My Table Upgrade

[Paul#25]

That looks great Iain.

[Woolf]

Nice

[iandvl]

Very nicely done Ian.

Thanks.

Some of the planks on the table looks like Jara, one of the more common sleepers sold by Melanie here in Centurion.

The "yellower" pieces? Reason I ask is that it is a lot easier to sand down than the "pinker" pieces I have on the sides.

I purchased it in Centurion - the place opposite the Lyttelton SAPs (I think it is Lyttelton SAPs).

So then it is probably Jara. I stand corrected.

[jotto]

There is a very yellow type as well - called Karri wood. It is very soft and usually well saturated with tar.

The ironwood is slighly yellow yes, but very hard to sand. A 60 grid belt sander will make an immediate dent in the other woods, but only makes a fine dust on ironwood.
I still have a whole stack of ironwood planks in the workshop, will be making my boardroom table from it next year once the new shop is built.

As a little side note- the reason people always say sleeper wood is hard, is not that it is harder than the same raw wood - they actually refer to the fact that the wood is very hard on their tools, due to the tar impregnation and sand that is lodged in the wood grain over many years of usage. Sand is a bugger even on tungsten blades.

[iandvl]

Well, returned home from work yesterday. Paint had cured, so I refitted the planks and oiled liberally...

Let the oil soak in overnight. And this is the look I was hoping for.

I did make a few blemishes in the paint refitting the top (the planks are cut very flush with the frame), but I'll touch that up whilst I am on leave from tomorrow.

It has been a lot of work, but I've enjoyed it and I am very happy.

[Mad Manny]

If you know Ian like I know Ian you'll know that the table will be subjected to an extensive test for 'Beer glass stain resistance' soon. Hopefully he won't need coasters ~ he does struggle lining up the glass and coaster at times...

[Samaya]

The table looks great! Nicely done

[Bugger]

That wood is called Rhodesian Teak.
It's a very, very hard wood. Ysterhoud.
Because it is so strong & hard it had specific uses.
It was used for railway sleepers
It was also used for Parquet flooring.

It's the opposite of Oregan Pine which is light in colour, light in weight and fairly soft.

Also Oregan Pine is not Pine, it's Douglas Fir.


What this all has to do with the Outdoor Lifestyle escapes me...

Also used for years and years a Braai wood by the Eksteen family campung



My dad used to buy sleepers for 20c a sleeper and we used to cut them with a bow saw in blocks
And at the Camp sit chopped up with a huge Axe and used to braai

Only later years the wood became sought after