Robhartley Posted February 19, 2015 Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 Hi All, I'm making a custom wine rack to fit in a narrow gap in my mum's kitchen. I live in California and she lives in London. Im going to build it here and then construct the final parts there when I visit next. My question is, based on the fact that she wants it to be painted white, that i need it to be as light as possible (so i can take it as an extra checked bag/box) what wood should i use? I am so far experienced in used to using walnut for nice non painted furniture, poplar for painted cabinets and redwood for outdoor projects beyond that, I've not used much else. Thought i would put it out to the group. Looking forward to everyones thoughts. Cheers Rob oh, I've attached a plan if anyone wants to take a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 19, 2015 Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 Poplar paints well. No reason not to use it. I have built several wine cellars and the cumulative weight is substantial but there is not that big of a load on each shelf. Pre assemble to test the fit. Might be easier to paint the parts before final assembly . Prime, sand and maybe 2 top coats. Then re-assemble after you trim to fit on your next visit. I would screw everything. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stobes21 Posted February 19, 2015 Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 Steve is right. Poplar paints well and is fairly lightweight. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted February 19, 2015 Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 Poplar, light weight and will be easy to carry as luggage. Another you could consider is western red cedar. It will take a painted finish but is extremely lightweight and stable. If you do decide to use WRC prime it with a stain blocker (or shellac) and then top coat with a micro-porous paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 19, 2015 Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 WRC is a great choice for light weight, but consider the joinery carefully, as it is soft, and screws will strip it easily. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robhartley Posted February 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 great advice, thanks everyone. i do intend to use screws at the very end to join the horizontal shelves to the vertical frame. that way all i need is a screwdriver and screws when i get to London. Also, the rest will then flat pack. I agree with Steve about the pre assembly and painting the parts before final assembly. i had images of having to go round with a knife along the joint lines otherwise. I was thinking poplar was going to be too heavy but i take your point about the frame design meaning less wood in total. that was the reason for the design. i had thought about pine as i figured that was lighter. any thoughts or is that a crazy idea. I've never worked with pine but thought i remembered it being very light. great forum! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted February 19, 2015 Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 Rob, That's going to look sweet. Good luck 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 19, 2015 Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 Pine is light but not as strong , especially w screws stripping out or cracking if a screw is driven in too deep. Think about possible restrictions on taking touch up paint with you, might be easier to get some there or do the final coat in place . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robhartley Posted February 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 Rob, That's going to look sweet. Good luck Thanks K Cooper. I know my mum will like whatever i throw together, but i like to try to add new wood working skills each time i start a project. I'm starting out , just made a few cabinets so far. starting to fall into the rabbit hole as Marc, Matt and Shannon would say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robhartley Posted February 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 Pine is light but not as strong , especially w screws stripping out or cracking if a screw is driven in too deep. Think about possible restrictions on taking touch up paint with you, might be easier to get some there or do the final coat in place . Thanks Steve. i take your point on the pine, i also think the poplar is great to work with when painting a project, in my limited experience. i guess if something works, no need to fix it. I'll post a pic of the finished item in a month or so's time. thanks for the feedback! interesting thought about touch up paint. hadn't even considered that. i hope to pack it very well and hope for the best. otherwise i could buy the white paint there. i figure if they won't let me take water through security....... :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 19, 2015 Report Share Posted February 19, 2015 I have received paints with several black metal clips on the lid that are required when it's shipped by air. Might try to get a quart and the clips from your paint supplier. Still wouldn't be surprised if TSA takes it and leaves you a note. I would use a water based ,non flammable, non toxic finish just to be safe. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 20, 2015 Report Share Posted February 20, 2015 Pine is a good compromise between poplar and wrc. A bit lighter than poplar, a bit harder than wrc. Comes in many varieties, but most of them tend to have residual sap / pitch that often bleeds under paint. I think poplar is probably the best overall choice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robhartley Posted February 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2015 Pine is a good compromise between poplar and wrc. A bit lighter than poplar, a bit harder than wrc. Comes in many varieties, but most of them tend to have residual sap / pitch that often bleeds under paint. I think poplar is probably the best overall choice. Wow,hadnt even considered residual sap bleeding under the paint. Probably because I have only painted on poplar. Nice info. I'm learning a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stobes21 Posted February 21, 2015 Report Share Posted February 21, 2015 If I'm reading this chart correctly poplar and yellow pine/southern pine are almost identical in weight, at least if their moisture content is the same. White pine is a bit lighter. But moisture content is an important consideration, especially with construction grade lumber. Dig through a pile of 2x4s at the home center and some will be much heavier than others. That's all water weight. So if you do elect to go with pine pick the lightest boards you can find. And prime with either regular shellac or a primer than contains shellac to help seal in any sap. http://www.woodweb.com/cgi-bin/calculators/table_of_wood_weight.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 21, 2015 Report Share Posted February 21, 2015 Most 2x4's are spruce these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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