Our neighbor just gifted us ( I sent DH over to grovel) these slabs. . They are in the garage, the whole house smells like maraschino cherries. DH is going to finish them, I wanted to put one or two on the dining room table, can I use them to rest hot serving dishes on?
Has the wood been dried? Your mention of the scent of cherry makes me ask. Plus the wood looks like it still has moisture in one of the photos.
Not yet ⌠it is drying now
Itâs going to be finished, planed, sanded, maybe shellacked
Shellack doesnât do well with heat or moisture. Once it is completely dry and finished Iâd opt for mineral oil personally.
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That makes sense, what about a stain and thank you
I recommend a drying oil or possibly beeswax to give is a more durable finish.
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I have 2 surfaces of wood that need regular treatment and intended for serving meals.
I opted for mineral oil too on the surface of the smooth wood and another with texture. A matt mineral oil used for the smooth surface is nearly invisible and does not change the aspect of the wood, however, it need to be renewable regularly (sand and reapply, like every few months). As for the rougher surface, actually it is our dining table and we can not sand it, another type of mineral oil, thicker and more wax like is used, as it need better protection. Both product is destined for kitchen or bathroom usage, odourless after it was dried.
Right now, I am cleaning the deck of my patio, havenât wash it for years, after the cleaning procedures, the final step was a strain for protection. Problem, even as an âodourless productâ, it took nearly a week for the smell to quit (and it is exterior!), I used thin glove to work with, and my hands got allergic reaction for days, I read afterwards the product is toxic, maybe less when it is dried, but since you are using it for food, you should do more thorough research.
Usually I used trivets on my wooden surface. Once or twice, I put the baking dish right out of oven on the wood, the heat created rough texture on the surface, it didnât touch the wood, but the mineral oil surface was not smooth anymore, need to be sanded to get rid of that.
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No stain. The mineral oil will bring out the grain and darken all the wood, grain more so.
The problem you will have is drying the trunk slices without them cracking. Almost impossible to do without using special chemicals. (Most are non-toxic.)
Google âdrying slices of woodâ for more info.
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Not a utensil, but it is a kitchen chair, if you had to guess from the picture would you say chestnut or oak TIA
Iâm bumping ⌠I posted last night to the wrong thread. If anyone can identify the type of wood these chairs are made of it would be greatly appreciated, pictures posted directly above⌠They are definitely either oak or chestnut TIA
More than one, and youâre golden.
??
I meant, if you had more than one of this chairâor a set of four, even, you were fortunate. To me, itâs a terrific design.
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Got it, TY! DH bought 6 and wants to go back for two more. Long story how he came by them. I emailed the company, they are vintage and most likely from a commercial (hotel) collection ⌠unfortunately they were unable to tell by the picture which of the two types of wood they are made from. They are semi hideous but the quality of the wood makes up for the design IMO ⌠they are the most comfortable chairs I have ever sat in, more so than an upholstered chair.
I just found this thread
I have an African Mahogany slabs that was made for me by Board Smith
He recommends using beeswax and mineral oil
You can actually buy that ( board cream) but here is the recipe
Measure out 5 parts mineral oil to one part beeswax, and place in your double boiler or small metal mixing bowl. Place your bowl or double boiler over simmering water. Stir occasionally until the beeswax completely melts into the mineral oil. Gently (itâs hot!) pour the oil/ wax mixture into your jar(s) and let cool.
I use that on the board at his website ( Board Smith ), you will see the large African mahogany board at the rear of his page. That is what I ordered. I also use that on my huge huge Booth maple cutting board that I use for smoked meats.
He also advise you in his site how to clean . I do not actually use his Smithâs board to cut meat( hate to mess it up ) I use it on my kitchen counter, have another small board to slice saucisson , bread etc. But I use his method to clean my big maple cutting board and I do wax both of them from time to time.
As for drying wood, our vast experience from remodeling all the wood in our house was to buy red oak wood from the Amish people at St Maryâs, had them barn fried for over 6 months then kiln dried. That was done for our upstairs remodeling , never had intention to change the wood downstairs and the DR. Later one, we found some hundred years old barn wood from Lancaster, they were beautifully aged , worm holes, patina was spectacular, over 28 foot long, could not resist and purchased them . Those were used for the downstairs and DR wood. The project took 3 years from a professional carpenter who came from NY to work on it. .
However, One day during that 3 years period, my husband found a beautiful oak tree that had fallen near the grocery store. He asked the owner if he could saw off the ends with his chain . The owner agreed to give it to him.
So, he followed recipe used by wood turner. He boiled those 2 pieces of oak butt in our large aluminum pot ( salvaged from the Navy for cooking ham) . He boiled and boiled for hours, then dried it.
I have a picture of one of the 2 butt ends in our master bedroom , at the end of the beams from the Amish. I also am enclosing the butts from the LR that came from the hundred years old barn, of course, those were spectacular but there was not enough for the Bedroom.
Both have not cracked. It has been 12 years since the remodeling. I do not know how big. your slab is but if y ou can find a big container to boil it with, that will look great. Follow wood turnerâs advise
