Buy wooden discs or make your own tree discs?
If you like to work on things from scratch, you won't want to buy ready-made wood slices. Instead, prepare your tree disc yourself from the start. The first question already arises:How do I saw tree slices?
Since tree slices are sawn directly from the trunk, you need a suitably strong yet handy saw. A chainsaw is ideal for this task.Saw tree slices for decorative purposes across the trunk. You can saw wooden discs for furniture from the trunk both crosswise and lengthwise. In addition to the grain, the size and design of the later piece of furniture also determine the sawing direction: wooden slices sawn lengthways produce larger panels.
When sawing wooden slices from a tree trunk, please make sure that the trunk is already dry. Otherwise the wood will crack after a short time. A freshly felled log needs 5-10 years until the residual moisture level of less than 20%, which is necessary for optimal further processing, is reached. If you don't want to wait that long, we recommend you buy your wooden discs.
How do I dry a tree slice correctly?
When purchasing wooden discs, you can assume that the wood is sufficiently dry for further processing. In the case of a tree slice of unclear origin - for example a gift - it is often not clear whether it was sawn from seasoned wood. Before you work on such a wooden disc, it is better to store it in an airy room protected from moisture for at least several months or even a few years: the thicker the disc, the longer.Especially if you later want to paint the tree disc or oil or wax the wood, residual moisture remains in wood that has not been sufficiently dried and causes it to rot from the inside out.
Tree slices care: oiling or waxing wood?
Careful tree slice care is a must. Oiling or waxing wood beautifies the wood surface and protects the wood from harmful external influences such as moisture or discoloration. The same applies to wooden furniture. In addition to wax for tree disc care, wood care oil such as linseed oil for a wooden table is definitely worth a try. With its liquid consistency, wood care oil is easier and quicker to apply than wax.
Which oil is suitable for wood?
In addition to industrially produced furniture oils or furniture polishes, natural oils such as are particularly suitable for the care of wood, including tree slices- Linseed oil,
- olive oil or
- Walnut oil.
These natural oils are food safe. Wood treated with them does not release any harmful substances into the air. In parallel to their suitability as food, linseed oil, olive oil and walnut oil are convincing as high-quality oils for wooden tables and other things made of wood.
Instead of just any oil for the wooden table: linseed oil for the wooden table
Linseed oil is particularly suitable as a wood care oil for wooden tables and other furniture - regardless of whether they are made from tree slices or wooden panels. Linseed oil has had a good reputation as a natural wood protector for centuries. It is used to treat wooden surfaces indoors and outdoors. Like walnut oil, linseed oil is also absorbed particularly deeply into the wood. It highlights the wood grain attractively. The wood color appears more intense.
How do I apply wood care oil correctly?
Before applying the care oil, the wooden surface must be perfectly smooth, dry and free of dust. Remove any unevenness with sandpaper - then dust it well. Then apply the oil for the wooden table - or other wooden objects - with a soft cotton cloth. Apply the linseed oil for the wooden table until the wood is saturated with oil and no longer absorbs any more oil.Once thoroughly oiled, in the future you will only need to refresh the piece of furniture or the tree slice with a little new oil every now and then.
Note: Please do not leave cotton cloths soaked in linseed oil and, if necessary, brushes and other utensils unattended after use. Immediately after use, place them in a container with water or, even better, wash them out immediately with water. Otherwise, the exposed material soaked in linseed oil could ignite on its own.
How long does it take for linseed oil to dry on wood?
The surface of wood treated with linseed oil is dry after around 24 hours. It takes about one to two weeks for the deeper layers that have absorbed the oil to completely dry.Good choice for care: Oil for wooden tables and wooden furniture in general
Wood care with linseed oil served us as an illustrative example with a tried and tested and environmentally friendly care oil. Of course, you are free to use another oil such as olive oil or walnut oil. However, we recommend that you use a natural oil.
