Claro or California walnut is a species unique to Northern California and a popular choice for slab tables in the area. The color is a little richer than in the ubiquitous black walnut, and it often has dark swirls and curls in the grain.
some of those swirls and curls on display, especially near the pith (center of the tree, and roughly the center of each of the slabs)
another look at the bookmatched slab top, really the standout feature of this table. I also like the 1/2" gap running down the middle and the squared ends adding a little geometry to balance out the natural curve of the live edge.
The base was done in 16/4 solid black walnut, stained to match the top. The claro slabs were thankfully unstained, given a close-to-the-surface satin clear coat, almost looks like danish oil. My favorite.
there's a lot of ways I could have handled the rip cuts on these 3" thick slabs but I think what I did was route a groove with a long straight-edge, jigsaw close to the line, flip it and route the rest of the way with a bottom-bearing bit, if that means anything to you. The crosscuts I did with this huge circular saw.
for not-so-fine woodworking
We incorporated a pretty robust custom steel skeleton to try to minimize twist, cup and bow in the big slabs.
These custom steel brackets had to be mortised into the tops of the bases. They were similar but not identical so I got close with router templates and finished with those chisels in the background
