Wood workers Help Me... building Farmhouse Table

Jerzsubbie

Jerzsubbie

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So my wife wants a Farmhouse style table like this, but with a white base and 8ft long.
image.jpeg

My biggest question is what type of wood should I use for the top and whee should I get it local to CLT?

I've read that most wood at Lowes/THD isn't dried enough to be good for a smooth tabletop. I've also heard that using something like a 2x6 or 2x8 would be better than 2x10 or 2x12 because wider boards are more prone to warping over time.

I'm fine with the look of pine and love the cost but will gladly spend a bit more for a mild hardwood if it addresses my above concerns, plus the added benefit of less denting.

I need to source and ideally buy the materials this week while I have time off. Any tips/tricks or other input is more than welcome.
 
@Scsmith42 may have some properly dried stuff...

One option is to fake it with ply. Quality plywood is much more stable and you can wrap the edge with dimensional lumber to give it the solid look without the solid cost or headaches...
 
Type of wood is secondary to design.

Oak, maple, pine, walnut all have their characteristics; but wood often behaves like wood, so designing around the material will make for a stable and long lasting table.

Wood expands and contracts to reach equilibrium with ambient relative humidity.

Finishes will retard this motion, but won't eliminate it.

The tabletops "need" to move, relative to the finish that retards moisture exchange, is what you have to design around.

Don't worry! It's not that hard once you know this. Just allow the table top to expand & contract and your table will last a long, long time.

Basic steps:

1. prep all wood the same
2. Glue up the top & sand flat, etc.
3. Apply the same number of coats of finish t BOTH sides, not just the showy side; if one side has less finish, it will react more than the more moisture-exchange-proof will, resulting in cup (summer) and bow (winter).
4. attach table top to base with fasteners that allow the top to expand and contract with seasonal humidity changes.*

Good to go!

__________________
*There are different ways/devices to accomplish this.
 
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Funny you should post this now... an employee of mine and I are almost finished with a farmhouse table that he is building for his Mother in Law. All of the joinery and glue up is complete; tomorrow we will apply the finish (pre catalyzed Duracoat lacquer) and he will surprise her with it Monday afternoon. I'll post some pix of it when we're done if you're interested.

The photo of the table that you posted appears to be made from dimensional lumber. I can't tell if the top is rough sawn or not, but it appears to be framing lumber.

Framing lumber is not a good choice for furniture wood. For starters, it is typically only dried to 18% moisture content, and wood used for furniture inside homes is dried to 6% - 8%. As lumber dries, it shrinks and moves, so your nice table built from 18% MC lumber will not be so nice several months after it's in your home and has warped. You're much better off sourcing a good quality hardwood from a reputable lumber supplier, and Lowes/Home Depot don't sell a good variety of furniture grade lumber.

One thing that you may look into is some reclaimed hardwood that has been kiln dried and sterilized. The sterilization cycle will kill any bugs that are in the lumber and the kiln drying will dry it below 10% MC so you won't have to worry about shrinkage. You can also use the reclaimed for the base if you really want a complete farmhouse table look. A reclaimed to with circular sawn kerf adds a nice dimension; you will want to lightly sand the roughness off but leave the kerf marks.

One thing about the table in the photo that you posted is that it is not very practical for dining. The base is too close to the ends of the tables and the wide lower trestle tends to interfere with chairs.
 
@Scsmith42 yeah I'd love to see some photos of your build. Thanks for the tips. What you state about moisture content is exactly what I'm concerned about and why I'm planning on looking at some area hardwood dealers this coming week. I just hope they're open.

Totally agree with you on the shortsighted design of the table I pictured. I'll be using that basic design as far as the base pattern and breadboard ends, that's all. I plan to use 4x4 for my base, I hate the look of layered 2x4 that so many people do, just looks super cheap to me. I have also thought about the issue of chairs being able to be pushed in at the right places. I have those things planned for in my notes. I've been planning this for months and am now to the point of sourcing my wood.

Table will be about 8ft long, I need to build one matching bench, then the wife wants built in window bench seating for the other side that will go the length of the room, roughly 16ft.
 
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Try Queen City Lumber off Monroe Rd.
 
Catfish said:
Try Queen City Lumber off Monroe Rd.
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That's who a friend just told me about this evening. I'm planning on checking with them and a place in Huntersville across from 84 lumber so far.
 
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Well I just tore down grandpa's barn and am making a similar table.

Type of wood should determine it's finish. Poly or something hard for soft woods oils or wax for hard woods.
 
gunbelt said:
I have a very nice wormy chestnut stall door.
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Haven't really considered reclaimed or repurposed wood. I think the wife will prefer a more uniform surface without the character that aged wood comes with. Plus I imagine new lumber will be easier to work with. Thanks for the offer, though.
 
Jerzsubbie said:
the base pattern and breadboard ends,
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Be sure to do your homework on proper breadboard construction.

Although it varies greatly, in general flatsawn hardwoods expand & contract:

8% across the width;
4% across the thickness
0.1% along the length

(From memory of reading R. Bruce Hoadley's "Understanding Wood." )

The body of the tabletop has grain going one way, and the breadboard ends' grain is 90% opposed. The idea behind the breadboard is that the body be allowed to expand and contract while the ends keep it flat.

No matter how "strong" your connection is or how impervious your topcoat is, the breadboard & finish will NOT prevent a solid wood tabletop from expanding and contracting. The top will either break free of the breadboard or crack along its length to accommodate the movement (depending on whether it needs to expand or contract relative to the state it was in when constructed).

Please don't interpret this as raining on your parade!! Just want you to have the best results.
 
To expand on @Windini 's post you also have to be aware how you attach the table top to the base. The base will not expand at the same rates as the board top so a flexible faster is needed (or the top will split). I like figure 8 fasteners. There are also rabbit cleats that work well too.

Here ar a couple of ways that a top can be effectively attached.
zoom.jpg


People don't understand how much detail goes into a well made piece of furniture.
 
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I went back and looked at the pic that you want to copy and with trestle style tables you can just screw through the base to the top if you cut an elongated screw slot in the base so the top can shift.

If you really want to go class I like the mortise and tenon trestle rather than the picnic base.
natural%20trestle1.jpg
 
What to look for on a breadboard edge
6255560e606737516c780968f8908ab5--trestle-table-table-joinery.jpg


Notice how the hole in the tenon is bigger than the hole in the edge for expansion.
 
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@J R Green @Windini thanks for the tips guys. During my months of watching YouTube videos and researching, one of the more surprising things I learned was what you two just mentioned. How a breadboard end needs to be attached and how the top should be attached to allow for expansion/contraction. I'll probably order some hardware from Rockler along with some odds and ends that I'll need.

I do really like the tenon type trestle but think I'll stick with the type pictured to keep things a little easier.
 
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Seems like ash or white oak will be the most cost efficient, aside from pine, so I'll probably lean that way for the top.

I'll definitely build the base this week, and will probably build the bench (in the same style as the table) before I start on the top. After this, I'll give myself a few weeks and begin the built in window bench. So we'll only have chairs at the heads of the table.
 
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Ash is one of my favorites! Made many a piece of furniture from it. Post pics as your projects progress!
 
Great advice from Windini and JR Green above.

Kyle Edwards in Iron Station is great. In addition to kiln dried lumber, he mills, dries and stocks lots of live edge wide slabs.

The Moulding Source just north of Charlotte is another great source for lumber. Advantage Lumber is not too far NW from Charlotte and they are another good supplier.

Personally I would stay away from solid material for your legs. Thick hardwood is difficult to dry correctly, and can move over time. I prefer glue-ups with veneer slip fit. Here is what I'm talking about.

See these legs? They look solid, right? Well, wrong...

Legs.jpg

This is what they look like from the end.

Leg glue up.jpg


We started with three pieces of 1" hardwood, glued them together, and then cut a thin sheet of veneer from two opposing faces. The veneer was then side bookmatched and attached so that it hides the glue seams. It makes the figure circle around the edge of the leg too, and is very stable.

Here is how we did the apron and leg attachments.
Apron glue up.jpg

Apron leg mounting.jpg

Apron leg offset.jpg

The entire table is made from quartersawn red oak character lumber, which was all milled from the same log. Character lumber is that which has spalting, worm or other bug holes, and mineral stains.

Here is the top. We made it from four bookmatched boards (sequential cut from the log). We both like the pattern on one end where there was a branch in the tree. Cracks (checks) were filled with black epoxy.

Top end 1.jpg

Top end 2.jpg

I'm going to start spraying finish on it in about an hour, and will post some more pix later of the finished piece.

Scott
 
Huntersville Hardwoods is a good place to buy lumber. Stay far, far away from big box stores' wood (unless it is plywood)

https://www.google.com/maps/place/H...x17c890d5402e60d!8m2!3d35.436421!4d-80.841538

For a project like this, I'd be comfortable with Southern Yellow Pine or Cypress, or something similar. Depends on what you can find on sale. Poplar would be good for the base, but I'd probably use something different for the top, since it looks like crap when you apply finish (but good if painted)

If you want, I'll look through files to see if I have a good plan for a table like this.
 
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Covfefe said:
Huntersville Hardwoods is a good place to buy lumber. Stay far, far away from big box stores' wood (unless it is plywood)

https://www.google.com/maps/place/H...x17c890d5402e60d!8m2!3d35.436421!4d-80.841538

For a project like this, I'd be comfortable with Southern Yellow Pine or Cypress, or something similar. Depends on what you can find on sale. Poplar would be good for the base, but I'd probably use something different for the top, since it looks like crap when you apply finish (but good if painted)

If you want, I'll look through files to see if I have a good plan for a table like this.
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They're the closest to me so I plan on stopping by there first.
Since the base will be printed I wal planning on just using pine. Agreed on popular not looking great finished. I don't mind the look of pine for this project and if the cost is significantly cheaper I may go that route, but from what nice seen online kiln dried 6/4 and 8/4 pine is pretty close in cost to Ash.
Just got back in town but I'll certainly take a look at the PDFs you posted. Thanks!
 
Jerzsubbie said:
They're the closest to me so I plan on stopping by there first.
Since the base will be printed I wal planning on just using pine. Agreed on popular not looking great finished. I don't mind the look of pine for this project and if the cost is significantly cheaper I may go that route, but from what nice seen online kiln dried 6/4 and 8/4 pine is pretty close in cost to Ash.
Just got back in town but I'll certainly take a look at the PDFs you posted. Thanks!
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The problem with pine is that it does not always accept stain well. It tends to blotch.

Poplar would be a great choice for the painted portions. It's stable, easy to work with, inexpensive, and takes stain well.
 
Scsmith42 said:
The problem with pine is that it does not always accept stain well. It tends to blotch.

Poplar would be a great choice for the painted portions. It's stable, easy to work with, inexpensive, and takes stain well.
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I know pine doesn't stain the best but I thought it took paint fine, no?
 
Scsmith42 said:
Pine paints fine, but it's hard to find a 4 x 4 that is dry and not pressure treated.
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Gotcha. I had that thought, about most 4x4 being pressure treated, but haven't looked too hard for the base wood yet. I'll keep my options open.
 
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