Barn wood (simulated..?)

[jTr]

Barn wood furniture, trim and especially doors have been a hot item with clients lately. Problem is availability and cost when you can find actual reclaimed lumber. Interested in creative ways to simulate it.

Really like the old circular mill saw blade sweeps for authenticity, and thinking the Shop Bot could replicate fairly well, especially if done using erratic spacing and depth of cut. Just wondering if anyone else has done so or has suggestions on bit selection - thinking small cove or V-bit? Finishing tips also welcome - trying to make it look as authentic as possible, which means lots of color variation from board to board.

Jeff

[garyb]

I use rough sawn and weatherwood stains
Gary

[Brian Harnett]

I use a torch and a nylon abrasive wheel usually 80 grit , a wire wheel works also but the nylon is more gentle, with a good scorch the burnt wood will come out and the denser will stay. Makes a really authentic weathered look, a lot easier than trying to do it on cnc.
No repetitive pattern to deal with or machining marks.

Wear a mask lots of soot dust.

[bbrozo]

Jeff -

For finishing, see the attached pdf file which describes "pickling wood" which will give a gray cast to wood with alot of tannins such as oak, ash, etc. You can also boost the tannin content of the wood by first using a black tea on the wood before applying the "pickling" stain.

I used this technique on a farmhouse table for a customer (ash) which turned out quite nice. I applied the "pickling stain" and sanded afterward with 150-grit and 220-grit with a ROS sander (lightly) to give the wood a little more variation in color.

I attached a picture of the finished table to give you an idea of how it might look with ash.

Bill

[cnc_works]

I watch for cedar fences being torn down and make many of my smaller signs with it, especially versatile using Joe's magic masking method if I want to paint the v-carve.

[myxpykalix]

My initial thought was to create a circular pattern for the shopbot but that would take too long then i thought of this...
Take your board and lay it on a table flat.
Take your circular saw and lay the blade flat on the wood at the end of your board.
squeeze the trigger so the blade spins and press down slightly on the front of the blade as you pull it backwards it scrapes the face of the board to resemble the sawblade marks.
Maybe alternate your pressure to make it a bit uneven...

You could even do this in an upright position if that's easier for you but you would need to be able to hold your boards vertically. Let me know if that works...

[8Ball]

My initial thought was to create a circular pattern for the shopbot but that would take too long then i thought of this...
Take your board and lay it on a table flat.
Take your circular saw and lay the blade flat on the wood at the end of your board.
squeeze the trigger so the blade spins and press down slightly on the front of the blade as you pull it backwards it scrapes the face of the board to resemble the sawblade marks.
Maybe alternate your pressure to make it a bit uneven...

You could even do this in an upright position if that's easier for you but you would need to be able to hold your boards vertically. Let me know if that works...

That sounds REALLY dangerous. Initiating kickback isn't recommended.

[scottp55]

Jeff,
I like the fact than Connor totally skips sanding his pockets on stacked text signs, and just hogs it out at a 45;
http://forum.vectric.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=22609
Kinda reminds me of rough sawn.
Putzed with using a semi circle for a 12" radius blade and trimming it for a 7" board, we all know it will leave toolmarks. Just wondering if you shimmed one end of board up a hair, the leading edge would accentuate it, and then flip board end for end for the other side?
Combined with Brian's method in part, or full it might look pretty good. And with something like these lines separated by 1" on 1.25" bit and trimmed to a shade over half radius?
Just thinking.
scott

[scottp55]

Oops, should have trimmed to a hair over diameter to get the tool off material:(

[myxpykalix]

That sounds REALLY dangerous. Initiating kickback isn't recommended.

You wouldn't get kickback if you are drawing the saw backwards. The back of the teeth are hitting the surface not the front of the teeth where a kickback could occur.

[mark_stief]

Jack When you get ready to try that call me I wanna watch somebody elses blood doesn't bother me as much as seeing my own leaking out

[jTr]

Wow! didn't realize this post might lead to spilling blood!:eek:

Really like all the ideas- Had not heard of weathered wood stains- very interested in that. Also, the Lee Valley mix looks intriguing. Guessing it is very similar to weathered wood's formula, based on description.

Jack: That process likely would get that big old circular blade look going. Maybe an angle grinder attached to a jig/arm would be safer to control. However, the safety thing is mainly why I was hoping for a cnc based method.

Scott: Thought of the wedge idea also after posting (great minds...!). Though it sounds cumbersome/time consuming at first, I think once you're jigged up with a randomized pattern and get a rhythm going, it wouldn't be too big a deal. In fact, a higher moove speed sweep with it's tearing/unclean cut would not only speed production but may also contribute to a more authentic look. My bot is silent a vast majority of the day due to consumption of time on all other processes of production (and I work alone).

Brian: Really like the burn idea- as you stated, probably the most realistic weathering in terms of texture as the softer summer growth portion of grain goes first, generating a very aged looking board, which I'd like to do.

I've had a friend sandblast pine before. Really awesome look, but also pretty costly.

Another friend shared his technique: chucking 1 or 2 wire wheels in the table saw to speed the brushing process.

Hybrid of techniques will likely be used, so I really appreciate all the suggestions!

Jeff

[myxpykalix]

Jack When you get ready to try that call me I wanna watch somebody elses blood doesn't bother me as much as seeing my own leaking out

OK Mark i took you up on your challenge and tried it and here is the results...