An acquaintance of mine milled some walnut timber at his father’s house in Idaho and ultimately received round to bringing a load again to the New York space. He was within the enviable place of getting extra lumber than he knew what to do with and offered me three of the slabs for a tune. They have been about 5 ft. lengthy, 16 in. extensive, and simply over 2 in. thick. How a lot did he need? $40 a bit. He didn’t need extra. He simply wished to share the bounty. As I drove off, he enthusiastically shouted, “Make one thing fairly!”
After years of woodworking, this was my first publicity to air-dried walnut. Having not been steamed, the wooden had colours I wasn’t used to seeing within the lumber at my hardwood seller—purples, blacks, grays, and, after all, a wide-range of wealthy browns. And being air-dried, it will be much more tool-friendly than its kiln-dried cousins. I used to be excited to place this wooden to make use of and, certainly, make one thing fairly.
The slabs have been already totally dry, as that they had sat in a barn for a number of years after milling. There was no excuse to not put these to work straight away. Properly, there was one—that little nagging voice at the back of my head that insisted I solely use them after I had discovered the right undertaking for them, one that will optimize the utilization of each cubic inch of this materials.
Discovering that “excellent undertaking” proved to be tougher than I initially suspected. I discovered myself wandering round the home, considering of future builds (I share the objective of many fellow woodworkers: to ultimately exchange all of the store-bought furnishings in the home with furnishings made within the store), however nothing was springing to thoughts. A few items have been on my to-do checklist, however the slabs have been a couple of ft too brief for a eating desk and some inches too slim for a espresso desk.
Not desirous to rush issues, I put the three slabs apart for when that excellent undertaking would come alongside.
Properly, I actually stored my phrase and didn’t rush issues. A number of years later they have been nonetheless leaning in opposition to a wall at the back of my store gathering mud, bumping in opposition to hips and elbows, and making the rear door of the storage unusable with out a couple of minutes of juggling issues round.
Lastly, after an eternity (give or take), my spouse requested a bench to position by the kitchen window. Finally, a super use for one of many slabs! All the size have been spot on for what we envisioned to fill the area. I stored one dwell edge, closely beveled one other, and sculpted a 3rd with hand instruments. I turned the legs and stretchers from maple. And the fabric did certainly steal the present. The wooden labored like a dream with each energy and hand instruments, and the depth and richness of the colours have been one thing else.
I hope my lumber benefactor would agree that I did the lumber justice and made one thing “fairly”—or a minimum of “fairly good.”
To not sound melodramatic, however this wooden genuinely put a smile on my face—each as I used to be constructing with it and within the completed undertaking. I wasn’t about to let a couple of extra years move earlier than I set to work with it once more.
Aspect desk from a walnut slab
When the following undertaking got here round, a comparatively small aspect desk, I jumped on the likelihood to make use of the second slab. Would there be waste? Sure. With the window bench I used to be ready to make use of just about the entire slab. With this desk, I estimated about half of the walnut would find yourself within the mud collector or in my off-cut bin (which in a couple of years I’ll undergo and surprise, “What the hell was I saving this tiny factor for?”).
I might have purchased a few boards at my seller to make this aspect desk, however I beloved the concept of the highest and base being one piece of wooden every—no glue-up required, and the superbly figured walnut utterly uninterrupted. Wouldn’t it actually be a waste of fabric if I couldn’t use each final bit? It’s superb how way more enjoyment I’m getting in with the ability to use this desk each day than I used to be when it was sitting in my storage as a tough slab, untouched as a result of the the right undertaking hadn’t come alongside. And when is something excellent? Simply ask my dovetails. The reply is “Not often.”
With some luck, I’ll be round to do that craft for one more 20 or 30 years. However after I’m gone, hopefully my children and future grandkids might be deciding who will get which piece of furnishings and never making an attempt to determine what they’ll do with all this “particular” lumber—lumber that was by no means realized into one thing helpful, practical, and fairly.
Fantastic Woodworking Beneficial Merchandise
AnchorSeal Log and Lumber Finish-Grain Sealer
Good for each sealing the top grain of freshly reduce logs and boards, this wax prevents end-grain checking and saves materials
DeWalt 735X Planer
At excessive pace, the planer works quick and leaves a {smooth} floor. However the slower, end pace produces an virtually glass-smooth floor. Knife modifications are straightforward.
Ridgid R4331 Planer
Priced almost $300 lower than the DeWalt 735X, the Ridgid R4331 is a wonderful worth. Its three-knife cutterhead left splendidly clear surfaces on plainsawn white oak and white pine. It didn’t carry out almost as nicely on curly maple because the 735X.
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