E22mattingly Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 Hey all, As a woodworker I have tons of experience with tons of different things. Joinery and furniture are not one of those things. So for some context my girlfriends parents asked me to make them some furniture for their new house(no rush) so I want to try to do one or two projects with joinery and some real mortise and tennons, dovetails, and all the other fun ones, so i can screw up for something I will use rather than them. As a challenge I was thinking trying to make the shaker table or wall hanging cabinet using construction lumber from Lowes. I want to see if I can make attractive furniture using some of the woods least associated with high quality furniture, and also if I screw up, I lost about 1 hour of work’s pay. My question is first will this even be a learning experience because pine or spruce is just too different than maple? second what problems will I encounter because of my choice of wood, and how can I overcome these challenges? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmac Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 I like your idea of practicing with inexpensive wood, and I also like the idea of trying to make something beautiful out of humble materials. The problem with construction lumber, though, is that it's probably not very dry, and therefore likely to warp and twist and give you all kinds of frustration unless you let it sit for a while before you use it. And even if you do that, you'll waste a bunch of it milling it true again. So instead, find some old, beat up furniture and tear it apart for the material. It'll probably be nice and stable, and you'll get to practice with real hardwood instead of pine or spruce. As a bonus, you'll also get to see how the furniture was put together in the first place. Failing that, grab some inexpensive poplar or knotty alder or something like that from the hardwood store. Or, what the heck ... go ahead and build beautiful furniture from 2x4s. It can be done. Just let them get dry first. For more discussion, see this thread. -- Russ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcustoms Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 Most home centers sell premium construction lumber that has been kiln dried and has wax applied to the ends. that's going to be your best bet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyNoName Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 I'd recommend using poplar instead of the 2x material. Poplar should still be relatively cheap, and it is a joy to work with. It is a wood commonly used in furniture, so it will be more real-to-life. Jonathan =================================== 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E22mattingly Posted March 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 The cheapness and pratice are only part of the reason i want to use 2x material. I want to make beautiful things out of wood people commonly disregard. I hope that makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmac Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 I want to make beautiful things out of wood people commonly disregard. I hope that makes sense. That makes perfect sense. For inspiration, take a look at this guy's gallery on lumberjocks. He's a master at exactly what you're talking about. -- Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E22mattingly Posted March 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 Are there any precautions I should take if i use that wood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 Are there any precautions I should take if i use that wood? Let it dry for a few weeks in your work shop before working with it. It might make sense to cut it roughly to size (leaving maybe 1/4" extra), letting it dry out, and then do the final milling. In any event, assemble the piece the same day as the final milling, before the wood gets a chance to move. Buying large stock (2x10, 2x12) and cutting it down will usually get you better results than buying 2x4s. If you can find kiln dried wood, get that (and don't worry about letting it dry). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E22mattingly Posted March 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 I got a moisture gauge today of amazon just because I will need it in the long run and I checked with my local Lowes, and they do have kiln dried. I will get it probably tonight and then let it sit a week and get the moisture measured even if it is kiln dried, it may have been poorly dried or something, so ill test it anyway. I’ll probably try to use QS pine and use the tight lines from the growth rings to my advantage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted March 21, 2012 Report Share Posted March 21, 2012 Sounds like you've done your homework and have a good plan! Let us know how it turns out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyNoName Posted March 22, 2012 Report Share Posted March 22, 2012 I got a moisture gauge today of amazon just because I will need it in the long run and I checked with my local Lowes, and they do have kiln dried. I will get it probably tonight and then let it sit a week and get the moisture measured even if it is kiln dried, it may have been poorly dried or something, so ill test it anyway. I’ll probably try to use QS pine and use the tight lines from the growth rings to my advantage. If you want quarter-sawn pine, then you will definitely want to use the widest boards you can get your hands on. The smaller peices will be generally made out of (shocker) smaller trees, so you really can't get much quarter sawn material out of them. Jonathan ====================================== Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E22mattingly Posted March 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2012 I got a 2x10 I think or a 2x8 of douglas fir and of pine... I am in the process of building my (second) workbench, and router table combo so while they are in the works the softwood will acclimate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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