Is anyone on the forums into wood working in regards to making tables?

I have a very large oak tree outside the house. We are getting it removed due to it being dangerously close to the house and so large that it really scares us. The company removing the tree is going to take down all of the limbs down to about a 10 foot tall shaft of wood. I am interested in possibly getting into some home made wood products with the remaining of the tree. Are there any guys on here that have experience making slab tables or butcher blocks. As I am getting older my interests are changing and I think some very awesome items could be produced from this large oak tree. I will also have all of the limbs etc. on the property for firewood or other products. I am interested in making a table or maybe a butcher block sort of like the following:
http://www.busybeaverwoodworks.net/Portfolio/pictable.jpg
http://www.kountrykupboards.com/DSC06467.JPG


I just need a little advice and guidance fellas.

you'll have to have it sawmilled to your dimensions, normally depends on length of tree and shape as to how long of a board you can actually get. Also when it is milled you will need to have it cut at least .5 inch thicker than what you want your finished lumber dimensions to be, this will allow for planing and drying shrinkage. After you have it milled you will need to paint the ends with latex paint to slow the drying process, the ends dry faster resulting in split/cracked wood. To dry the wood you will need to stack it out of the sun with spacers between each board, this process can take from 3-months to 1 year. I'm not sure of the exact moisture content your wood species needs to be to begin bldg. with, but i'm sure it's online somewhere. It is a laborious task, but building something from tree to finish is well worth it.
Hope this helps a little, have fun.

So if I took a 2.5 - 3 inch slab from the top of the tree trunk I still need to paint both sides of it? The trunk is not completely round but it is large enough around that I think I could make some pretty sweet tables. The look would be showing the rings in the table more less than the actual grain, I guess. Although I would love to have some of it milled as well.

If you are talking about cutting rounds off the log for a table it will most likely split an crack or check real bad an not be worth using.
If you can take the log to a sawmill or call someone with a portable sawmill they can slab it,cut boards.The wider the board/slab better chance you have of it cupping or warping though.

We have made a lot of tables from rough cut lumber like this.Just have it cut into 1 inch thick boards whatever length you can get.We usually go 8 or 10 ft.Let whomever is doing the sawing cut them whatever widths they feel are the best from the tree.Next lay a few pressure treated 4x4s on the ground to discourage termites,these need to be about every 4ft. the length of the boards.Then stack the boards with the sides touching across these.Lay 1/2 inch thick strips across each layer at the same spot you put the 4x4s this will keep them from bowing as bad.When you get them all stacked lay a few scrap boards across the stack and put tin on top and weigh it down good.You can let this air dry like this for years but you should be able to use the wood after 6 months to a year.After it is dry use it like any other lumber and it will do fine.Good luck on your project and feel free to p.m. me if you have any questions.

Thanks for the good advice fellas. Like I said I hate to get rid of the old tree but I like the idea of using what I can if possible. I wish I had a pic to show you guys this tree it is pretty large. If i was to cut a 7 foot section, I would probably need a crane to lift it onto the trailer. It is huge.

even at 2 or 3 feet, you may still need some mechanical assistance!