Finishing rough sawn timber

[havabeer69]

Hi everyone.

I'm thinking about making a coffee out of some (what I assume) are iron bark sleepers. I want to keep it fairly rustic looking but I'm tossing up about how much I should finish the timber.

They're current rough sawn, but I'm thinking I might just power brush/wire wheel the dirt off them and coat them in a few layers of poly rather then fully sanding them flat and true.

I've got a couple of pictures of the sleepers unfinished and one that's been through the jointer

Just wondering if there is anything to watch for when finishing rough sawn timber?

Actual assembly wise I plan on just jointing the edges, and drilling a hole through all 4 logs and holding it together with some glue and 3 lengths of stud bar with some type of decorative nuts (most likely black)

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[Robson Valley]

I actually finish fuzzy chain saw carvings that I have bought. Makes dusting them a little easier.
Slather on a couple of coats of MinWax satin polyurethane and let that set up good and hard.

That coffee table will be a grunt to move! Those timbers look heavy.
I'd prefer to clean them off.
1. The grain patterns will be interesting things to look at.
2. Spills will be easier to wipe up.
3. The texture under your hand will be nicer.

[cava]

Oops, no picture required RV - fat finger etc 😳

[Robson Valley]

That's OK. I should photograph them anyway for home insurance purposes.
One, a black bear, is in the city.

The other, here, is a 16" Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Ram.
Full curl and carved from an 8" cottonwood log.
Little Stihl power saw with a dime tip on the bar.

[havabeer69]

That coffee table will be a grunt to move! Those timbers look heavy.

yeah don't think it'll be light in any sense of the word.

rough sawn might not be the right word. its not "fuzzy" but it does have the saw marks

[Robson Valley]

Well, clean them up as best you can. Slather on some clear epoxy or a few coats of polyurethane.
I'm still thinking that I want to be able to see the intricate patterns in the wood grain.