# Slab style coffee table



## Dennis Ford (Mar 9, 2012)

Not quite finished (needs another coat or two of tung oil) but I took a picture anyway. It is just under 40" across the widest points and 3" thick. Red oak burl with cedar legs.


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## txpaulie (Mar 9, 2012)

Beauty!:clapping:

Thanks for sharing your work!

p


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## Kevin (Mar 9, 2012)

I want to know the history. Oak burl is notoriously difficult. How did you find out about it & where did it come from (geographically). How long ago. How did you seal it when you got it. Was the burl at the base (that big then it had to be). How long did you let it dry. 

I really want to know as much as you can tell because I have one in a pasture that I know will rival that one, but I have always been afraid to harvest it because oak burl is impossible to deal with in my climate. Any help appreciated. 



.


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## CodyS (Mar 10, 2012)

Very nice work! Loving it!


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## Dennis Ford (Mar 10, 2012)

Kevin said:


> I want to know the history. Oak burl is notoriously difficult. How did you find out about it & where did it come from (geographically). How long ago. How did you seal it when you got it. Was the burl at the base (that big then it had to be). How long did you let it dry.
> 
> I really want to know as much as you can tell because I have one in a pasture that I know will rival that one, but I have always been afraid to harvest it because oak burl is impossible to deal with in my climate. Any help appreciated.



I tried to reply this morning but my connection stopped working while I was typing.
I got the burl in a trade arrangement, a man brought a pickup load of burl and wanted three large bowls in exchange for the burls. This burl grew near Crockett Texas. He told me it was high up in a tree (had a 16 ft saw log below it). I am not sure how long it had seasoned before I got it but it had quite a bit of checking already (the inside was still fairly wet). The burl had been cut up into several pieces before he brought it. The largest piece looked roughly like a slice off of a sphere. I put that face-down in the shade while I made the bowls and a few other projects (a few months). This table was made from the large piece. I stood it up and cut it with my chainsaw into a slab that varied from 4 - 6+ inches thick (the original cut was very rough and mine was not great either).
I moved the slab into my shop and stored it there several months before flattening it with a router jig. I took it down to 3-1/8" thick making the sides parallel. Then I took it to a cabinet shop and had them sand it on a wide belt machine to about 100 grit.
When I got it back, I filled the larger cracks and lots of worm holes with black epoxy and did the final sanding (both sides). The legs are simply mortised into the bottom with a 2-1/8" diameter x 2-1/2" long tenon. It is now equalized with my shop conditions but still not nearly as dry as it will get in a heated space. I know the many small checks will open slightly but think the rustic style will still look good with some visible defects in the surface. The finish is tung oil, a film finish would be damaged by movement later.
The wood has dried about a year since I got it with no sealer but was kept in shade outdoors or in my shop (not climate controlled).
If I had access to a fresh cut burl, I would do some things differently:
* Cut the slab about 5 inches thick
* Coat both sides with anchor seal
* Store under a roof for ?? (guessing three years)
* Mill about an inch off each side before finishing


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## Kevin (Mar 10, 2012)

Dennis, 

Thanks for that great insight. And I forgot how big a burl can grow - larger than the trunk holding it up! that's great info thank you.


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## chippin-in (Mar 14, 2012)

Great work. Im sure somethin that size stays where its at for a while. Or do you move it around weekly just to change up the room a bit. 

Robert


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## Kenbo (Mar 14, 2012)

wow, that's gorgeous. I love seeing stuff like this and your post is definitely no exceptions. Great work. Love it.


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