Breandan McTighe Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Hey everyone, I have been watching videos and doing research for month now, so I figure it is time for my first project. Tomorrow is my day off, and I want to get started. My very first project is going to be a kitchen table. I have been debating over dimensions, but I know it will be 36" high for sure. My question is this: what type(s) of wood should I use for the table top, legs, and aprons? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 What's your price range? Do you want darker or lighter colored wood? Do you want a "rustic" style or a cleaner look? Are you planning to paint it? Since it's a kitchen table, I assume it will get a lot of wear and tear, spills, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breandan McTighe Posted January 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Price is not that big of a deal. I would like the aprons/legs and the table top to contrast a bit in the color, but not overwhelmingly so. Darker is preferable. Rustic over clean. I am not planning on painting it, just finishing. What to use for a finish is another question of mine. And yes, we don't have kids yet, but I want this table to last for a long while! So it should be pretty tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 IMO it's hard to go wrong with any combination of walnut, cherry, and maple. Pick two out of three. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 ==> kitchen table for the top, it depends on how the table is going to be used --- if it's just adults at mealtime, that's one thing... If it's also the kid's craft center, then i'd move up the janka scale to hard maple and use a durable topcoat... Of course, you could go rustic and use a softer wood -- the little 'bangs and dents' will add character... ==> 36" high for sure that's really high for a kitchen table... formal dining is around 30" with informal dining/kitchen around 29". Even sofa/hall tables are usually at 35" or less do you have unusually high chairs? have you taken an existing table, raised it to 36" and tried it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breandan McTighe Posted January 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 It will be use mostly for dinning. We want a counter top height table with tall chairs for our eat in kitchen. This won't be a traditional dinning table. I appreciate all the advice so far. All the local guys have around here is pine... What do you all think of using pine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 All the local guys have around here is pine... What do you all think of using pine? Way too soft. Find some new guys. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 ... What do you all think of using pine? Two thumbs down, both for looks and durability...the former being totally subjective of course. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Screamer777 Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Maybe pine is not a bad idea. If I understood you correctly this is your very first project and therefore there is a learning curve to overcome. My advice is to start with a cheap wood like pine or even popalar and build a proto type first. Then as you advance you can use a more expensive wood like maple,cherry or walnut. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breandan McTighe Posted January 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Thanks for all the advice everyone! I found a place not too far away that has Oak in the kiln. They can plane it and joint it for me too. I think I am going to give that a try, the only problem is it won't be ready for three weeks. On another note, do any of you have thoughts on using pocket holes instead of biscuits to joint my table top? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Thanks for all the advice everyone! I found a place not too far away that has Oak in the kiln. They can plane it and joint it for me too. I think I am going to give that a try, the only problem is it won't be ready for three weeks. On another note, do any of you have thoughts on using pocket holes instead of biscuits to joint my table top? If its in the kiln and comes out in three weeks, it gunna be an additional couple weeks for it to come to equilibrium. You dont need anything in your table top. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted January 21, 2013 Report Share Posted January 21, 2013 Long grain to long grain glue joints are as strong or stronger than the wood itself. Some people use biscuits, dowels or splines to help with alignment, but there are other ways to keep panels aligned during a glue-up, like cauls. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dlhunter Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 Make yourself a small coffee table or something out of pine for your first project. Then depending on how that goes see if you are ready for a bigger table. How about hickory top and legs with a mahogany apron? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris H Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 I am assuming if your local dealers have primarily pine that you are shopping at a big box store (home depot, lowes, menards, etc) or small mom & pop retailers (Ace, Handy, TrueValue etc). I'd reccomend asking around, or searching for a "Hardwood" dealer/mill in your area, or even one slightly out of your area (it may be worth a short day trip). My experience is that hardwood (domestic) from a mill/dealer is typically about the same price as pine from a retailer. Dealers also typically will do some planning for you, or allow you do use their equipment for a small fee. It's a good source of quality product and tools, especially for the beginner. You also have seasoned pro's at your disposal while you are there to help you out. Don't be shy, use them! I concur with others that reccomend against pine for a table. My experience with pine is that it always warps, badly. This could just be my climate, or lack of finishing skills, but I don't have any trouble with most hardwood. With the exception of rough carpentry tasks, I don't really ever reccomend pine. As for wood selection, I reccomend finding a domestic hardwood you like, that is budget freindly, and then find a slightly higher end wood for accents. I agree with Eric, maple, cherry, and walnut are great options. I would add oak and hickory to the mix too. These are all relatively inexpensive domestic products. I typically use walnut as my accent wood, it goes great with any of the others I listed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted January 22, 2013 Report Share Posted January 22, 2013 There have been some good suggestions on this thread... There is probably a local hardwood dealer -- look-up local cabinet makers and ask them where they get their stock -- some will even source stock for you... The local guy will most likely mill it for very small fee... Well worth it... If you go the local kiln route -- just make sure you really wait a sufficient amount of time for acclimation... Personally, I would not go that route unless I had access to a decent moisture meter (not the el cheepo pin type)... Because of the recent insect activity, there is a huge disparity in supply/demand around ash. You can probably get ash for about the same $$ as decent pine and less than oak... When finished, it would be hard to distinguish ash from either red oak or elm. It would also take just about any beating you could inflict... Since this is your first project, I would either build a prototype or one or two small things first.... I made the mistake of building something too big for a first project that was going to seen every day (so it had to be 'just so') -- and it was a nightmare in frustration -- i kept having to rebuild parts because of mistakes... almost put me off woodworking... What ever you do, get extra lumber... You will make mistakes... Get all your lumber at the same time... If you really insist on 'going for it'... I would build a relationship with a local cabinet shop to have them mill the lumber for you and arrange to have the final panel run through their wide belt or stroke sander... It will save you infinite amounts of headache... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egraff Posted January 24, 2013 Report Share Posted January 24, 2013 I will second (or third or fourth haha) the comments about avoiding pine. I really don't think it's an appropriate choice for a table like this... you will get through building it, and a year or so later, you will wish that you had made it out of hardwood!! I also agree that using biscuits etc. is not necessary for gluing up the top... If you want to see how strong glue joints like that are, trying gluing up to pieces of scrap long grain to long grain and then try to break it with a hammer. :-) - EG 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpf1182 Posted January 26, 2013 Report Share Posted January 26, 2013 If you are not going to paint the table you should consider using quality wood. Anything "cheap" usually is difficult to stain or even appy an oil finish due to variations in color and how the finish absorbs into the wood. Unfortunately hardwoods are pretty expensive. Hard maple is a great choice for a table top that will get a lot of use. It can take a beating without a lot of damage. And with a polyurethane finish should hold up for many, many years. I agree with an earlier post that cherry or walnut would be a good contrasting color for legs and aprons. A kitchen table isn't "fine furniture" and doesn't have to be a work of art. Even with this being your first roject you can do it if you have the proper equipment and patience. If you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars just use what you are comfortable with and have fun. You can always make another table in the future when you have more experience. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breandan McTighe Posted March 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2013 I never got back to you guys about my project. I took all your advices into account and built a couple of projects out of poplar first. One was a coffee table for my office at work, and one was a TV stand for a buddy of mine. Here are some photos: I have yet to tackle the kitchen table, as my wife and I will be moving soon. I'll probably have to go first and lease and apartment for a year which will not be good for my new woodworking hobby! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted March 6, 2013 Report Share Posted March 6, 2013 Very nice! Is the office table really that green? I know Poplar sometimes has a green tint, but I've never seen it that green. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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