I'm planning on entering a juried competition which requires using a reclaimed door to create a piece of art. Doors are apparently frequently discarded and many of them end in landfills. I'm considering constructing a hallway table using a portion of a solid-core front door for the table top and milling reclaimed oak flooring into trim apron rails and legs. My goal is to use 99% reclaimed materials (by weight) for this entry and I will be documenting my progress on this blog. Entrees aren't due until June so I think I have enough time.
Here is photo of reclaimed flooring that is left outside to the elements. Bundles are less than 10 square feet and priced at $1 per square foot. Apprehensively, I purchased a bundle of solid oak flooring and took it home.
Since I like to use veneer, beaded features, and mission style finish, I milled and finished a sample piece from the flooring I purchased. Shown on the far right, even after the beads were cut, the long grain patterns of the oak show due to its flat-grain. Preferring the shorter ray patterns from quarter-sawn wood, I've stacked and glued three pieces of flooring together (near right). This exposes the end grain, which is essentially what quarter-sawn wood shows. It's hard to tell from the picture, but the left piece is better.
Having figured out how to use the reclaimed flooring for the apron rails, the legs are next.
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