Timber Slabs and Tops
Rarefind has a range of timber slabs
These are boards cut through and through, along the length of the log producing and extra wide board with the natural log edges. These slabs are generally cut at 55-60mm, 75-80mm and 100-110mm. The thicker the cut piece the longer it takes to dry. Slabs are air dried in shady cool sheds for between 6 months and 2 years depending on the thickness and species. The thinner lower density woods dry fastest, and thicker dense and very dense woods take the longest.
Slabs also vary greatly in width and length from small log slabs (300-500mm wide by 1- 2 meters in length) to medium (500-800mm wide by 2-4 meters in length) through to large slabs (800-1300 wide by 2-5.5 meters in length).
Slabs are either cut using a horizontal bandsaw, cutting slabs up to 600mm wide or a chainsaw mill cutting up to 1300mm in width.
Once slabs are air dry, they can be kiln conditioned for indoors or remain air dry for outdoors. They can then be re-sawn and planed flat on both faces, this produces a flat wide board with a fine finish ready for sanding. This process exposes the woods grain, colour, and any special figure present, it produces a uniformly thick piece that is flat and true aiding the woodworker in producing a finished tabletop or other crafted piece.
Slabs up to 600mm in width can also be re-sawn with the bandsaw to provide mirror matched halves and reduced thickness e.g. 100mm slab may be planned down to 90mm and then split into a two piece mirror matched pair 40-45mm thick.
View our range of Rough Sawn Timber Slabs
Rough sawn slabs are generally log width boards cut through and through the log. The slab has natural edges either side, sometimes still with the bark attached. Rough sawn slabs are dry but otherwise as they were cut from the log, they may have shrunk and or distorted due to the drying process. This may mean a rough sawn slab is not perfectly flat from one side to the other nor from one end to the other. It may have normal drying defects including cup, twist and surface checking.
View our range of Machined Slabs
Machined slabs have been placed on a large milling machine and had both to top and bottom faces planed flat. These slabs are flat from one side to the other and from end to end. The finish is such that they only require sanding prior to finishing. They have generally been kiln dried prior to machining and then wrapped to exclude dirt and moisture.
View our range of Tops
Our tops are suitable for table tops and desks. They can be made up from more than one piece of wood and they may be mirror matched pairs of say 400-600mm wide planks or made up from multiple boards.
These have generally been kiln dried and machined then wrapped to exclude moisture and dirt.
Contact Rarefind Timber NZ
General Enquiries
Michael Esson
Mobile: (+64) 27 451 8083
Email: info@rarefind.co.nz
Morrinsville Road, Hamilton
Instrument Timber Enquiries
Malcolm Williams
Email: malcolm@rarefind.co.nz
We’d love to see you at our mill, but as drying and processing of the timber needs to happen at certain times it can be hard to give you the attention we would like.
If you would like to come out, please let us know in advance so we can assist you as best we can.
