Slabs and table bases

I started getting a few of the slabs  ready to make some benches and tables. I have 2 real nice curly maple slabs.

They are almost 18" wide at the widest point. 

I was thinking a desk top, simple legs, an arch with a small drawer. These are a little over 8 feet long. I will trim them back to someplace around 6 to 7 feet. Not sure if I will dye these or just clear coat.

I am also working on some black ash benches and maybe a hall table. Black ash grows in the swamps and never gets very large. But it is very pretty. It is brown in color and has a very nice tight grain. It works very easy. These slabs came from some old trees, well over 100 years old.

These were cut in winter and dried this past summer. The bark is really hard to get off. The maple and oak pops right off. This stuff is welded on. Tried chisels and now using a drawknife. It takes about 30 minutes to do 1 edge . It is worth it though when you get done.

These will be made into a small sitting bench. I need to get these glued up and then sanded and ready for finish. I will be using some turned legs and an apron to finish this up. The wood will be an oil finish and the base will be black. It makes a nice combination.
As thick as these are, over 2" thick, the black ash is pretty light in weight. I hope to post more as these come along.