Thread: The GF Project: Camphor Vanity...

Grain is looking pretty cool...

Slab 3.jpg

Managed to get some time to cut this down. Bit of a reality check not having my cabinet saw, or a decent work-bench for that matter.

Track-saw in the garden... bit of beast to wrangle solo.


Has anyone had any allergic reactions to camphor before? I'm masked up, and understand the nature of this timber... think my hands are reacting to it though


2 a.jpg 2 c.jpg 2 d.jpg 2c.jpg

Yeah this is looking pretty amazing...


3 a.jpg 3 d.jpg 3 e.jpg 3 f.jpg

Going to be almost zero waste from this slab!

I've got 4 pieces to prep for lamination under the bench-top, these will allow a deeper cut for the basins (the slab is 50mm thick but I want 100mm basin depth, plus room to mount the basin waste).

And the very last pieces are here, I've just finished rough dressing these which are destined to be legs for the vanity. The large piece is going to be the middle leg. Leaving the live edge as a bit of a "hat-tip" to the slab. As much as I love live edge, I really want something refined. The other 2 will be outside legs with HMR board routed in as infill.


4 a.jpg 4 b.jpg

Final pieces ready for glue-up...


5 c.jpg 5 b.jpg 5 a.jpg 5 e.jpg

Now that is going to look really special when finished!!

What finish are you going to use? Water proofing EVERYWHERE will be top priority.

Saw a vanity top basin once made from a single piece of camphor where the plug area aligned with the
area where a branch had been. The grain flowed all the way down the plug hole. Effect was spectacular!!

Going the boat building route, which I've done quite a lot in the past... I've still got some test timber sitting in the garden (full sunlight and weather) that I coated with this method over 5 years ago and its looking perfect (after cleaning off the dust and spiders )... even the half coated pieces are doing fine. Ie. Half method, less coats per step. Basically goes...


Penetrating Epoxy
4-8 coats, depending on how the timber reacts. Basically keep applying until you start to get a shiny coating. When the timber "drinks" it, you get a matte finish. Light sand between coats if needed but you can get 3 or 4 on in a row once it sets up slightly. Depending on humidity, species, age, size etc etc etc of piece, you can usually re-coat 30 minutes after the first. Then...


Bote Coat or West Systems Epoxy
2-4 coats till super smooth. Then...


Poly Top Coats
2-6 coats... again you can usually get 2 -4 on in a row without having to wait till cured, there's a sweat spot at about 30 minutes (again depending on environment and your mix) where you can re-coat before it fully cures. If you miss this window you'll have to wait a full 24-36 hours as it starts to tear off like a thin sticker. Same goes with sanding, make sure it's fully dry before sanding as it'll just peel off your last coat. I usually use the remains of a mix on the base of a piece so that I can test on an area out of final sight

This coat also protects from UV. You can get non-yellowing epoxy but prefer this as a safe guard.


It does take a while and you have to work SUPER clean. Dust and hair and anything in the air will wreck the finish. But as many have said in the past, finishing is what sets apart many pieces

Some tips with the finishing (probably wrong forum for this), but while we are here, some quick helpful advice...

I've found the high-density 100mm paint rollers help with your finish (if you can't spray that is)
- Dust off (your hand is fine, with gloves are better) the rollers before each use, they have tiny pieces of foam that get stuck in your piece
- I hate wasting things, but they do not last very long, throw them out and start with a new roller when they start to swell up.
- Make sure your tray and the pieces are wiped down, compressed air is better.

Go more layers of thin coats than less layers of thick... it's easier to control and get an even coverage. Also yields less bubbles normally.

Use super fine sand paper between coats.

Work clean with lots of lights.

Depending on your location and the season, I've found early mornings or late evening better for coating... anything when the heat or humidity is starting to rise/increase may bubble and you'll have to sand it back.

Looks great. Very undervalued timber in my opinion. Not often you see a piece without an interesting grain pattern. For what is considered a weed in some parts it produces a good looking timber.

It is nice to be using timber considered a weed.

Along with the environmental side I agree... asthetically, the grain pattern always seems to be very interesting and the colouring is a nice middle ground. Working with it feels the same to me also... feels like a great compromise in strength vs. ease of work... structurally strong but not a tool or body killer like Jarrah or the like.

Managed to run a roughing cut on the CNC last night after work... the whole neighborhood smells like tiger balm

Need a dust-shoe extension for the bit I'm using... a massive carbide spiral, 12.7 mm (1/2") with 152 mm reach.

Anyway...


6.jpg 7.jpg

Originally Posted by ProTooling

Bote Coat or West Systems Epoxy
2-4 coats till super smooth. Then...

Never thought of using West System like this. Do you use the slow hardener and let it set over a day or two, or is there another secret?

You have to be earning heaps of brownie points from the GF for this.

You would think so, wouldn't you Cava

But yes, for me, it's always yielded a finer finish building up very thin layers. Warming the epoxy helps with viscosity, allowing said thin layers and a more consistent coverage (especially on complex geometry where gravity may take or add to the layer in certain areas). Be careful not to heat too much as it will destroy the epoxy, don't exceed 45 C. It's tempting to thin with an additive but I would avoid messing with the chemical mix. I've seen epoxy become porous when thinned chemically.

There's obviously a lot of ways to do it but I found a heat gun a bit aggressive and pain to use. I bought a reptile heat lamp which I'll suspended over the bench and watch the mix with an infrared thermometer.