Table rebuild.

Dekade

SGH,

I'd like to chime in a little here. But - under one condition - you do not look at me as one trying to prove he is a "know it all". I earned my living, wife and I as owners/CEO's, via our national / very limited international medical wood products company for over 30 years. I have some tips for you with my stain and finish experience. Let me know if you have started the finish yet and want the tips. My tips won't do any good if you have already started the finish. Just wanted to help you a little bit.

Dekade

nolaegghead

@thetrim - contact these people.  Sinker cypress is expensive but it's beautiful.

http://neworleans.craigslist.org/mat/4698705282.html

thetrim

Thanks @nolaegghead

They are beautiful and $8 isn't bad. )

I've been looking around and there has to be some local Florida places but I'm coming up empty.  I'll definitely contact this place.

Thanks again

nolaegghead

@thetrim - my pleasure sir.  New growth cypress (crap) is about $2-2.75/bf.  Recycled is around $2.50-3.00/bf. The sinker is 2-3x, but for a table/bar/counter top, well worth it. 

SGH

@thetrim‌- I may be able to help. I will put out a APB on it to some of my friends and see what kind of a deal I can get for you.

nolaegghead

@SGH - keep a standing APB out on recycled cypress for me, please if you don't mind.  If you have a friend with a cypress barn or house they're tearing down, I'll tear it down for free for the lumber.   I love cypress.

SGH

@Dekade‌- Brother I would love to hear your advice and input. However the table is complete. Just loaded the egg back into it. That said my wife has some old furniture that she wants to refurbish so please offer any advice my friend. All input and advice is both wanted and welcome. And thank you in advance. You can probably tell that wood is not my speciality. However I am pretty good with steel.

SGH

nolaegghead said:

@SGH - keep a standing APB out on recycled cypress for me, please if you don't mind.  If you have a friend with a cypress barn or house they're tearing down, I'll tear it down for free for the lumber.   I love cypress.

I will brother. Call me after 10:00pm if you are still up. I may can fix you up.

Dekade

SGH,

I am so glad you are up and cookin' again. I am confident you ended up with a great piece of personal pride. At least "I" want that for you.

Nonetheless, I probably tickled a few peoples interest, so I typed this up anyway. If you think I should separate post it then let me know.

So - here goes.

Firstly, feel very comfortable in the color choice. It is a very traditional outdoor stain color. I think the color is – and looks - very nice. Definitely not a waste (but a plus can come out of it) to not have been able to sand it all down.

Secondly, consider adding some more character to match what has already taken place over the years by accident. Look at the shelf picture with the second coat of stain. Note the coal burns at the edge. Consider duplicating that look somewhat on the top. Two ways to do that.

Suggestion: Turn the table over and try both of the following burn methods on the bottom of the top or shelf to get a feel of what is going to happen. That way you’ll never see the trial areas and you can decide which method you like best – or if you even like it at all.

Method A.) Get a ½” round or ½” square section of weldable steel from Menards or Home Depot. Usually they come in 3’ lengths. Shorter, if they have them, are just fine. Now get a plumbers torch and really get the end hot. Use some welding gloves. The gloves are only $5.99 at Menards. Don’t know if HD has them or not; I would imagine they do. Once really heated up, hold the steel at about a 15 degree angle. Stick the end into the top – let it burn in – put some downward pressure and pull/drag the end towards you for about an inch or two or three – then ease up on the pressure – and sweep the hot steel off of the top. When burning with the grain - the grain will pull the steel. Great! Don’t try to make a straight line. Let the burn wiggle with the grain. Seek out the areas that have curves in the grain. Repeat heating and dragging process wherever you would like accent. I would add about 20 of these to the top. I would even have some of them (maybe three at the most) drag their way across two or three boards.

Method B.) Torch only method. Have a coarse rag handy; canvas would be great. Turn on the plumber’s butane torch and get a long blue flame. Hold the torch at the wood – burn in – drag and sweep it away and off of the wood. IMMEDIATELY push the canvas rag into the burn and pull it away real fast following the burn mark. This will keep the burn contained and feather the stain out from the burn mark. You can also use the canvas rag process for Method A.) also.

Now for the top coat. I strongly suggest any name of Spar Varnish – Can be found at any big box store. It is so majorly durable for outdoor items. Spar varnish also does a superior job of ‘self leveling’ itself. Overall, Poly is okay but not near the quality, durability, and longevity of Spar. First, dilute (thin) the first coat of Spar at a 50/50 ratio. This makes the finish itself act as a sealer. A sealer is a preparation to raise the fibers of the wood. I’ll get to that in a minute. Then brush it on. Do not load up your brush with finish. This holds true whether you are doing your first sealer coat or final coats. You will have runs everywhere and they are hard to keep up with and brushed out. Believe it or not - a foam brush - (one that costs some money – not a cheapie) is a really good DIY’er for clear coats. Clear coats – That brings up a point. ‘Clear coat and Top Coat’ are generic terms for the finish that goes on top of stain or raw wood. Kinda like Formica is to laminate as a generic term. Try to buy an ‘amber’ colored Spar. Not a completely clear Spar. The amber will deepen your stain color and will add greatly to the ‘oldie gutsy’ look of the table.

Now the bad news about Spar – it will take a good 24 to 36 hours for each coat to dry. But, you have to understand you have come this far. The finish (top coat, clear coat, whatever) is the money card – don’t rush now.

Buy some white colored 180 or 220 grit Stearated sandpaper. This is a ‘no load’ sandpaper that will create a dust and not little balls of finish as you sand. After the first sealer coat has dried sand the whole unit down. What you are sanding is the raised fibers in the wood created by the sealer coat. This allows for a great buildup of the final one or two top coats. I suggest two more top coats after the sealer.

After you are done sealer sanding then use a damp cloth to wipe off the sanding dust. Use compressed air to blow the dust off first if you have an air compressor.

Next finish up with two coats of full strength Spar. What a BEAUTY you will have.

The only downside you will have to the entire finish process is this. Doing it outside you will not be able to avoid dust from the air. You’ll just have to live with the dust specks in the clear coats. Or – use plastic sheating to enclosed your front porch and cover the porch floor ( very slick to walk on though ). Your neighbors may not like you for a while – but the observation to that would be this. They are yet to understand the full encompassing conquest of an Egghead in the first place.

Disclaimer: I have provided tips but I am in no way responsible for the outcome of said tips. Travel at your own risk.

That said, I have been a wood products person since my dad’s house building company that he started in 1960. That is where I got my start. These tips and pieces of advice will work if you take your time and care about the end result.

PLEASE: “anyone” please feel free to contact me with questions on individual steps or to provide further input.

Kind Regards,

Dekade

SGH

@Dekade‌- Awesome info above my friend. And thanks for sharing.

Dekade

I don't understand how the typeset "@Dekade‌" is achieved. Can you fill me in? Does it serve a forum purpose?

Dekade

SGH

Dekade said:

I don't understand how the typeset "@Dekade‌" is achieved. Can you fill me in? Does it serve a forum purpose?

Dekade

Brother I'm not sure what you are asking. Maybe others can help.

Dekade

In your 6:52pm post to me it starts out with "@Dekade‌". None of my replies start out with "@SGH" - for example.

theyolksonyou

@Dekade‌ you have to type it, then it sends a mention notification to that user

Dekade

@theyolksonyou Oh, Okay.

nolaegghead

Although if you're communicating with the person who started the thread, they're automatically notified so no need to @Dekade you, for example, if this were your thread. 

Since this is SGH's thread, he'll be notified of every post anyway.

SGH

@Dekade‌- Sorry for the confusion. By placing "@" in front of a users handle, they get notified when someone does this. You should have just received a notification saying that SGH mentioned you in table rebuild. If you did not, go your settings and turn on notifications if you would like to know when someone mentions you.

thetrim

nolaegghead said:

@thetrim - my pleasure sir.  New growth cypress (crap) is about $2-2.75/bf.  Recycled is around $2.50-3.00/bf. The sinker is 2-3x, but for a table/bar/counter top, well worth it. 

bf?  Hearing all the talk btwn you and @SGH I might think that stood for boyfriend but I'm not sure.  I also have a tract of land w some old growth cypress that I feel like talking a tree down myself but I could never get it cut and trimmed down the right way.  I also love the rough (natural) edges on it.

Thanks again for the info and we'll see what's out there.

thetrim

@nolaegghead @sgh just looked it up, board foot = 1 ft wide, 1 ft long, 1 inch thick.  Wow.  This is gonna be a bit pricey

SGH

thetrim said:

@nolaegghead @sgh just looked it up, board foot = 1 ft wide, 1 ft long, 1 inch thick.  Wow.  This is gonna be a bit pricey

Cedar is not cheap my friend. Not at all.

nolaegghead

I will check that log out buddy.  He said it was 7 or 8 feet in diameter and 12-14 feet long.  If we could get it on your trailer and get it to the mill, I'll pay the milling fees and you can keep half of it.  But not having seen it, I'm not getting my hopes up yet.

SGH

@nolaegghead‌- I have a 7,500 pound trailer that we can hall it on. Trying to figure out how to pick it up though.

nolaegghead

Do you have a winch?  I can lag it with an eyelet.  I'm like MacGyver when it comes to moving stuff.

SGH

nolaegghead said:

Do you have a winch?  I can lag it with an eyelet.  I'm like MacGyver when it comes to moving stuff.

Yes I do. But it's only 1,000 pounds. Through a snatch block it's good for 2,000 pounds.

nolaegghead

That should be fine if we get a sled under the front.  I can push the back of the log with SWMBO's BMW.  (lawd, I hope she doesn't read this)

thetrim

@SGH. Sounds like a good opportunity to work on your deadlift!

SGH

thetrim said:

@SGH. Sounds like a good opportunity to work on your deadlift!

I feel that I can handle my end of the log. I was worried about brother Nola though

thetrim

@SGH I'd be happy to deadlift one end of that Big Dog w/ You

nolaegghead

Scotty, just bring along party monster.  He loves to lift heavy objects.  Tell him I have all the Tequila he can drink.  I'd pick up some bath salts for him but they outlawed them here a while back.

nolaegghead

^^^just joking my friend.  Party monster is an outstanding kid.