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RWW 109 The Monster Plank

19 comments
14 years ago
Hand Planing     Videos

At my day job I am working on building up a web presence for our wholesale lumber business, but also trying to see how we can service the retail market as well. One of the areas I think we can make an impact is with our “defect” lumber. There is a graveyard at the back of the lumber yard where over exposed and weathered lumber goes to be written off. These are S2S or S4S boards that for one reason or another has not moved and due to exposure and checking can not be sold to our wholesale customers.

Most of the woodworkers I know revel in defects and many of us use reclaimed lumber for our projects. The weather beaten, warped, checked, and twisted board should be no exception. I firmly believe that most woodworkers and furniture makers can do something with this wood and as a test, I was given one of the planks to test the theory.

Enter the monster plank: 8 feet long, 18 inches wide, and 16/4 finished to 3 3/4 thick. In this episode I take an assessment of the health of the board and determine that it not only has a very usable life left, but it is a goldmine of potential.

I know, I know, this is a tough job but someone has got to do it. So what would you do with this board? Leave a comment with your project ideas. I hesitant to cut up such a large board, but it may be too big to do anything with it. I’m all ears…

Thanks to my employer, the J. Gibson McIlvain Co. for this incredible board. I promised to do it justice.

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Charles Nicholls

Oh uh well depending on the type of wood, I could think of lots of uses for it and if it was my wood I’d give it my best shot. My ideas, calls, pepper grinders, pens, key fobs, bottle stoppers and the list goes on.

Michael

Shannon, I would let it even out on the moisture for a year or so before doing much of anything with it. Then have it resawn into 3 boards. That should give you the most usable lumber for a cabinet or a book case. This is too beautiful for an outdoor piece of furniture like a bench. I could see a nice Windsor chair or more made from that.

Bobby Hagstrom

Make something modern and sculptural.

Adam

What about a drop leaf table? Cut the legs from the side that’s checked, and resaw the rest so that when the table was fully open, all of the gain would flow together. I’m not sure how large the table would be, but the flowing grain from mahogany would be fantastic. I also have a large chuck of maple long just sitting in my shop because I’m also waiting for a great idea.

    Shannon

    I was thinking about this too. The thickness of the plank would allow me to get legs from it and do a cabriole-esque shape while updating and contemporizing the shape. There is so much wood here that a few things may come to life from it.

Anthony

Shannon, I just watched the video for the monster plank and though immediately of a long riverstone bench or a table and bench with the table having riverstones in it. The red of the African mahogany offset with the various coloured stones would be wonderful. The thickness of the plank (both visually and physically) would add an air of permanence to anything it is turned into (and yes, you might have some left over for pen blanks). 🙂 Whether you use it outdoors or in, it is a lovely plank on which to ponder a project.

    Shannon

    Anthony, the meandering ribbon stripe is a bit reminiscent of a river too. Another good idea!

Aaron

Wow, what a hunk of wood! I personally would want to keep it as intact as possible, and I would use it for an indoor project certainly. I don’t like my yard enough to put such an impressive piece of lumber out there. 🙂 If you could find a way to resaw it, the bookmatch would likely be stunning. How about a desktop or a dining table?

Josh Parker

Shannon, I know you gravitate towards the Queen Anne style, but how about a Federal card table? You could get the two pieces for the top from the board and easily have enough left to make the rails and legs. Plus if you wanted you could do a bit of simple inlay in the Federal style on the legs. Which would make a great hand tool school project.

Tony Maffia

My first thought is with a plank this thick do you have the ability to re-saw it to more manageable thickness? I don’t myself. Also what kind of wood and how bad are the defects? I’m trying to watch the video on my phone as I type. My work computer is fairly well locked down. I will definitely watch this when I get home because you probably address most of my questions. I love wood “character,” the “defects” that tell a story and add interest to projects. Having said that a piece with too much character would probably clash with most interior decor. It would with mine anyway. If I were to make a console, or a small chest, perhaps a blanket chest with grain running around. Or a tool storage unit, or since you can make legs there is a cabinet that I saw on the Maloof site with long legs. That kind of piece looks good with character. Some small boxes like humidors or jewelry boxes, even larger boxes for similar uses. Well depending on the checks and defects not a humidor. With such a large piece of wood to start with I would shy away from the smaller projects unless there just not much usable wood there. Hey as I’m writing I coming up with more. How about an entry bench with storage? What do you need at home. Are you making something for yourself or for someone else. When approaching a project the final use and environment it will go in dictates the shape, look and size of the item. Most importantly what do you need? Whatever you decide have fun and please keep us involved and updated. I can’t wait to see what you do with it?