- Joined
- Dec 7, 2008
- Messages
- 7,187
A while back my wife made a comment saying everything that I make gets given away as a gift or it gets sold.
So this time I am making something for myself.
I just started on this. I figured I would work on it a couple hours each evening.
For me, it is like therapy. Working on projects like this helps me to wind down and relax at the end of the day.
In the end, it will be a table for home.
I got this slab a while back when it was fresh cut and still green. I let it air dry for about a year and then put it in my dehumidification drying room for 3 or 4 months to finish drying.
The slab was cut from a quilted Maple log. With quilted Maple the first couple slabs will show the figure that looks like bubble wrap. Closer to the center of the log the figure elongates and you start getting some red coloring.
The slab cupped a bit in drying but otherwise turned out great.
To get the slab flat and even thickness I ran it through my drum sander at 36 grit.
That sounds like the easy way but it would be faster with a belt sander.
The drum sander took a little over 2 hours running the slab through repeatedly making light passes to remove wood until the slab was perfectly flat and all saw marks were removed.
Now the slab is ready for hand sanding with the belt sander. I use a 4" wide Makita belt sander. I love this sander. It works better than any other brand belt sander that I have ever used.
Now that both sides have been belt sanded to 60 grit I can start to see the grain and figure. Looks like it will be pretty nice.
Next I belt sanded the slab to 120 grit.
So far I have about 4 hours into the project. Things could go faster but I am enjoying myself so I decided to take my time and make sure I do everything to the best of my abilities.
Next step will be to bevel the ends and shape them so they blend with the natural edges along the sides. That will probably be what I will do this evening.
So this time I am making something for myself.
I just started on this. I figured I would work on it a couple hours each evening.
For me, it is like therapy. Working on projects like this helps me to wind down and relax at the end of the day.
In the end, it will be a table for home.
I got this slab a while back when it was fresh cut and still green. I let it air dry for about a year and then put it in my dehumidification drying room for 3 or 4 months to finish drying.
The slab was cut from a quilted Maple log. With quilted Maple the first couple slabs will show the figure that looks like bubble wrap. Closer to the center of the log the figure elongates and you start getting some red coloring.
The slab cupped a bit in drying but otherwise turned out great.
To get the slab flat and even thickness I ran it through my drum sander at 36 grit.
That sounds like the easy way but it would be faster with a belt sander.
The drum sander took a little over 2 hours running the slab through repeatedly making light passes to remove wood until the slab was perfectly flat and all saw marks were removed.
Now the slab is ready for hand sanding with the belt sander. I use a 4" wide Makita belt sander. I love this sander. It works better than any other brand belt sander that I have ever used.
Now that both sides have been belt sanded to 60 grit I can start to see the grain and figure. Looks like it will be pretty nice.
Next I belt sanded the slab to 120 grit.
So far I have about 4 hours into the project. Things could go faster but I am enjoying myself so I decided to take my time and make sure I do everything to the best of my abilities.
Next step will be to bevel the ends and shape them so they blend with the natural edges along the sides. That will probably be what I will do this evening.
. Now if you were counting pen blanks :jerkit: I'd pray for an asteroid strike.