direct rain on it. I'm more worried about the variations in humidity, heat etc from being outside rather than in the house.