howdy all,
i have a few questions about a desktop that i am making out of sapele/mahogany. it is made from 5/4×7 boards (got them cheap from a friend), and is 30″ deep by 8’6″ long. it will be scribed to the wall and only 3 of the 4 sides will be visible. i want to rout a curved detail on the edges…..almost an ogee.
1) is sapele=mahogany? i understand that’s it’s similar, but was wondering about it’s oilyness and the appropriate glue to use…..pva ok?
2) it being 5/4″, i assumed that it would be “hefty” enough not to put stretchers underneath for support….the span at most will be 40″ in the middle of the desk. and sit on 2 30″ cabinets at either end.
3) any ideas about best way to edgejoin? i was considering biscuits, pocket screws, or tongue and groove with glue.
4) i wanted to do 45 degree corners around the rim, but was worried about the endgrains, and if i needed to do somesort of joinery similar to how one would handle breadboard ends?…..one end “dies” flat into the wall.
sorry about the length…..i appreciate the help.
Replies
Sapele is not mahogany. Mahogany grows in the Americas, and sapele is from Africa. However, both mahogany and sapele take glue perfectly well.
A 40" desk span should be fine. BTW, 5/4 is generally a rough-cut thickness, and after you've flattened and straightened the boards they may be more like 1" thick.
A glued butt joint will be fine -- presuming that you do a good job of jointing the edges before you glue them.
I don't understand what you mean about "45 degree corners around the rim". In general, if you have a nice big solid-wood top like this, you can cut it into any footprint you like, or cut any edge profile you like. Yes, you'll have end-grain showing, but there's no shame in that, and no structural issue with it either.
great,...thanks,i just thought that end grain ends were considered "unfinished". when i said 45 degree corners, i just meant i was going to "edge band" the ends. any advice on your favorite glue for this? i was considering pva or gorilla.appreciate the help
I don't think you should edge band the edges. Edge grain is testament to a solid wood top - something to be proud of. The wood is very stable and does not need further support.
I have solid sapele tops on my desk and my entertainment center. Even though lightly stained with Zar walnut, the end grain looks great. Ribbon grain on the tops flows into the end grain. An elaborate edge profile would disguise this, so I used a simple 1/4" radius.
Sapele is a great wood to work with, and anything you do will look good.
Regards,
Dan
thanks!
Just curious---is sapele also refered to as "African Mahogany"?
Max
Nope they are different. My experience is that sapele is a darker, almost chocolate brown. African mahogany is much lighter in color.
As stated Sapele is not African Mahogany. If you are in doubt Sapele has a distinctive peppery smell, whilst Af. Mahogany hardly smells at all.Philip Marcou
I was interested in your comments regarding sapele. I have not worked with it before but plan to on a hall table I like. I had planned to use tung oil and blond shellac as the finish. Why did you use a light walnut stain? Is the wood too light without some help? Also, correct me if I am wrong but I believe the beautiful ribbon pattern in the sapele is quartersawn. Thanks. PMM
Yes, the top on the entertainment center is nearly quartersawn and shows a beautiful ribbon figure. The desktop is flatsawn but still has good figure.
I used Minwax Antique oil finish. It built to a nice lustre. I also like shellac, but did not use it here.
On these pieces, I only had enough sapele for the tops - so i used Honduras mahogany for the rest. I find Honduras Mahogany somewhat bland compared to sapele. The stain was used to minimize any color differences. Normally, I would not stain, since both these woods darken naturally.
I was lucky enough to find a source (Riverside Lumber in N.O.) that sold me sapele as African Mahogany ($ 3.25/bd-ft!).
Regards,
Dan
dang!here (5/4x8) was @6.50/ft
Thanks for the info on the sapele. I can't wait to start on the table I am planning.
PMM
"i just meant i was going to "edge band" the ends. any advice on your favorite glue for this? i was considering pva or gorilla."
Don't edge-band the end-grain ends. If you glue a long-grain edge directly to the end-grain, you'll have difficulties when the lumber moves with changes in the atmospheric humidity; lumber moves cross-grain but not long-grain.
Use PVA. Polyurethane glue foams up as it cures, and it gets all over everything. It is is a mess to clean up. Also, in my own testing, it seems to be weaker than PVA.
i'm going to let the end grain show........for some reason i had the impression that this was bad.pva it is,thanks!
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled