Opinions wanted on wood choice.

[paulsgreenbarn]

that's providing anyone on here has an opinion ,of course.LOL
I'm being commissioned to make a very large table for a couple in Phoenix,AZ.They prefer reclaimed lumber for this.Az has super dry climate and there are some worries that it will reek havoc on a solid wood table.We're talking 3"-4" thick top 15 1/2' x7' and base made with 8" x10" legs and a trestle system.
My current choices are 40-50 yr.old Douglas Fir.These are exceptionally good quality timbers that will be re sawn .
110 yr.old Eastern Hemlock Barn beams again nice straight grained timbers.
Heart Pine timbers re milled as needed
very old White Oak barn beams

what ever wood i end up using will be carefully hand selected and sawed as close to quartersawn as possible,especially for the top planks.The top planks will be averaging 6" in width.This should also help with stability.
What species of wood would you guys use for this? I'm pretty confident on finishes.I'm leaning toward a natural finish from Earthpaints.net per their owner's recommendations. thanks

[rcplaneguy]

My personal choice would be oak for durability (resists dents) and consistency in color when staining.

[JPG]

3"-4" thick, 7'(14 * 6") x 15 1/2' with 8" x 10" legs.

Gad they must be heavy eaters.

Or are they steam engine hobbyists?

How is it going top get from NY to AZ?

As for the 'dry' lack of humidity' the difference between NY and AZ will be the issue, not likely a problem once there and stabilized.

I have no idea how a table top that thick would respond to 'seasonal' changes, but my gut feel is that thinner is more susceptible. I think careful pairing of the grain on adjacent top planks will greatly help.

You mention quarter sawn, but do not say how that is to be oriented on the top. With oak, the visible grain pattern will vary between the two orientations. For greater stability, the rings should be vertical. That causes the movement to be mostly varying the thickness of the top and to a lesser extent causing movement varying the 7' width. It also exposes fleck. Some may think that is defects! Know yer 'customer'!

There should negligible movement between the 15 1/2' ends(assuming the grain runs end to end)(tree lieing on it's side ).

I have assumed top planks will all be 15 1/2' long(no splices/joints).

I think it behooves you keep your 'shop' as dry as possible(without another fire ) while working on this.

[BuckeyeDennis]

Fascinating project. Please keep us posted.

I made our mantel out of an antique heart pine beam, resawn to 8"x10". Love the wood. After being exposed to light for a few months, it acquired a beautiful warm reddish-brown color, with no stain at all.

I sure hope you have some helpers to move that beast! Machine riggers, preferrably. Assuming 4" thick oak or heart pine, the top alone will weigh about 1500 lb.

[dusty]

You asked for an opinion and that is what I will provide.

I do not believe it matters what wood you use IF it is properly acclimated for survival here in the Arizona climate. The concern, it seems to me, would be building it anywhere but here in Arizona. How can you acclimate the raw materials in one place and then either cut it up and assemble it or utilize it after it is assembled elsewhere.

[paulsgreenbarn]

thanks guys.A lot of good points here.The only way try to mimic the dry climate ,in my opinion woul dbe to kiln dry the materials and get right to building as they come out of the kiln ,keep parts in the kiln as i go.i have a smaller home made kiln that I can use.My plan is to make the top in two pieces and the base structure in two or three pieces also.finish and assemble on site. I've never seen kiln dried heart pine though.Not sure what it will do when kiln dried.It's surprisingly dense and seems wet after hundred+ years in most cases. i'm hoping they go with the Douglas Fir myself even though I prefer the Oak for overal looks .Here's a picture of the style they think they are after.We'll customize the final destails to their taste.This will be a great project once we get the details figured out. i'm having a hard grasping why they want it 7ft. deep but that's their call. I believe if the top is any less than 3" it will look too thin.

[dusty]

WOW - That is some table. If the top was flat, it would make a great work bench. Nothing is going to move it. I hope you have transport arranged.

[roy_okc]

Paul,

You should probably check to find out what type(s) of cooling they use. If they use swamp coolers, even part of the time, then there may be more humidity swings than what you'd expect.

[JPG]

Well that pix sure flipped some things in my mind.

I noticed two major things different from my initial perception.

First, the top planks run 'across' the 7' width.

Second, the length is truncated to two 7+' sections.

Good reason for both.

By reversing the plank direction and splitting it up minimizes the 'climate change' effect. The major expansion will occur end to end(assuming my initial grain oeientation) rather than across the width. Splitting it into two 'ends' halves that effect on each 'end'. By making it 'sectional', the weight to move each section is halved.

Also the max length needed it reduced to below 8'.

An interesting endeavor fer sure.

[paulsgreenbarn]

I'm not too worried about the top shrinkage whether the boards go lengthwise or crossways.The Grain orientation should minimize this.I the top is installed to mor eor less float atop the base I think it will be good to go.
I think the finishing process may be the most important next to the grain.A stabilizer and quality finish should work .The old wood will likely take a high number of coats to penetrate to the fullest.