Cherry Table Top Durability

[Brian Holcombe]

Anthony, unless you really want a workout I would pass on hickory. Just my personal opinion but cherry does not do well for this kind of table, I would pick a wood more suitable to a rustic type of table.

Figure that is 36" ~ wide.....each board being about 12" wide....no chance I would want to do 12" wide face laminations unless you are either very capable with your jointer plane or jointer machine.

So, yes, solid wood definetly. My vote is to build it just as it looks currently and in a softwood like cedar. Building a table of that style in 6/4 would be a non-starter for me, the thin top would disappoint on a base that heavy.

[Anthony Brown]

Good grief that is a massive table. But to get that look I think you do need solid stock. Glad I don't have to pay for 10/4 cherry or try to schlep it around in the shop. And if you make it that rustic there will be no need to worry about the kids beating it up. You may even want to ask them to have it before you put the finish on it. Good luck.

John

LOL, I keep throwing everyone off. That picture is just for the visual of the style of table. I am not looking for a 10/4 thick table. 6/4 would suit us just fine, just in a similar style to the table in the image. And yeah, I am definitely going to let the kids have at the table to give it some more character, whatever direction I choose to go in, lol!

Anthony, unless you really want a workout I would pass on hickory. Just my personal opinion but cherry does not do well for this kind of table, I would pick a wood more suitable to a rustic type of table.

Figure that is 36" ~ wide.....each board being about 12" wide....no chance I would want to do 12" wide face laminations unless you are either very capable with your jointer plane or jointer machine.

So, yes, solid wood definetly. My vote is to build it just as it looks currently and in a softwood like cedar. Building a table of that style in 6/4 would be a non-starter for me, the thin top would disappoint on a base that heavy.

Yeah, I can see that with the Cherry. It is more of a "refined" wood for lack of a better word. I'm not sure about using Cedar. I don't really like the look of it and neither does my wife. I can adjust the dimensions of the base to fit a thinner stock, because you are right it's too thick for a 6/4 top.

What if I decided to pony up the extra money and go with something like a Walnut? It has a more rustic grain than Cherry, but it's a lot less dense than Hickory?

If not, then I guess I have some more thinking to do....

[Brian Holcombe]

Unless you distress the table and use something to create the antique look than most woods are going to look very refined except those with with rustic grain patterns.

What I'm trying to say above, in my opinion that table won't scale well in thickness. You can make everything thinner, but it's designed to be thick. I'd keep it heavy, obviously if you use hardwood you can probably scale it back to 8/4, but that would be as thin as I would go.

Tables of that medieval style would probably have been made (historically) out of pine, white oak, white ash, or something in that range of woods. I'd stick with that, I know you're not likely aiming at a historic reproduction, but choosing the accurate wood would do better for you in making a cohesive design.

[Anthony Brown]

Unless you distress the table and use something to create the antique look than most woods are going to look very refined except those with with rustic grain patterns.

What I'm trying to say above, in my opinion that table won't scale well in thickness. You can make everything thinner, but it's designed to be thick. I'd keep it heavy, obviously if you use hardwood you can probably scale it back to 8/4, but that would be as thin as I would go.

Tables of that medieval style would probably have been made (historically) out of pine, white oak, white ash, or something in that range of woods. I'd stick with that, I know you're not likely aiming at a historic reproduction, but choosing the accurate wood would do better for you in making a cohesive design.

Ah, ok, I gotcha. Yeah, it looks like I have some more thinking to do I guess. Gotta try to figure out where I want to go from here, as I would like to get started fairly soon.

[Mike Berrevoets]

Did you try johnsons lumber in Charlotte? They have a pretty good selection and their prices are right online in the link below. Looks like they list 8/4 hickory. I'd call first to see if they have it in stock.

http://theworkbench.com/hardwood.php

plus they have a nice price break at 100 bf (mix and match) and will do machining pretty reasonably.

No affiliation, I just buy lumber there. It's an hour drive for me one way but it's still worth it. I just make sure I buy more than I need when I go.

[Anthony Brown]

Did you try johnsons lumber in Charlotte? They have a pretty good selection and their prices are right online in the link below. Looks like they list 8/4 hickory. I'd call first to see if they have it in stock.

http://theworkbench.com/hardwood.php

plus they have a nice price break at 100 bf (mix and match) and will do machining pretty reasonably.

No affiliation, I just buy lumber there. It's an hour drive for me one way but it's still worth it. I just make sure I buy more than I need when I go.

Thanks, I will give them a call. It would be like a 2+ hour drive for me, but may be worth it if they have what I need at a reasonable price.

[Mike Berrevoets]

Another option for finding local lumber is craigslist. I usually search under "materials" with keywords lumber or hardwood lumber. On the west side of the state there are a few places that carry some stock so it's not just someone's leftover 2x material they are trying to unload. (But there are plenty of those sellers too....)

I did a quick search in metro Detroit and a few popped up that looked somewhat promising. Of course it's craigslist and not as convienant or reliable as a retail store but it is another option that might work out in some cases.

[Frank Drew]

IMO, face gluing 4/4 material to make up the thickness you want, or applying an edge all around to simulate that thickness, are both much more work than using thick stock to begin with. For something that might well be with your family for years, even decades, I'd spend the extra time to get the wood you really want, even if it means traveling some distance to get it. I've driven 6+ hours round trip on more than one occasion when what I needed wasn't available locally. And there's always the option of truck freight which will cost but save you the time.

[Anthony Brown]

IMO, face gluing 4/4 material to make up the thickness you want, or applying an edge all around to simulate that thickness, are both much more work than using thick stock to begin with. For something that might well be with your family for years, even decades, I'd spend the extra time to get the wood you really want, even if it means traveling some distance to get it. I've driven 6+ hours round trip on more than one occasion when what I needed wasn't available locally. And there's always the option of truck freight which will cost but save you the time.

Thanks Frank. You are 100% on point with this. It's almost like you read my mind.

I'd like to thank everyone for their help in my thread, it was much appreciated! Special thanks to a few of my Michigan brothers (otherwise known as Michiganders) that came in here and offered some advice and help as well. Mike Berrevoets mentioned L.L. Johnson's Lumber as a source for what I need, so I decided to get up this morning at 8:30 am and give them a call. After speaking with one of the guys at L.L. Johnson's on the phone I decided to make the 2+ hour trip to Charlotte, MI to pick up some Hickory. I have been dealing with a ton of d-ba(not-so-nice people) lately, and I am glad to say that it was refreshing to deal with the guys at L.L. Johnson's Lumber. They were ALL probably some of the coolest and most helpful people I have dealt with. Those guys took great care of me and my son and I will do business with them again in the future for sure (will probably have the lumber shipped next time).

At the end of the day I got exactly what I wanted and I am glad that I made the trip. I would not have been happy with glued-up boards, as my heart was set on solid lumber. I came home with about 70 board feet of some awesome-looking 8/4 Hickory that was planed down to 6/4, and again, that was the perfect decision. 8/4 was too thick for me and 4/4 was too thin, so 6/4 is a happy medium.

I can now FINALLY commence with actually building my project instead racking my brain trying to source it.

Thanks again for all of you guys help, but you aren't out of the woods yet. I am sure I will be back in a week or two with some finishing questions, lol!

[Prashun Patel]

Awesome. Glad u got what you need. One but of advice more: let it acclimate in your shop before final planing and cutting I dimension.

[Mike Berrevoets]

I'm glad you found what you were looking for.

I don't know how their delivery works exactly. I always thought that was for shops that had a loading dock. They used to have a store in Grand Rapids and I could order from Charlotte and have it machined and delivered to GR. But they pulled that store about 10 years ago. Now I just get up early on a Saturday, grab a couple donuts and I'm there when they open the doors. Back home with plenty of time to get some work/fun done.

[Keith Weber]

Did I just see a picture of a carpeted shop floor?????

[Brian Holcombe]

Great news! Now.....I hope I'm not alone here when I say I would like to see some photos as you progress through your project

Did I just see a picture of a carpeted shop floor?????

Indeed, you have.

[lawrence dosson]

Anthony
glad you got the lumber covered I do not know which direction you are from Detroit area these might be closer to you ?
there is a guy at Lapeer that sells a lot of lumber pretty sure he will cut and dry most any size boards from a lot of different kinds of wood I believe he goes buy pollens resources
he has a web sight I am just a customer not affiliated
also the thumb area has a ton of Amish saw mills
I live just west of port huron and often go to the Amish guys for the odd board
some of them have kiln dried some just off the mill

[Gregory Stahl]

I use knotty alder on a regular basis to make furniture/cabinets like you shared. No doubt--hickory will be much stronger though. You'll have to share pictures when you are done!

Best,
Greg Stahl