Looking for some ideas on how to make an old piece of weathered wood into a table. I have a plank that is 9in x 46in and deeply weathered on one side, flat on the other, thickness varies from 1-1/2 in. to 1/2 in. What I want to use for legs are some 1 in dowels x 3ft long. Any type of leg would be ok, these rods just been sitting around for years.

Main problem is I need some way to attach the rods to the weathered side, (preferably in some way that they are  removable, but that's not set in stone). 

Regardless of how I attach them, I still need some way to "flatten" out the underside. Thought about custom-shaping and gluing 2 pieces of wood to fit the weathered side, but hoping someone has better ideas.

I do NOT have a router, so can't cut a channel from side-to-side.

Thanks for reading!
 

I'm a fan of using old wood and making sure the most weathered features are plainly visible. I'd definitely put the deeply weathered side up.

 

You could make an apron that compensated for the variations in thickness, then mount the legs onto the inside corners of the apron.

 

Edited July 5, 20233 yr by lew

Not as artistic as Lew's answer but mount 2x stock at corners on underside with hole drilled for dowels to fit . Just pull dowels to dissamble.

Thank you!

Not a fan of weathered wood for tables.

 

I remember a job once where the customer had a dining table that was made from "a barn door from Scotland."   She was complaining that the top was splintery.  Since she liked the rustic look, there was a limit to what I could do.  I lightly scuffed the surface with some ScotchBrite pad.   I then wiped off the dust with a cloth and it came up black as could be.  I hope that made her happy.    I also worked on a lot of Restoration Hardware type tables that were artificially aged and had no finish coat.   My comment (to myself) was always, "Those tables are one splashed red wine or errant meatball away from a permanent stain."     We put finish on furniture for three reasons: to beautify, to protect, and to make a cleanable surface.

 

 

I do have a picture frame that I made for a picture of a barn, though.   I got an old tomato stake from my dad's barn.  Careful layout to keep all the cut surfaces hidden, it turned out well and fit the purpose.

Edited July 19, 20232 yr by kmealy