Dementedpenguin Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 I am building a combination coffee table, standing desk, and gaming table with my dad. We are in the process of selecting wood for the table top, which will be 36x80". The bottom is a Jarvis standing desk frame. Do you have any suggestions for specific woods or resources where I can learn about different types of wood? I'm looking for something durable that will be a darker color when finished/stained. Price is not too much of a concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 Cool frame i sugest walnut. For information I personally like http://www.wood-database.com/ There is a gentleman that freequents here that runs http://hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/ It has a ton of pictures and information as well. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 Cherry is also a good choice for a desktop. If you or your father don't have a lot of experience and a shop full of tools these guys can make one for you. https://www.tablelegs.com/shop-by-products/table-tops/thick-solid-hardwood-table-tops/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 You may want to consider grain pattern in addition to color. Some people want a wood piece with very simple, straight grain, and others want to highlight knots, twists, and "figure" in the grain. For domestic hardwoods, which tend to strike a good balance between quality and price, some good options are Cherry and Walnut as previously suggested. Other options are white Oak and Ash. Walnut wood will start dark and gradually lighten to medium dark brown. Cherry will start lighter and gradually darken to a medium dark brown, though probably still a bit lighter than Walnut Ash will start light and gradually darken to light to moderate brown. Oak and Ash can each be stained to achieve a darker color. Avoid woods which are particularly soft, like most pines and poplar, as they will dent easily. You could also look at more exotic woods. These tend to be more expensive and super durable (which can make working them a bit more difficult), but you can sometimes find some colors and grain patterns that are unrivaled in their beauty. I suggest you visit a local hardwood distributor, explain your project and have them show you around. They can likely help you compute a rough estimate of the amount of wood (measured in board feet) that you'll need, and from that, they can help you price your project in different wood options. To give you an idea, At my local hardwood seller, I can get some domestic woods for about $2.50 per board foot, while some exotics go for well over $25 per board foot. So it is worth going through the exercise to price out your project in a couple different woods. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 I always start by asking is this to be light or dark. The answer to that question usually eliminates about 1/2 the options. From there, I consider the use. If it's going to see a bunch of abuse, then I consider harder material on the Janka scale. By now, I'm down to a reasonable number of species to look at and usually make my final decision based on aesthetics, cost, and workability. From there, I make a trip to the hardwood dealer and try to grain match my boards to give me the best look I can get. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 My vote would go toward walnut or cherry. Have you already purchased the base? If not, have you seen one in person? At my office, we have several commercially made adjustable height desks with what appear to be the same base. I am singularly unimpressed at their stability. Even at the lowest height, they wobble like crazy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 I have seen other brands of adjustable bases that have cross bracing between the legs. Some of those bases can be adjusted to different widths for longer work surfaces. The wider the base is set the more it will wiggle. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dementedpenguin Posted January 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 30 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said: My vote would go toward walnut or cherry. Have you already purchased the base? If not, have you seen one in person? At my office, we have several commercially made adjustable height desks with what appear to be the same base. I am singularly unimpressed at their stability. Even at the lowest height, they wobble like crazy. I have purchased the based. I did my research and the Jarvis standing desk base consistently had the best ratings, well above and beyond other standing desk bases. Do you know what brand and model those standing desks are? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dementedpenguin Posted January 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 5 minutes ago, wdwerker said: I have seen other brands of adjustable bases that have cross bracing between the legs. Some of those bases can be adjusted to different widths for longer work surfaces. The wider the base is set the more it will wiggle. The Jarvis base I purchased stretches up to 74" in width and supports up to 350lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 3 hours ago, Dementedpenguin said: I have purchased the based. I did my research and the Jarvis standing desk base consistently had the best ratings, well above and beyond other standing desk bases. Do you know what brand and model those standing desks are? I'll try to check the brand tomorrow. There isn't one in MY office. Several of these at work are L- shaped corner desk, and even those wobble. I think it is the lead screw used in the elevation mechanism. My desk is fixed-height, but has a similar cantelevered base, but is rock steady. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyoak Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 How about quarter sawn white oak? The forest is plentiful with big oaks, required for quarter sawn. It has the least shrinkage of the above mentioned. Please correct me if Im wrong...Very stable. The rays when properly sawn can be quite beautiful. Sometimes called tiger oak. A cosmetic affect. Typically used in mission style furniture. or A live edge walnut, bookmatched.Sap on both live edges. At least 2" thick...Big money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phinds Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 I agree w/ curlyoak's suggestion. I'd go w/ QS white oak. Fume it to get a darker look it that's what you have to have, but it will be very stable and attractive in any case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 Sorry for the late reply. The desks we have at the office are UPLIFT brand. Some of the guys really like them, but they seem too wobbly to suit me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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