What can I do with this nice piece of wood?

[hopefulwood]

Hi everyone!

I recently took a trip to my friend's cabin in the forrest.

It was very nice to be surrounded by nature. I stumbled across a large piece of a cut down tree (photos below). I don't know why, but i felt the need to just keep it. I know nothing about wood and carpentry, but I thought that maybe it can be used to make a coffee table perhaps?

Can you take a look at my photos and tell me what you think? Is the wood good? Is it worth doing something with it? Or have I bitten off more than I can chew?

I don't know really, like I said - I'm not an experienced carpenter or woodwork expert myself, but I'd like to know what my options are and what you think I can do with this thing.

The diameter is around 30 inches. Photos below. Thanks a lot!

 

[ChrisR]

Put three legs on it, use a belt sander to smooth the top, and then oil it with boiled linseed oil, or Tung oil, or probably the best, is Danish oil. It WILL split, but so what! Varnish wouldn't stick long unless it's dried out first.

 

[ladylola]

As above but put it in the shed or garage until next year or the year after to dry out and have another walk around that forest to see if you can find matching legs.

 

[northernstair]

I agree completely, do not try to plane it in any way, you will probably hurt yourself badly! Sand it up, clear varnish, four matching legs (the more rustic the better) and you have a beautiful little coffee table

 

[WabbitPoo]

and perhaps some nicer shoes?

only kidding

 

[AronSearle]

Although this link is about oak buildings, Skip to page 27 for a nice little explanation of how your piece it will split and what (little) you can do to control it (doesn't matter if it's oak or not, it's all the same).

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/Greenoakinconstruction.pdf/$FILE/Greenoakinconstruction.pdf

 

[hopefulwood]

hey all, thanks for the replies - very helpful...and agreed about the shoes!


So to be honest, for the past few days I've just left this piece of wood in the garage. It's still kinda damp you see.

I went back to it today and there seems to be a few thin layers of white fluff growing on the wood. Is this something to worry about? I scrubbed it off.

Aside from that, I was told by someone to get hold of something like this:

http://www.preservation-solutions.com/pentacryl.php A wood "stabiliser". What do you think? is it worth it? or just an unnecessary expenditure? Should I just forget this and go straight to sanding the wood down?

thanks a lot!

 

[ladylola]

The white "fluff" is a mould but nothing to be worried about.
As I said leave it in the garage for a year or two . That way you won't waste time and effort on a piece of timber that may very likely turn itsself into firewood when it splits (which it seems to have started to do anyway )
If you want to do anything then just paint the flat surfaces, doesn't matter with what wax or the dregs of a tin of gloss will be fine to slow the drying. The slower the drying the more chance your piece of timber has of surviving , you could be looking at not being able to sit with your feet up on this table for 5 years, sorry.

 

[AronSearle]

http://www.preservation-solutions.com/pentacryl.php A wood "stabiliser". What do you think? is it worth it? or just an unnecessary expenditure? Should I just forget this and go straight to

Not heard of it myself.

But I am always dubious of treatments that claim to do X, but don't obviously explain how or show any real test evidence, other than "mr joe blog used it and said it's great".

 

[wotan]

Chop it up and use as firewood, it's got the shakes, and will split even more when it dries out.

Wotan

 

[merlin50]

Chop it up and use as firewood, it's got the shakes, and will split even more when it dries out.

Wotan

i was just going to say that