pghmyn Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 I have become quite fond of Cherry as my primary medium. It works well with my machines, and it closely resembles the furniture already in my bedroom with just a clear coat for finish, when it ages. My fiance and I got sick of hunching over on the futon, or spreading our work out all over the bed, when we are doing homework. It was time to make some room and make a proper writing surface. Side tables are put on hold as this is a bigger priority. I hope to get this done (mostly) by the beginning of the next semester (January 21st). What I mean by mostly is having the top, legs, and aprons done by then. The desk will have three drawers in the front, but those can be made later and the desk will still be functional. Stock selection is always a trial and error process for me. I went into the store thinking that I was going to get some 8/4 stock for the legs, and be done with it. The smallest piece I could find would have cost me nearly $100, with about $60 of that being stock I don't need. I looked into the 5/4 bin and found a piece that would give me all four legs, with minimal waste. Draw back, now I have to laminate the legs together. I can deal with that - for a $55 savings. I was going to make the top from 4/4 stock, but they only had pieces that were about 4" in width (after all sap wood and edges were removed). The bin was slim pickins as they were waiting for more to come in. I didn't want to glue up a 5 piece top. So I remembered this massive piece I saw in the 5/4 bin once again. I thought that a 1" thick top might actually look really nice for this. The piece is 9.5" wide, 123" long, and 1.25" thick. Grain is really nice and clear, and beautiful color. Over all, this piece only cost me about $15 - $20 extra to get instead of using 4/4. I got lucky for the aprons, and drawer fronts. Perfect sized and colored pieces were available in the #1 Common bins. Saving me more money because they are $1.03 less per board foot Every dollar counts! I picked up some poplar for the inner bits of the desk, and drawer sides. I will resaw a piece of 6/4 poplar in half, and mill to about 5/8, because it yields less waste and was cheaper than buying the amount of 4/4 that I would need for this. The desk is simple. Nothing fancy at all. Here is a rendering I have for the look I am going after: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Did you get the wood from kettle moraine hardwoods? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pghmyn Posted January 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 Did you get the wood from kettle moraine hardwoods? Yessir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 There is a guy in Milwaukee that sells wood. I can't remember who it is, but I'll get the info to you tomorrow.I haven't ordered anything from him, but I've heard great things from some friends.Anyway, table design looks good! Can't wait to see this one started! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pghmyn Posted January 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 There is a guy in Milwaukee that sells wood. I can't remember who it is, but I'll get the info to you tomorrow. I haven't ordered anything from him, but I've heard great things from some friends. Anyway, table design looks good! Can't wait to see this one started! Is it cheaper, or better quality, or both? I might be interested in checking what he has to offer. Thanks for the heads up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 I found it http://www.milwaukeewoodworks.com/ Give him a call. I don't know if he is cheaper, but at least it'll be closer to you! And he may have some shorter pieces so you don't need to buy 8 feet of a board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pghmyn Posted January 2, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 I found it http://www.milwaukeewoodworks.com/ Give him a call. I don't know if he is cheaper, but at least it'll be closer to you! And he may have some shorter pieces so you don't need to buy 8 feet of a board. When buying leg stock, he might be a really nice option, I am really excited for that! There is a KM Hardwoods location down in Racine, too. Which is where I spend most of my money Being the secondary store to the operation, I'm assuming that's why their stuff isn't quite as well stocked as the main one by you. Again, just an assumption. I have been pretty darn lucky with their 4/4 stock, and don't mind buying extra since I know that will be used pretty quickly in something else. Something like 8/4 not so much - for me at least. Again, thanks for that guys link. The heavier stock is actually pretty well priced, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted January 2, 2014 Report Share Posted January 2, 2014 I forgot about that one. You can always call up to the one here, or ask me and I'll check if I'm going to be there. It's always cool to walk around there and find something cool. Like my top Back to your table! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pghmyn Posted January 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 I forgot about that one. You can always call up to the one here, or ask me and I'll check if I'm going to be there. It's always cool to walk around there and find something cool. Like my top Back to your table!I initially thought your top was two pieces the way it was cut on the right side of the picture. Just took a quick glance. When I realized it was one piece, THAT was amazing. Hijack my thread all you want. Until my wood is acclimated, it's fair game! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 It is a pretty special piece Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pghmyn Posted January 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 It is a pretty special piece How many people did it take to carry that beast? *** Table related, I took a bit of the rough off the piece I got for the top, and it is really beautiful in grain and color. I'm looking forward to this project! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted January 3, 2014 Report Share Posted January 3, 2014 How many people did it take to carry that beast? Just me. I carried it under my arm. I'm a big guy Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quartzee Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 I couldn't be more upset that I moved away from Milwaukee last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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