Antique Barnwood Family Table

[ghenson82]

My grandmother (on my mom's side) finally sold the dairy farm that her dad bought and built in 1952. All of the barns on the property were going to be torn down after the final closing. The buyer is a horse guy so luckily the property wont turn into a shopping center any time soon. Inside the dairy barn were some old 2"x10"x12' boards of the chutes that the cows walked in every morning. Rumor was, they were old when he built the barn, so the age of that wood is really unknown.

This spring, my dad and uncle tore down one of the last original structures of the early 1900's community of Stringtown, Tx in Bell County. This is where my dad's side was born and raised, and some of that land is still owned by my uncle. The barn was held together by square nails and produced several 2"x4" boards, these actually measured 2 inches by 4 inches.

Being a bachelor and not owning a dining room table, this seemed like a good opportunity to build one. First step, remove the nails and powerwash the boards.

[ghenson82]

^You could really see a difference after blasting the 60 year old dust and rat poop off the boards.

[ajm2nac]

great plan..cant wait to see the finished product

[Pedernal]

In for to see the build and final project. Wood is just not the same anymore.

[ghenson82]

Now, no professional wood shop owner would let me plane these boards unless Jesus himself could promise that every board was nail-free. And rightfully so, I wasnt willing to pay for a new $400 carbide bit if I was wrong and neither was he. So, plane-ing the boards didnt happen. Instead, I triple checked each board and used my late grandfather's shop-smith table saw to establish a "true" edge as best as I could. It took some work on this thick wood and some trial and error on the saw speed settings, but I got it done. I cut the 2"x10"s in half into 4 5' pieces and glued them together. Here it is just before I set the glue and pipe clamped it.

[sethcros]

In for to see the build and final project. Wood is just not the same anymore.

That might be true, but it's a pretty hilarious thing to read

[ghenson82]

These 2x4s were another challenge, they weren't always square and some had a slight twist or bend, after all they have been in a cattle barn for probably 100 years. Plus, some of the 2X10s had been rubbed down by the dairy cows walking in the chutes for years, making them less than 2 inches in places. The knots threw me another curveball too. Lets just say the boards didnt always match up.

I cut the 2x4s 45 degrees on both ends to frame the interior 2x10s. This was tough. I'm sure a professional with thousands of dollars worth of tools could have put me to shame, but I worked with what I had. Here it is after I attached the 2x4s and hammered the top with a belt sander to make the boards even and level to each other.

[ghenson82]

That took a while! Even though I attached the boards as level as I could, they still weren't quite perfect enough for me. I went through 8 or 9 50 grit sanding belts smoothing it out. But, I think its pretty darn good for an amateur.

These next pics are the final finishing. I sanded the top down to 320 grit and started the clear coat. I was amazed at the color change with just clear coat and not using stain.

[ghenson82]

Here it is indoors, ready for a meal. Thanks for reading.

[MarkV]

That looks awesome

[Pedernal]

That might be true, but it's a pretty hilarious thing to read

I was referring to the barn wood. I am getting old but not that old yet

[Pedernal]

Here it is indoors, ready for a meal. Thanks for reading.

That is an awesome job

[Schubert6689]

Dang that's nice!!!

[btreybig]

Very cool! I have always wanted to do something like this if I can ever score some old barn wood. Very cool that it came from a family barn.

[Mertzon Man]

That looks awesome, great job!