Reclaimed Oak for Roubo

[Jim Matthews]

Sorry I was unclear about this.

I would only joint two boards together to make a single "plank".
I would make two "planks" and leave a space between them.

The only surface that must be flat faces up.
Rather than make one large top, I would make two
smaller pieces and mount them to your trestle.

I was under the mistaken impression that you intended to rip these
lengthwise, and turn them 90 degrees to orient the "sides" upward.

Sorry if I muddied the water.

******

If it was me (and it's not) I wouldn't even bother with flattening the bottom of the planks.
Once you make the trestle or base, the only part that needs to be flat is where
the planks rest on their supports.

[bridger berdel]

If they come dirty, I'd start with a pressure washer.

[Patrick Harper]

One more question. With beams this large, should I still avoid them if the contain the pith?

[Jim Matthews]

How old are the boards?

Pith shrinks, but not forever.
If it hasn't worked loose after this long...

[Patrick Harper]

The barn was built in the 50's, so they're atleast that old. There's some heaving checking down the middle of atleast one of the boards that contained the center of the tree.