[JohnOrange]

I bought a bunch of kumaru (Brazillian teak) from someone who had it left from a project. It is 3/4" tounge and groove flooring. I made a base with 3/4" plywood and screwed (from underneath) and glued the wood to the plywood. Here is the result.

Finally, sealed with tung oil:

After several years, I have some separation between the boards, so I plan to re-sand and coat with a two-part resin. Any other suggestions?

 

[Travico]

When you get finished, come over to my house! That looks nice!

 

[JohnOrange]

Thanks Travico. If there are two things I have learned from this project it's that you should do it while you are still single and that Gorilla Glue works great! My next step is making cabinet doors. I have all of the face frames done and I am done with drawer faces.

Some resources say kumaru is an oily wood and does not glue well. My wood has been sitting in a humidity controlled climate (inside my house) for more years than I care to admit so that may be a factor. I made all my drawer fronts by sawing off the tongue and groove, resurfacing with a joiner, and gluing side to side with Gorilla Glue and lots of clamps. I have run those panels through the table saw, surface planer, drum sander, router, and I dropped one piece and busted a corner up pretty good but none came apart at the glue joint.

 

[mike1945]

They look great, can't wait to see the completed kitchen!

 

[sanchez]

Nice work on the counter top!

I also like the dual stove action you got going there.

 

[Tilaran]

Did your saw say " WTF are you asking me to cut" ? ;-)
That wood is as hard as a Padre at a cub scout jamboree.

 

[JohnOrange]

Thanks for the kind words. The second stove is an old Wedgewood. I live in a coastal region so it's good to have the gas option during huricane season.
I do have an updated photo around somewhere but it's mostly tile work and not as wood-related.
Cumaru is definantly very hard but I really haven't noticed it being tough on my tools, just have to take it slow and keep a good sharp blade for a clean cut. It can give you some mean splinters if you run your hand along an unfinished edge. It sands beautifully! After hitting it with 800 grit sandpaper it looks like it has been oiled.

 

[JohnOrange]

Here is another photo of the dual stove setup Sanchez commented on. Again, some of this is more tile than wood oriented but it was fun doing the alcove over the stoves. I cut out a few wall studs, added a header, cut the arched opening and recessed the wall several inches, creating a ledge for dust magnets over the stove.

If you look closely you can see my scriblings on the wall as I am planning for the upper cabinets which also will probably be made from cumaru.