Very very impressive operation. People who understand what you do are blown away at the quality of your process. Walnut is so hard to get good stuff anymore. Used to be able to get 20” and wider cherry in our normal delivery of 1000 bf back in the 90’s. Now the big boys deliver crap to local shops and charge luxury prices for what used to be standard fare. Any serious furniture maker needs to go to guys like you for consistent material nowadays.
Just made a large table, and had to leave some epoxy under the two ends of the piece to try and get a full 2 inch thickness, and that’s what the client preferred when given the choice knowing the risks. The result is an environment where the wood is contracting slightly, creating a subtle curve in the boards only where the epoxy covers the underside, preventing the wood from contracting in a balanced manner. Off by 1/4 inch when moisture in the air is low
looks amazing, biggest cottonwood burl i have seen. since it’s such a soft wood, how do you plan to finish it to improve the hardness for tabletops and the such?
No it’s not that case Totally disagree with this video he’s right about the overflowing with epoxy. My thing is when you pour make sure everything is clamped and leave it for at least 72 hours. Also, when you flatten your top, put it back on your table and clamp it it stay flat and leave it for another three days, and also the most important thing is if you can keep the same temperature in your room or in your shop
I have poured a few table tops now and always overpour to make sure any cracks or voids get filled. Never had it cup from doing that, Im gonna guess is there is more moisture in the pieces than there should be. I had one that cupped on my after it was flattened, removing the excess epoxy and taking off some high spots. My pieces were flattened before I used them. I believe my problem is I found a higher moisture content in one area of the bigger, center slab, that I didnt notice before. I flipped it so the hump part is up and clamped it down, hoping it stays put after awhile.
I poured 3 gallons of epoxy at once it cured to fast, heated up and cupped. I had to cut it all out and start over, I poured in 4 different batches to be safe probably could of done 2 pours but epoxy is expensive so I went on the safe side. I’m still learning.
Very impressive accomplishment for any business. Every time I come down there I’m wowed by the impressive inventory and incredible knowledge you possess about wood. I’ve leaned a lot. Keep it going!
Brian, Congratulations on 25 years! Its always fun to come to your shop to do work for you, because it's an educational experience! I've learned alot about the things you do to get a perfect product out to your customers, from steaming and torqueing
Congratulations Brian! Your dedication to doing it the right way has created a wonderful source for others to get great hardwood and create superb projects.
Brian, that is a darn nice video. Wow, what a journey you have taken with your business. I remember buying wood from you out of your single stall of your garage. Now you have this awesome site with storage and machinery to mill wood for your customers. I'm impressed. Your vision is incredible. Brad.
Thank you. Just the advice I needed this morning. Gotta go into a forest acre and drag brush out today. Trying to get out of 9$ pairs every three months😄
I'm a landscaper/ handy man. Basically I do the shit nobody else wants to do. I've been on a quest to find the best water proof/ resistant glove on the market. It must have dexterity, and repel water. Glacier gloves are the best for being warm as they are made with neoprene. I'm going to try the plasti dip on them
it makes a lot of sense. if you're not pouring a tack base on the bottom before you set the slabs in, and you pour the river and top of the table it is going to cup upwards on you. I am personally not a fan of epoxy covering the whole table; top or bottom. I believe the river should be epoxy and the wood slabs look the best with a hardwax oil finish. It is the closest to feeling the grain still and not a coating. thanks for the video.
I am looking for wood like this to made a dining table, I would love to know what you would charge for the wood. I'm trying to find a local wood worker at the moment for it as well.
Interesting that most of the Rubio monocoat videos I have seen have been applied on to walnut. I've got a tiger maple slab about that big and debating over finishes
