Hello all,
I’ve got a question regarding design for a dining tabletop, mostly concerning the aesthetics involved in selecting the boards for the top.
I was gifted a nice stack of alder by my grandfather that he cut down from his property and I intend to replace the 20 year old K-mart table that has somehow held up this long in our kitchen.
As I look over the boards and try to layout which pieces will serve what purpose, there are four that could potentially be part of the tabletop. Three are the same width, 11″ wide (wood is still rough, I estimate I’ll get them down to about 10-3/4″ once I’ve milled everything). The last board is 10-1/4″ wide, So likely 10″ wide after milling.
The catch is that one of the 11″ boards has a moderately sized knot right smack in the middle of the board. The grain is very straight and clear throughout the rest of the boards, including the 10-1/4″ one.
As a side note, before I measured everything I had been hoping the table could be 36″ wide, though clearly that wouldn’t possible if I only use three of these boards. This is not a big deal, I don’t mind if it’s not that wide; but I’d still like to make it as wide as I can.
So the way I see it, I have four options.
1) Use two of the wider boards and the narrow board, maximizing the width (Final width approximately 31-1/2″)
2) Use two of the wider boards and narrow board, rip the wider down to same width for consistency (Final width approximately 30″)
3) Use the three wider boards, including the knotty piece, organizing such that the knot is right in the center and could be obscured with a table runner or decoration of some sort (I have no experience filling knots with epoxy or anything of the like, and don’t particularly care to get into it).
4) Utilize all four boards, rip everything into narrower strips (5-6″) in order to get the original planned width of 36″ (or 35″, that would be close enough as well). Avoid the piece containing the knot.
I’m still very new to woodworking with only a couple projects under my belt, so I still don’t have a very developed eye for design-related issues. From an aesthetic standpoint, which of the above options would you personally go with? I’m leaning toward the first one, which will also be the simplest from an operations perspective; however, I don’t know if having the center board be 3/4″ narrower than the others will be very noticeable, and an eyesore.
Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Replies
Personally I would go with option 4.
My main 2 reasons are:
1) wider table
2)less chance of table top cupping with humidity changes
Filling a knot with epoxy couldn't get any easier, cover the bottom with something the epoxy won't stick to and pour in the epoxy from top, wait till cured.
Using one board in the middle that's 1/4" narrower will never be an eyesore.
That's my 5 cents
If the 36" width is important and you like the concept of wide boards, I would go with 1a. Place the wider boards to the outside and the other in the center. Make up the difference between the wide boards and 36" with two narrow boards, one either side of the center board. The narrow boards will hide the width difference in the wider boards.
Alder is a soft hardwood and kitchen tables often lead a hard life. My kitchen table is sycamore, also a soft wood, one has to expect and embrace the dents.
I like knots in wood (helps remind me of the origin of the material). I probably like them more than most folks. Having said that, I try and hide them whenever possible and then they become my secret beauty locations. Looks like you can't easily hide yours. Assuming it is a firm knot, I'd just leave it in the final piece. I think of a kitchen table as a bit more informal. If the knot is loose, I'd consider epoxying it in place.
Option 5: Mill all 4 boards to matching widths and embrace the knot that your Grandfather gave you. Name it after him, or put it on the outside edge to mark his place at the table! 36-40" is pretty standard for a dining table, I would not go much narower, that space in the middle is important at Thanksgiving.
I will add that if the boards are truly 11" rough counting on getting 10¾" out of them is likely optimistic. That would require the boards to be laser straight to begin with. I never plan on losing any less than an inch in width through the jointing process.
As for the knot, another option would be to inset a cutout of another variety of wood in the center it is a fairly simple task if you own a trim router, or any router for that matter.
I will also second the idea that a table less than 36" w can be pretty limiting and 40" is better if this is the primary dining table.
I also like knots and sometime place them on top as a feature, I fill them with pigmented epoxy, often carbon black , soon in the milling process and plane it down flush as I process the wood. I don’t think you will like the narrower table, 40 inches is pretty much standard. If you cut down your wood to even widths around 9 inches + you should be fine.
If you don't want to see the knot, another option is to make the table top from 5 pieces: middle piece is the narrower of the 3 knot free boards; the next two moving out are the wider ones (jointed and ripped to the same width) and the outside two are identical rippings from the board with the knot in it.
If you make really tight glue joints, you may find that the joints between the boards are not that noticeable. (By tight I don't mean using lots of clamps to force poorly fitting edges together. The joints should be well fitted.)
Thank you all very much for the input; I appreciate that everyone has had a slightly different opinion so far, which goes to show how subjective design is; especially for a dining table that will be an important part of daily life in the house.
I feel reaffirmed in my desire to have the tabletop be wider than I'd be able to get using just three of the boards; so I'll reexamine what my layout options are using all four. I do like the idea of including the knot if I can make it look intentional; it's pretty prominent so I'll try to make sure that wherever it ends up seems planned and not just like poor board selection.
Thankfully I still have some time before I make a final decision; the wood is still acclimating and I have to finish my current project before I start another one (lessons learned after my first project took a full year to complete due to various other projects springing up).
Again, thank you all for your thoughts.
I agree about emphasizing the knot. Often 'defects' truly define a project. If the knot is lose, I would consider using a different variety of wood as an insert, like using a butterfly in a split. These things give projects character and make them unique and special. Celebrate rather than hide.
You didn’t say how wide the knot is. That dimension, and how centered, will determine how wide two boards would be if ripped from the knotty piece eliminating the knot. If you can end up with two boards of equal width at least 3 inches wide you would be able to produce a table at that 35-36” width.
The smaller the knot the wider the boards.
I would arrange the boards with the 10” in the middle, then the two narrow pieces, with the 11” boards on the outside.
If you retain the knot, which I would probably do, then mill the boards all the same width. You also did not say how long the table will be. Just remember to make the proportions pleasing to the eye.
Is there an issue with buying enough alder to finish the table the way you want it. Your time also has a value in this project.
I’d be inclined to go with option 3. Fill the knot with epoxy (very easy) and read up on gluing up a table top (not always easy).
I think all the commenters gave useful advice here. I'd echo that filling a knot with epoxy and sanding it flush could be accomplished by a ten year old. Jointing long boards to fit flush is hard. I concur with the consensus that you need to be at least 36 and maybe 40. It would be ridiculous seating people at a 30-inch table. The advice on the order of boards is all very good--you want symmetry. If you don't have enough material, you can either get more alder or a contrasting wood and add in narrow strips at the edges or in the center. On the knot, you can certainly rout out an inlay. There are inlay kits on the market that cost a few bucks. They come with a special bit and two bushings--one bushing is used with a template to rout the recess. Takes five minutes. The other bushing gets you the insert stock, another five minutes. You glue it in place and sand or plane flush. There are templates on the market, usually Lexan so you can see through them, or you can make your own pattern in MDF or whatever.