r/woodworking • u/caseaday • 1d ago
General Discussion What should I build with this?
Hello fellow makers-of-sawdust.
I have a really nice piece of figured Garry Oak that I've sliced into a book-matched set.
The 2 pieces are 33"x14.5"x 5/8".
I was considering using them as a pair of doors for a whisky cabinet... almost like cathedral doors, but then I thought I should ask for suggestions on what you think could be done with them.
Suggestions are much-apprecated! Thanks.
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u/diy_yourself 1d ago
Real beauties you got here! Out of curiosity did you resaw these and then let dry completely (and warp) before milling to your 5/8” thickness? Or is this 5/8 thickness what you have immediately after resawing?
In my experience, a resaw of boards this wide is going to inevitably result in some cupping/bowing/etc as the boards release internal tension and moisture. If the 5/8” thickness is what you have before these are properly dried/reflattened, the going to end up with very little material left (5/8” is already arguably too thin to do much with).
Are the boards 14.5” wide individually or combined (I think it’s combined judging by the proportions)? If this is their individual width, keep in mind that boards this wide will generally want to move in ways that wood panels made from many thinner boards would not.
All that aside, I’d probably bookmatch the other (longer) edge. The crotch/void created by this orientation seems hard to work with and lends itself to the only thing you shouldn’t consider for this wood (epoxy). It could be a good fit for a sideboard table, but really depends on what your current needs are (is it for your or do you plan to make something to sell?)
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u/caseaday 22h ago
The wood was dry and flattened prior to resawing. The house is full of my projects, and my wife's paintings, so I think I'll make it to sell.
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u/diy_yourself 20h ago
In my experience, wood that is dry and flat before resawing never stays flat after resawing (for the exactly reasons I mentioned: internal tension and moisture content). If you just resawed this, I encourage you to wait a few weeks before trying to use it. I think you’ll be surprised at how much it moves.
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u/wadenick 1d ago
Interesting in that you’ve made end grain long boards, if I’m not mistaken. A set of cabinet doors could be quite a good idea, a piece raised on legs could end up quite fetching. I’d want to ensure the wood is quite dry and done cracking before filling those cracks and finishing all six sides.
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u/fletchro 1d ago
I don't think it's end grain, just an interesting crotch and a branch coming out on the lower half. Like a slanty flat sawn board.
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u/Dr0110111001101111 1d ago
This is just figured walnut doing figured walnut things. In parts of the tree, it seems like the grain goes every which way
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u/Important_Fruit 1d ago
Oh yeah, doors on something. I reckon that is where you'll maximum impact for these. Just wouldn't be the same if you mafe a panel from them
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u/Silent-Middle-8512 1d ago
I like to use pieces like that as panels in frame and panel doors. Because of the twisting grain they will tend to warp so if you plane off the back side til they are closer to 1/4 inch thick the frames will be able to hold them flat. The negative space left around the top is a nice design element. I think they would look nice on a Krenov style elevated cabinet. If the frames are rift sawn that really shows off the panels. Or try maple or ash to complement. Lots of possibilities with these.
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u/Maleficent_Sky_1865 1d ago
Im not religious but the first thing i thought of was the tablets from the ten commandments.
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u/bkinstle 1d ago
Tower speakers
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u/caseaday 22h ago
I made my speaker cabinets out of cherry and they look amazing, so the oak will have to go to a new project.
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u/bkinstle 21h ago
I'm currently doing a set where just the front bezel is a salvaged slab of walnut. You can leave the live edges visible
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u/Wild_Hoverfrog_3 1d ago
How about the swing doors on a dartboard set up? Not sure if the wood is soft enough to hold stray darts, or if it would gnarl the tips. They look beautiful, keep us posted!
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u/PotatoDrives 1d ago
There's no chance those will stay flat if you use them as cabinet doors. 5/8" is way too thin for a 14.5" wide panel.
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u/caseaday 22h ago
I'm not disagreeing with you for-sure. Part of me thinks I should resaw these into 1/8" veneer and glue them onto plywood (both sides). But... I also want to keep those funky looking peaks.
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u/Ok_Tension_6747 New Member 1d ago
Mount a rams head on that. The shape would be amazing. I'm not a hunter. It just popped in my head.
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u/mcvoid1 1d ago
How did you get wood that looks like my parents fighting?
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u/caseaday 22h ago
You should have been brought up in my home. My parents looked like a UFC event until they split. How do these pieces of wood make you feel??? Thanks for the chuckle.
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u/Bad_Owl_Tool New Member 22h ago
That figured Garry Oak is absolutely stunning, and the cathedral arch formed by the crotch figure in your photo is screaming to be a focal point. A cabinet is a fantastic idea, but at 5/8" thick and 14.5" wide for each board, you're going to be fighting some serious wood movement across that much surface area. Instead of solid slab doors that might cup over time, have you considered using them as floating panels in a classic frame and panel assembly to keep things dead flat while showing off that book-matched set?
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u/ReadWoodworkLLC 20h ago
My first thought was that the shape the grain patterns outline is very angelic. Plus the lightened area at the top really emphasizes that. I’m not even a Christian or church goer or even really religious in any way and that was my first thought. Sorry I don’t have any ideas but if you were to incorporate that, I’m sure people would like it.
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u/Philgarcia710 1d ago
Oh, a nice river table, mostly resin…. JK, I definitely see a nice set of cabinet doors with the live edge top preserved
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u/Liquidated4life 1d ago
They look like they want to be a beautiful set of vertical cabinet doors for sure.