What is wood slab?
Generally, the word "slab" means "plate" and "wooden slabs" refer to wooden plates that have different thicknesses and are made by cutting tree trunks or the pollen of tree saplings. Acorns (a cylindrical part of a tree trunk) are cut in different ways, depending on what they are used for. Cutting the tree trunk can be done in two ways, transversely and longitudinally. Transverse cuts are known as sausage slabs and longitudinal cuts are called slabs only. After cutting the tree trunk in the form of a wooden slab, the side parts of the cut wood are not smooth and uniform. In this case, its natural state is preserved so that in addition to preserving the beauty of the wood, the authenticity of the wood is also determined. A slab without any processing on its wood is called a raw slab. It is not possible to use directly and without smoothing the surface of the raw slab in making wooden items, because problems arise when drying the slab after the initial cutting on the surface of the wood.
Understanding wood slabs
Wooden slabs can be made from any type of tree, although this issue also depends on its application. A slab is a wooden plate with different thicknesses, which is created from the trunk or the pollen of tree saplings after transverse and longitudinal cuts. Sometimes, some professors use the book matching technique to make slab wood panels. In fact, book matching is a type of art in which wood with very beautiful veins is put together in such a way that the image created conveys the meaning of an image in the real world.
What are the uses of slabs?
Slab wooden panels have many applications that can be used to make conference tables, chandeliers, shelves, counters, honey tables in front of the table and dining tables; Therefore, the use of this type of wooden panel gives double soul and beauty to the interior space. In general, these works are considered a kind of artwork and create a smooth design. Today, different designs and artifacts are created from these slabs together with resin, which is considered a new branch in the wood industry. In the Iranian wood market, there are many types of Iranian and imported species that you can get more complete information about slabs with the help of experts.
Tips About Natural Slab Woods
The remarkable thing is that slabs are unique like human fingerprints and no two designs are alike. This amazing feature has doubled the beauty of the wooden structure and in fact the slab table that you have bought is completely special and there is no similar example in the world. Sometimes your slab may have defects such as knots, unevenness, grooves and cracks. This issue is nothing to worry about, and with a little artistic taste, you can create a beautiful art structure using these imperfections.
Slab
Cutting of wood slabs is done in two ways: transverse cut or sausage cut and longitudinal cut or slab. Slabs are also used for rustic, decorative and other purposes. To cut the tree trunk in the form of wooden slabs, the side parts of the cut board will not be smooth and even, and in general, the philosophy of this style of boards is the presence of natural unevenness of the wood. These mismatched designs that show off the nature and originality of wood are like the rustic structure of the slabs, which creates a special beauty.
Slab drying methods
Natural wood slabs are dried in two ways after cutting and preliminary preparation, which is one of the main steps in making slabs. Drying wooden slabs is the same as dehumidifying wood pieces. Air-drying slabs gives you the best wood color, while kiln-drying is faster, but removes subtle differences in wood colors. So don't put the cut slabs in one place for more than one or two days without spacing (adding spaces to allow air circulation).
There are two methods of drying slabs, traditional and industrial.
Traditional method
Traditional method is a natural method, cut wood slabs are exposed to the open air to dry completely. The time required to dry these parts is directly related to the size, thickness and type of wood.
Industrial Method
In this method, they use drying ovens and bring the wood to the desired dryness. Most of the moisture of the wood is taken from the furnace based on the type of slab, and the wood is ready for flooring.
Slab flooring
When the wood pieces of the slab are small, you can use the floor of the grater and then smooth the surface of the slab, but for slabs larger than the width of the grater, industrial sanding machines, CNC machines and overmilling machines are used, usually these three methods are used for flooring. The surface and sub-slab are recommended. For the flooring of cheap and conventional slabs, an over milling machine is used. After completing these steps, the surface of the slab will be smooth and polished; Therefore, this method can be used to make all kinds of devices and use in the decoration of different spaces. Since industrial sanding machines are not available for everyone, the use of CNC wood and over milling is more common.
Using industrial sanding machines to straighten the wood surface
Professional Shinda drum is used for sanding the surface of smooth wood. If the wooden slab has a slight curvature, you can load the surface of the slab in several steps using a wood sander to achieve the desired result. The drum sander machine is suitable for companies that are mainly engaged in the production of wooden slabs and need very high speed and accuracy during the execution of the work.
The first step to choose a slab
Saw the slab wood yourself.
Take your slab to a local carpenter, most carpenters accept custom work. Just bring them to your workplace and you can also get help from carpenters. Just keep in mind that you need to air dry your slabs for 1 year per inch of thickness or use an oven.
Buy your slab cut and dry. You may be hard pressed to find slabs with two natural edges at your local carpentry store.
Once your wood arrives, wait a week or two for the wood to acclimate to the humidity in your workshop before doing anything on the slab.
When you have the slab ready, it means that you have a general idea of the table you want to design (a big table, a small table, a long bench or a short bench). You should consider the following in order to match the unique features of your slab to your personal taste.
Only if you work with a whole slab, all its surfaces are uncut and untouched and natural; Otherwise, most slabs are sawn at their ends. These end areas usually look good when they are cut flat and perpendicular to the surface. If you want the end of the slab to resemble the natural edges of wood, you should use an inlay tool or an angle wheel (coarse, abrasive, uncoated wheels) and then use sanding wheels.
Specify the parts that must have certain dimensions (such as the cornice or the seat surface) and design the rest of the parts according to those dimensions.
How to make slabs
Wooden slabs are made from felled tree trunks. Usually, tree trunks are cut with special saws to different and desired sizes, and these cuts can be done in different ways that the cutter chooses the place and type of cut. For example, one of the cuts that is created is longitudinal and transverse coordination cuts called pollen grains.
Types of wood used for slabs
For wood slabs, Iranian wood and foreign wood can be used. Some people think that Iranian woods are not of high quality, but according to experts, if Iranian woods are dried completely and in the right way, they have very high quality. Iranian woods include beech, walnut, maple, sycamore, and sycamore, as well as types of foreign woods, including cedar and pine.
