Oak beam - sanding and filling

[ManchesterPete]

Hi all

I have been given a 5” sawn oak beam. I want to create a smooth finished look for an internal feature.

I have two questions as I’m no woodworker g expert!

What will be the best tool to get a smooth finish? A belt sander? A plane? Palm sander? It’s clearly going to be a lot of work hence wondering if the belt sander is the best way to go.

The beam has some cracks from drying that I want to fill. What’s the best product to do this?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[He who knows]

How long is it?

The best tool would be a planer-thicknesser, or maybe a drum sander. None of which are remotely sensible to buy for this one off.

How rough is it now, and how smooth do you want it? If you're not experienced with using a plane you may get it smooth, but not level.

A belt sander would probably be best, working through a range of grit sizes.

Cracks I'd be tempted to leave:

• They're part of the character of the wood
• If you fill them they could get bigger anyway, and new ones develop
• The filler will look worse than the cracks, and will take any finish differently to the wood, standing out like a sore thumb

 

[MarineBob]

I agree with above comments. Had a friend who made a bar out of some rough sawn wood. It was a bit dried but over the next year or so in the house, it kept drying and cracking more and more. I would say unless its been kiln dried, it still has lots of cracking to go so trying to get it too smooth might be an exercise in frustration.