Rustic Kitchen Tables - From Log To Finish

Rustic Kitchen Tables are one of the larger items we sell regularly at Redwood Burl Inc. By larger, I mean up to 20 plus feet in length. Rustic can have many meanings. Here is a link to Rustic Furniture on Wikipedia. When most people think rustic kitchen tables, they think Farmhouse Table. These were usually made using Salvaged materials, or whatever materials were available to you at the time.

Here, in the "Heart of Redwood Country" Humboldt County, CA, people have been taking a different approach to Salvaged materials for over a century. We've been using Salvaged Redwood to make our version of the "Rustic Kitchen Table". One big advantage to using Salvaged Redwood is we are able to make rustic tables out of a single piece of wood. This is due to the incredible size that Redwood Trees grow; having a diameter of close to 30 feet at the base. In fact, a newer "Fatter" tree was just recently discovered.

Today, Old Growth Redwood Trees are a protected resource. Barely a quarter of a million acres of Old Growth remain. They are found either in State Parks or Forest Reserves of some type such as the Headwaters Forest pictured below.

Photo courtesy of Save the redwoods league

ETHICAL SOURCING

Before any wood can enter our facility, it must be inspected. We have to know where the wood came from and how it was obtained. Whether it comes from private property or a large lumber company, we are looking for either Salvaged "Buckskin" Logs or harvested tree stumps from private land. Our "How we do it" Page will give you more information on this.

The owner, Landon Buck, personally authenticates the origin of all wood before transporting it to our yard, where it is stored until milled into slabs. We are very resourceful, and from what I've seen, we can transport pretty much anything, either by truck with a Gooseneck trailer or a logging truck if need be.



On occasion, the wood sometimes needs a bit more processing before being moved to our facility. In this case we just have to make it smaller and more manageable, as you can see in the following video:

Rustic Kitchen Tables - Milling slabs from logs & stumps

We usually store our wood in our large main yard until it is slated to be processed into a more usable form, such as a slab. We have several mills here at our facility, each one for cutting a different type of material. In the spirit of keeping some secrets, this page is only going to be focusing on our older technology.

In the following short video, you can see one of our mill operators cutting slabs out of a Salvaged Redwood Root Burl:

The same cutting technique is also used to mill logs to size. Once we have our log slabs cut, they must air dry for a year or more before being listed on our website for sale. Sometimes our rustic kitchen table slabs are kiln dried in one of our Kilns. This enables the drying time to be cut down to just a few months.

We are very fortunate to have a big enough facility to store all of our cut slabs indoors, year round. All of our wood is stored with "stickers" between them allowing air to move between to slabs, dissipating moisture into the air at a higher rate. In addition, five big truck doors on our warehouse ensure plenty of air flow through our building. Here are some pictures of our storage areas. If you are looking for Rustic Kitchen Tables, our indoor facility is right up there with a trip to heaven from what I've been told.

Rustic Kitchen Tables - Determining the size of your table

When determining the size of your rustic kitchen table, there are a few things to consider. The first is the size of your room and the space available for your table. You then need to consider how many people you're going to want to seat around that table. Lastly, you will need to take into consideration any environmental considerations such as chandeliers and the like, in case you need to ensure the table is positioned in a certain way.

When considering room size, you will want to leave 42" to 48" of space around your table for walking and room for moving chairs back away from the table. Also consider other items that will be in the room, such as buffets or serving carts, etc. You can better visualize the tables actual space by setting a sheet on the floor, folded to your table size. Newspaper or cardboard templates will also work.

To determine how many people will be able to sit down you want to start with a slab with a width of about 36-40". We then usually estimate about 24" per/person. A 4' long slab seats two people on each side while a 10' table seats five per side. This allows one person on each end, unless your table is in the 4'+ width range, then you might be able to put two or more on each end.

Round or square tables are also an option, below is a chart for sizing round tables:

Lastly, you will need to determine the height of your table. For this, we need to consider your seating arrangement. Normal table height is about 28" to 30". However, if you have chairs with arms, you will need to measure the arm height and table thickness to determine your final height. For a counter height rustic kitchen table, you are looking at about 36" tall. For a bar height kitchen table w/ bar stools, you would want closer to 40" tall to enable you to scoot under the table top a bit.

I myself have a bar height kitchen table/kitchen countertop with bar stools all the way around it. Because of the height I've been able to use a wide base that incorporates some sturdy shelving to store our cast iron pans. The base is also far enough from the edge of the slab top to accommodate wheel chairs as well.

Rustic Kitchen Tables - Types of Grain

Once you have determined the size of your Rustic Table, you are ready to move on to the next step and pick your slab. You will find our site is broken up into sections accordingly. Your longer table are going to require a Tree Slab. These are cuts from the longest part of the tree, the trunk. This is where our big logs come from. For a square or round table, you would want to take a look at our Burl Slabs. These are from the stump area of the tree and are wider. Keep in mind, these burl slabs may need to be cut and shaped to your final dimensions.

Now it is time to consider what type of Character you want for your table. This is essentially the type of grain you're going to want. The more economical slabs have less going on in them grain wise , or what we refer to as straight grain.

Straight grain and Curly grain Pictures:

Rustic Dining Table w/Straight Grain. Photo Courtesy of www.littlebranchfarm.com




Curly Grain Rustic Kitchen Table Photo courtesy of www.littlebranchfarm.com

For pieces with more character, or better grain, it helps to know what type of grain you are looking for. Take a peek at this page on our site for more information on Burl and its grain patterns. The better the grain, the higher the Premium will be on that wood.

The reason for the Premium is that not all Redwood has spectacular grain. Salvage Logs tend to have better grain than most logs in general. This is because most Salvaged logs are usually Buckskins, or logs from a previous harvest. These logs were left behind because they were not lumber quality. At the time, these logs were not worth moving and were left where they fell. These logs were not Lumber Quality because they had spectacular grain that was not suitable to be milled.

Curl is a perfect example of spectacular grain that looks incredible in a Rustic Dining Table. Curl is a Compression Grain. It is caused when trees grow on a hillside, straightening themselves out in the process. This straightening causes a compression grain on the uphill side of the tree, usually along the edge, but on rare occasions all the way across as well. Because Curl is so rare, these high quality pieces demand a premium price.

Another factor that will effect price is width. Wider slabs get a premium price for the same reason, they are far and few between. Since large Redwoods are no longer harvested, the only way to get these wider Salvaged Logs, is to buy them from the lumber companies. They know what they are selling, and they too demand a premium as well.

Today, good Burl is not as readily available as it once was, even here in the Heart of Redwood Country. People have been hunting burls here for more than 100 years. It was always a good way to make some income on the side, especially in the off seasons. Most people accumulated small stock piles of burl material, to come back for in the off season, which can last several months here on the West Coast. The point being, that all of the easy burls to get, have already been got.

With the policies that we have in place today. We are no longer purchase wood from just anyone trying to sell it for a good price with out knowing its provenance. Today, we've taken a firm stand in favor of our environment. If it came to the point where we were not able to get more logs due to an end in supply, we have the inventory to be able to keep our mills running 8 hrs. a day for another 5 years or more.

Rustic Kitchen Tables - Choosing your slab

Now, having your final dimensions and an idea of what you are looking for in terms of Character, it time to build a table. For your larger rustic kitchen tables, I would suggest you start on our Dining Tables Page for slabs over 36", and our Conference Tables for slabs in the 44" - 60" range. Basically what you are looking for is something the right size or larger than what you actually need, as we can always re-size the slabs smaller. As I've mentioned previously, prices on the same size piece of wood may vary based on the grain, so find the combination you feel comfortable with, and give us a call.

If you don't see just what you are looking for, take note of the slabs you do like, even if they are sold or too small. When you call, let us know what it is about those pieces that you like, and in our vast inventory we can most likely find you the perfect piece. Only a small fraction of our inventory can be put online and we make updates daily.

Rustic Kitchen Tables - Finishing

Once you have decided on a slab, it's time to think about finish. The beauty of buying your slabs from us is, that you can buy just the material and finish it yourself, or buy a fully finished table ready to use. I personally am the do it yourself kind of guy so I have to do it myself! Last year I took a slab home for the kitchen in my own home, but it was not quite ready for a hard finish. I stained it, installed it, and I'm going to finish it right this summer.

If you decide to "do it yourself", you can have your slab shipped directly to your home or a commercial address of your choice. We can help you pick a finish based on your application, and give you some pointers along the way. You can also find information right here in our Blog.

The other option is to have the table fully finished for you. You can order it already finished from us or have it done locally. We are able to finish right here in house and we do a fabulous job. We can also have it finished by the best finisher we know, who has been working with our wood for years. Kelly at www.littlebranchfarm.com. We can arrange to have it shipped there on his next regular shipment at no charge, and you will just pay for the shipping from Nashville, TN to your location.

Kelly has been finishing tables for us for years now. He uses his own proprietary finish that dries good and hard and lasts for years. The main reason we do not finish everything in house is climate. We are within a mile from the West Coast, and our average daily temperature is only 60°, not warm enough for a finish to dry most of the year. While Nashville has more extreme weather, it is much warmer overall. This makes it more suitable for getting a nice finish to dry.

Rustic Kitchen Tables - Shipping info

We can ship our slabs anywhere in the country and also internationally. We will get you a big discount off of normal Fed Ex and Con-Way shipping rates. Shipments to a commercial address are going to save you a bit of money but we are also able to offer residential delivery with lift-gate
service right to your door. Finished tables do ship at a higher rate than raw wood, but we still get you that big discount!

New Custom Mantel Designs - Now Available

Custom Mantels are one of our best selling product lines. It’s a sure thing here, everyday. Someone is going to be working on fireplace mantels, its just one of the many things we do here at Redwood Burl Inc.

Below are some of our newest designs. These of course will come with any of our custom finishes. They will all soon be posted on our new Custom Mantel page that will make its debut in the very near future. Remember, finishing is always free on our Carved Mantels, as it is a part of the carving/shaping process. We also offer a few different stain options. These are sold based on length, thickness and width. So give us a call in the office for a quote!

Burl Wood

Burl Wood comes in many forms, and a variety of species. Most of our slabs are Reclaimed Old Growth Redwood Slabs, but on occasion we come across something a little different. Soon, we will expanding into other Markets as well. We already have Claro Walnut and Big Leaf Maple Slabs drying, and they should be ready in the upcoming months, but we are ready to show you a bit of what we do have coming soon.

 

Burl is a characteristic that happens in many types of wood. Woodworkers use burl wood to create items such as clocks, Live edged tables, and all types of burl wood furniture. It is highly sought after by Artist because of its unique grain structure and patterns. This wood is a type of fast growing, abnormal growth found on some trees. It grows because the tree has experienced some sort of environmental stress or damage, and it is often caused by either a fungal attack or an attack by insects.

 

Most think burl is the product of only the stump of the tree, but it can also been found throughout the whole tree.Often, a tree that has developed burl wood is still quite healthy. In fact, many of these trees can go on to live their normal life expectancy. On occasion, burl wood can cause additional stress and could shorten its life cycle

 

When used in wood crafting, burl wood is removed from the tree, preferably after the tree has already died in order to avoid killing it. It is then cut open in order to review the pattern inside. Sometimes, a single offshoot can produce several different pieces for an artist to work with.

 

Here is a small sample of various type of Burl Woods that we have in store for you:

Redwood Burl Tree Slabs - These are cut from a Big Burly Log. What makes this slab special? It has Burl running the whole length, and width of it. Not a very common find in a tree trunk of this size. This is a perfect example of the wood that they did not want in the mills, as it was not Lumber Quality. Boards made from this would not take stress very well because of the irregular grain. But they will make a fine Dinning or Conference Table, if you got enough room.

Redwood Burl Desk Slabs - This type of Burl Wood Slab is usually cut from tree stumps. This type of wood is found in the stumps of Redwood Trees cut decades ago. After a century or so they tend to degrade a bit, and the wood is no longer very solid. Nut, if you get them at just the right time, you get a perfect specimen such as this Burl Wood Slab. These are considered Desk Top Slabs just because the Organic Shape is suited for that type of project.

Extra Large Redwood Burl Slab - It's just that too. Really big Burl Wood Slabs regularly have Burl through 100% of a slab. That is not to say they don't exist. They are just Rare. This one appears to be about 70% Burl, and 30% Curl. Curl is a very desirable quality that can also sometimes be found in Redwood.It gives off the linear Tiger/Zebra Stripe character you see on the left side of this Burl Wood Slab. Curl is a Compression type grain that usually only appears in a tree that grew on a hill believe it or not. As the tree straightens itself out to grow straight up, it compresses the grain on the inside edge of the tree.

Maple Burl Root Slabs - Maple Burls tend to be lighter whitish, more yellow type of wood. Maple is a Hard Wood. Therefore it will be susceptible to twisting a bit while drying if not cared for properly. We seem to have very good luck with it here though. Root Slabs, and Caps as they are called. Tend have lots of little pointy knobby growths all over them. It is this knobby growth that causes the wood to grow in strange burly patterns inside.

Maple Burl Tree Slabs - Here's an example of a maple tree slab with a good amount of burl. Burl in Maple Logs can be seen as sporadic Birds eye or streaks as seen here penetrating all the way to the pith. More common in maple in logs are cluster burls. That is burl that grows in clusters like a wart or a tumor. In this case the burl wood is only in the protrusions, and not in the tree itself.

Walnut Burl Tree Slabs - Claro Walnut (Juglans Hindsii), is native to Califorina and parts of southern Oregon.  It is closeley related to American Black Walnut and shares many of the same characteristics.  It is, however, considered by some, to be the most beautiful of all the walnuts.  With Claro, you get the most color and figure for the money. Typically it is easy to work provided the grain is straight and regular. Glues, stains, and finishes well.

Walnut Burl Root Slabs - Claro Walnut grows only in California and parts of Southern Oregon. It can have some of the most spectacular figure of any member of the walnut family. The trees grow rapidly in this favorable climate and it is not unusual to find a four foot diameter tree that is not even a hundred years old. Claro Walnut is difficult to dry due to its water pockets but this doesn’t usually affect slab top tables. With its tendency for rapid growth Claro walnut can have growth rings in excess of an inch.

Sanding Redwood

Today I will be talking about sanding Redwood. I personally am not an expert, but I've been around it for quite some time now. I used to work in the yard a little, but now I only get to play with it a bit at home. I want to share some of what I have learned. This is geared more towards the non-professional woodworker.

The best advice I can give you is to begin with the finished product in mind.

Wood finishing can be fun and easy. Take your time and don't rush through finishing a piece of furniture. Imagine how it will look finished in your home. It is better to take a little extra time to achieve a good end result. The most critical part of finishing a piece of furniture happens before you open a can of stain or finish of your choice. A thorough sanding is often the factor that separates "acceptable" results from "professional-looking" results.

It is important to not buy cheap sandpaper. Cheap sandpaper actually costs you more in the long run because the cheap bonding agent means you’ll go through it faster. You do want to save $ and buying in bulk is the way to do that.

The three most common types of sand paper you will find are:

Garnet: Commonly used in woodworking and designed for hand sanding.

Aluminum Oxide: The most common in widest variety of grits, lowest unit cost; can be used on metal (i.e. body shops) or wood.

Silicon Carbide: Available in very coarse grits all the way through to micro grits, common in wet applications.

Sandpaper comes in a number of different shapes and sizes:

• Sheet: Usually 9 by 11 inches, but other sizes may be available
• Belt: Usually cloth backed, comes in different sizes to fit different belt sanders.
• Disk: Made to fit different models of disc and random orbital sanders. May be perforated for some models of sanders. Attachment includes pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) and "hook-and-loop" (similar to Velcro).
• Rolls: Known as "shag rolls" by many contractors
• Sponge: For tight places

Sanding can be messy, so I recommend some kind of dust collection system. I for one don't sand and finish in the same room. I sand in my shop, and have another room on the other side of the house for finishing.

 

Since Redwood tends to be considered a softwood, it is recommended that you start with 120 Grit sandpaper if the wood is already pretty smooth to start with. But if you are starting with something that might have been milled with a chainsaw, you might want to start and 36 grit, then go to 60, then 80, and progress in steps up to 220 Grit. In my projects I usually start with 80 Grit because I do a lot of my final shaping with sand paper when I carve.

Proceeding through the Grits in a progressive manner will give you the smoothest of finish, and the general consensus seems to agree on 220 Grit being the sweet spot.

I choose to sand my work finer. I like to go to a 400 grit using an Artificial Steel-Wool. What tends to happen when you go that fine is that it will not cut the grain; it only sands the wood between the grain. The grain will become higher that the rest of the wood, and give it somewhat of a ‘Wash-Board’ type of finish. I really like this look and feel that it makes my finished product more tactile. However, this is not what you are looking for in finishing a table.

Making tables is definitely on my list of things to do. If you have a home shop like me, your best tool choice for surface prep is going to be a good quality Random Orbital Sander up to about 150 grit, then hand sand to 220 grit. Always sand lightly, and sand with the grain. When using tack rags; a specialized type of wiping cloth treated with a tacky material used to remove loose particles, dust, and dirt, make sure they are oil free.

When you get to the point where you are ready to finish, make sure your room temp is above 65°. If you have any type of control over the humidity, it should be around 50%. Make sure you are not working near any vents or drafts, and out of the sunlight. Sunlight will warm the wood and release any trapped moisture, creating bubbles in your finish.

Reclaimed Old Growth Redwood

People often ask "Where do you get your wood?" I'm going to try and answer that while not giving away any secrets. Some of this information may have already been covered in some of our earlier Blog Posts on Logging History in the past few months.

The first thing you need to know is that there is more than one part to a tree. First you have the tree, which when fallen and bucked (de-limbed and sectioned), become logs. Then you have the remainder of the root that is in the ground, called a stump. Each part, the log and the stump will yield different types of products.

If you read up on the subject, as I have over the years, you will find that this whole county was logged between 1850 and 1960's. However, Redwood trees (Sequoia Sempervirens) didn't begin being logged until 1855. By that time they had figured out how to deal with such a massive tree. The logger’s method at the time was called "Clear Cutting".  It is a method in which all of the trees in an area are cut down to a uniform size.

Clear cutting Old Growth Redwoods took our Redwood forests from just over 2 Million acres down to the remaining 133,000 that remain today. At some point logging companies thought ahead and started replanting Redwoods so they would be able to harvest them again in the years to come. This wood is what we now call Second Growth Redwood. Old Growth has a much different character than Second Growth, caused by the density of the growth rings giving the wood a darker or almost brown look. Second Growth appears more pink in color, which is generally what you will find at the lumber yard. The Growth rings in Second Growth are usually only 60 to 100 for the whole tree, not 2000 - 3000 or more you would find in an Old Growth tree.

As lumber companies today harvest the trees they were replanted over the last 100 they are finding many old logs that were left behind during the earlier clear cuts. It seems if the log had any defects in it, it was left in the woods because it had no commercial value at the time. Believe it or not, the ‘defects’ at the time would have been curls in the grain, or burl formations of any kind. This wood was considered not structurally sound and could not be used to make lumber. As we all know, lumber is strong because of the way it is cut with the grain, running the length of the board to make it sturdy. Curly character or burl in the grain would cause lumber to snap under pressure.

Although these left over logs are not good for lumber, other markets have found a great use for them. For example, there are many wood burning power plants up and down the coast where they will chip and grind a whole log, just to make saw dust, to produce fuel for the plant. We purchase these logs and using a specialized mill cut them into slabs for tables and other product. We also use the top and bottom cuts, which are narrower, to make Fireplace Mantels, which are one of our most popular products. This Old growth Redwood typically has grain running the length of the piece as well as lots of character.

 For every tree that was cut, a stump was left in its place. We are talking millions if not billions of stumps here. Many of these stumps are in places not easily accessible and still in the forest of Second Growth trees. Many of these stumps are old and rotten and can have numerous new redwood trees sprouting around the base. Some of the trees cut in the last 60 or so years have stumps that are still somewhat sound and solid. Some of these areas where stumps are located are now in the hands of private landowners. These new landowners usually want to build on their land, and with this new construction comes roads and driveways. To make these access ways, they need to remove stumps. Companies are hired with excavators and big trucks to pull out just enough of the stumps to build the roads to their homes. People see the value in these stumps and come to us to sell them. We sometimes have Low Boys in our yard with only one big stump in it, but usually there are at least 3-5. 

Low-Boy delivering stumps.

 Where the logs can just be power-washed and milled, these stumps require a bit more preparation. You can’t just pick up a saw and start cutting. It takes many hours of power-washing to remove all the dirt, rocks and other debris from between the roots before they can be milled. It is definitely worth the time as these roots contain some of the best wood that can be found. These Root Slabs, also called Burl Slabs come in all different sizes. They make great Dining Tables, Coffee Tables, Fireplace Mantels, as well as anything else you can imagine.

Power Washing. It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

Purchasing wood in this way provides us with reliable sources for Reclaimed Old Growth Redwood. We do not buy Redwood slabs, blocks, or any other forms of Redwood from people off the street. Having been in this business for more than 40 yeas now, we know who the legitimate sources are.

Over the last few months there has been national and world-wide coverage of the Redwood Poaching happening in our local area. We have participated in countless interviews and answered questions for news articles related to the subject. We truly believe that nothing good comes from the harming of such majestic trees. We live here surrounded by these beautiful giant trees. In fact, I see them every single day, as they grow in my yard.

If you are ever in the area, please be sure to stop in and see our facility. I would suggest you plan ahead and give us a call beforehand to make sure that Landon will be around to talk with you and show you around a bit.

 

A view from the tower looking at the eastern part of the yard.

Redwood Thieves and Poachers

This damage was caused by someone cutting a Burl from a living tree in Redwood Creek State Park, in Humboldt County California. – photo provided by the National Park Service

There has been an increase in late night poaching occurring in our local parks. Poachers have been cutting Burls off of living trees in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. To help deter some of this activity, Newton B. Drury Parkway will be closed at nights. According to the National Park Service the closure is a proactive step toward preserving our State's priceless natural resources.

Newton B. Drury Parkway was the old Hwy. 101 when I first moved here back in the 80's. Shortly after that they built a new 11 mile stretch of highway to go around the park. The Parkway is now a scenic alternate route.

Our state parks are home to most of the last stands of virgin Old Growth Redwood forests. Some of the trees are 2,000 to 3,000 years old. At one time the North Coast was home to more that 2,000,000 acres of Coastal Redwood Forest. Only 133,000 acres remain, and our state parks are home to 45% of those that remain. These trees are truly priceless! If you haven't seen them yet, it is surely something worthy of adding to your Bucket List.

All of us here at Redwood Burl Inc. are fully aware of these activities, and we go out of our way to not be a potential market for this poached and stolen wood. All of our wood is Reclaimed Redwood. Most of it was cut more than 50 years ago, and it all comes from legitimate sources. We take pride in having the largest inventory of Reclaimed Redwood on the North Coast.

Here is another great story from the NY Times that was published on April 8, 2014.