Woodworking Talk banner

Looking for some advice and if someone could identify these wood slabs I have.

2K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  redeared 
#1 ·
So around March of last year, right when I was getting really into woodworking, a friend or rather an acquaintance that I had mentioned I was getting into woodworking to, told me they actually had some lumber they would be willing to give me for free if I could just come by and haul it. She was not into woodworking or anything and from what I remember her brother had left them behind and lived across country and was not planning to ever get them so she just wanted them out of the way.

I've made some good progress with my woodworking knowledge over the last year but I am definitely still a novice and can only really identify the more popular species off the top of my head. She did not know what species they were and even attempting to match the grain to others online I have not been able to conclusively identify what species of wood it is.

And I guess my other question is, does anyone have any advice on how to best use these pieces in a project? I do not believe they were kiln dried because about 3 months after I got them I cut off a piece big enough to attempt a cutting board and the bark just didn't want to come off and I ended up damaging the cambium layer kind of ruining the segment.

Also, I am no tree expert but these slabs seem to have more lighter colored area on the edges. Does that mean it was maybe a younger tree? Or is it just the species? Or does that only tell you which part of the log it was milled from? As you can see in the pics the two long pieces only have heartwood on one side so I am assuming they were milled a bit further from the center of the tree.

Anyways, it will be my first project with any kind of live edge or slab wood and any advice or suggestions on how to use them, as well as maybe identifying the species would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance.

The slab dimensions are:
(2) Longer slabs are 2" x 9.5" x 59"
(1) Shorter slab is 2" x 10" x 34.5"
422785
422786
 
See less See more
2
#3 ·
With wood identification, knowing where the wood came from helps by narrowing the choices to a particular forest type. If you lived in my neck of the woods, I'd say the dark pith, wide white sapwood, and rough bark point to some kind of maple. 2" thick hardwood appreciates patience. Sticker them under shelter and off the floor for a while. One year for each inch of thickness is an old rule of thumb. You might consider end sealing them to hold down the splitting. I like to use yellow glue for this.
 
#4 ·
My apologies that would have definitely been very useful information for me to have included initially. I live in Southern Maryland but the person I got them from was in NE area of Virginia which of course is fairly close. I want to say my Dad had said it could be Ash but he wasn't totally sure.
 
#6 ·
That looks like Red(soft) Maple to me. doesnt look like ash, which has a deep craggy bark.
Got any pics of the bark with all 3 slabs on top of each other?
Sorry I spaced on this thread for so long and thanks for your input. Here is some pics of the slabs stacked up and a closer shot of the grain. I am currently working on removing bark from one of the slabs after butchering my first attempt on a piece I cut off to try and make a cutting board. I am getting the hang of it now and I think it wasn't dry enough when I first tried which was like 6 months ago. Mainly I just am trying to figure out how to use these slabs. Any ideas would be much appreciated and Ill be sure to showcase it, if I can pull it off.

423388
423389
423390
 
#8 ·
Ok well, thats two for red maple. I know it is tough to tell from just an image and the slabs being on the skinnier side.
Species aside, the main concerns I have with these pieces are that there is so much sapwood (the lighter areas on the outside). After I plane and sand the pieces down do you guys think the sapwood will take stain well? I may just go with tung oil after all but I am still deciding on what to build with them.

Because of the size of these slabs I was thinking of making a waterfall console table or something similar. Any other ideas would be appreciated and Ill be sure to showcase when completed. Thanks again fellas!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top