Potential table out of Maple Bowling Alley Floor

im thinking it would need to be well varnished both sides, maybe even epoxied then a marine spar finish would hold up well. have seen bowling alley cutting block tables at an old remote fishing camp before but they were indoors, great work top

Lebowski approved!!  That sounds like a great idea.

The plans I am looking at show the large tables for the Large BGE to be between 57 and 60 inches wide and 24 to 27 inches deep.

I was actually look @ this yesterday and thought maybe you'd find it useful  Link

I have built a couple of work benches and table tops from salvaged bowling lanes.  Tough to saw (nails ruin plenty of saw blades).  Beautiful when finished.  Cutting a hole would be a challenge IMO.

Hibby said:

Well I got it home. Man is it heavy. I got a piece 6'2" and I bet it weighs over 250 lbs. @Hic‌ thanks for the link. It told me things I hadn't realized. I think this is going to be really challenging. Although mechanically inclined, I'm no carpenter - not even a little bit. I'm intimidated and will be scouring the internet for ideas. I'll post a picture here shortly.

seeing its not glued you could reinforce it with a couple coats of epoxy and a fiberglss sheet covering the whole table top, then a light sand and several coats marine spar varnish. its how they reinforce strip canoes, you wont see the clothe as it becomes transparent. its a simple as lay the cloth down and spread the epoxy out over it with a yellow plastic putty knife like they use in autobody work. it will be strong and the spar will keep the epoxy from yellowing over time

Rocklear circle cutting jig for the router is the way to go.  Take it a centimeter or less at each pass and slowly nibble the circle away.  The cutout would make a great serving tray as well!  Throw a could of stainless cabinet pulls thru the top for handles....  SWEET!

RRP said:

Hibby said:

@DaveRichardson‌ that Rockler jig does look like it will work great. My real concern is how would the router bit respond should it come into contact with a nail - and I'm sure it will.

I agree 101%! Unless he is a tool nut like some of us who look for any excuse to add a new tool or tool accessory then the same type of jig to cut a circle with a router can be made for peanuts using scrap. I also agree that he better wear good eye protection and plan to burn up some expensive carbide tipped router bits and if his router isn't a heavy duty one that task may even burn up a common router!

I made a jig from some scrap wood, worked perfectly. 

Some tips, however.  Use a plunge router.  A twist base router will never put the bit in the same place as you lower the bit through successive passes.  Use a fluted spiral bit made from tool steel.  Carbide tipped will break hitting the nail.  Slow the router down when you start hitting nails.  Once you're past the nails you can finish from the other side with a trim bit. It's hard to find a router bit long enough to go as deep as you'll need to cut, and cutting with the jig from the other side is very difficult to align.

Adjust the depth of the cut based on the strength of your router.  You do not want to try to remote too much wood at once and burn it up.  Also, you want to get a vacuum and remove the chips on every rotation.

This is the general type of bit to use.  If you didn't have nails, you could use a carbide tip bit.
http://www.toolstoday.com/p-6237-solid-carbide-spiral-cnc-router-bits-end-mills-for-steel-stainless-steel-non-ferrous-metal-with-altin-aluminum-titanium-nitride-coating.aspx

Yes, I love my tools, but the rocklear jig was a suggestion. Using 1/4 inch plywood or hardboard works just fine. I've used that method as well...

DaveRichardson said:

Yes, I love my tools, but the rocklear jig was a suggestion. Using 1/4 inch plywood or hardboard works just fine. I've used that method as well...

That jig is a good suggestion.  I almost bought one and probably will if I don't build my CNC router.

YEMTrey said:

Is it possible to remove the oil from the wood?  Long time bowler here and I know they drench these boards with oil every night.  Does the wood soak up any of that?  Is it flammable?  Safe to set food on?

Cool idea, and I think it will look nice when finished.

I would sand it, of course, but any oil residue isn't going to hurt.  Spar varnish actually has quite a bit of non-polymerizing oil in it to keep the finish flexible.   Most wood has oil in it naturally.

nolaegghead said:

DaveRichardson said:

Yes, I love my tools, but the rocklear jig was a suggestion. Using 1/4 inch plywood or hardboard works just fine. I've used that method as well...

That jig is a good suggestion.  I almost bought one and probably will if I don't build my CNC router.


Building a CNC router? Damn impressive Nola!

Hibby said:

I feel pretty lucky that I got a piece with the arrows or darts. Obviously too deep and I'll have to knock a few pieces off each side to make the arrows centered. Time to do some internet digging.

What are the dimensions of the piece pictured here? (if you already stated that I didn't see it in the thread). It would be a shame to lose to much of the detail to fit into a dimension window per se. Could it be milled/routered to 60"-72"L X 30"W without losing details after the hole is cut? Very unique---like it
Edit: I see overall length is 6'2".
:-bd