Softwood for a desk top – terrible idea?
Hello,
I’ve been getting into woodworking the past year or so – definitely still consider myself an amateur but feel like im starting to get the hang of things. I’ve been making some rustic furniture with Northern White Cedar wood (its a very soft softwood). I love the way it looks and have made a chair and a nightstand with it, but as I just finished the nightstand I noticed that the top dents very very easily. Part of me hopes that js due to the poly finish not being fully cured, but im wondering if its a bad idea to use the same wood on my next project – a desk. Would this desk be totally ruined after some use if I went with this soft wood? Or should I try to find a hardwood that matches the white/cream colored Cedar logs well enough to use as the top/aprons? I’ve even considered using SPF, its at least much stronger than my cedar – if I can find one that stains well.
I’m also curious how much the choice of finish may affect dent resistance. Would it be reasonable to use the soft wood, and use a really tough finish like Arm-r-seal for extra protection?
Thanks in advance
One last idea – I forgot id heard of using epoxy for a table top finish, then applying 1 coat of poly on top. Would that help at all with preventing dents? Or would it look very plastic y?
Replies
AFAIK, Used for framing lumber, SPF is short for spruce/pine/fir - it could be any of those. They are all pretty soft too. I think you'd be better off looking for maple (they use it for bowling lanes). The choice of finish doesn't impact the underlying hardness of the wood from things dropped on it, just some scratch resistance. Any finish used on floors should be as good as you can get.
If you decide to stick with the cedar, you can always put one of those desk mats over it. My desktop has been covered with junk since I made it, so it hasn't been seen for a while.
Thank you - im going to look to see if I can find a maple that matches the cedar log legs reasonably well. I also am going to look into the possibility of an epoxy table top finish, as it seems like that would offer much more protection
If you really like the wood, go ahead and use it. Then cover the top with a piece of glass or acrylic. Also, keep in mind that because the wood is realitively weak, you should make the various pieces and joinery somewhat beafier.
Frankly, I would use something else. After spending time and money on a piece, I prefer that it hold up for a long time. But there is nothing wrong with your choice as long as you understand and accommodate its limitations.
Your mention of acrylic made me recall that id heard of people pouring on a coat of epoxy to use as a table top finish… would that possibly offer enough protection to get away with using the soft cedar? If not, im going to try to find a maple that matches my logs.. thanks!
An alternate viewpoint: cedar is often used for outdoor furniture, and other rustic styles. Sure, your desktop may dent a little easier than if it was made of a hard wood (which may or may not be a hardwood). But this needn’t always be a bad thing. It depends what you want: a pristine piece (go for the hardwood and a bombproof finish), or something that becomes “lived in”, perhaps with an indelible stain where a thousand cups of coffee have sat every morning, and deeply burnished spots around the keyboard/mouse or writing areas, little dings where the chair constantly whacks it when it gets pushed in. Let it develop a character over years of hard use, where the owner’s pattern of life gets imprinted on the piece. I’m not saying the latter is always great, or works in every context (it absolutely does not), but it certainly works in *some* contexts — something like a desk can be one — and there cedar would be a lovely wood to use. It’s certainly durable enough to last a very, very long time if you can deal with the odd battle scar.
Maple will certainly be more durable, but it won't match the color or grain of the cedar. You might check out hickory, ash, red oak, or beech.
Go ahead and build your desk. I've made tabletops of softwood and as @ spog_uk says it will dent, it will take marks, and it will become an old friend over time. On a pine desk I'd just built my 8-year-old niece colored in a drawing using sharpies. It was horrifying at the time, but today it's just another mark and a funny story. My niece is now 45 and the desk has lived in several family homes.
I grew up with an Eastern White Pine kitchen table with an oil finish. Super soft, but definitely tons of character. Meals, homework (3 kids worth, or 2.5 I guess because my brother wasn't much of a student) and all the rest. My mother-in-law loved it so much she asked me to make her one just like it.
Also occurs to me that I do very little on my current desk that would actually result in a lot of wear and tear. It's mostly a place where my laptop and external keyboard live. If I draw, it's normally on a pad or in a notebook.
That said, I concur with others on at least 2 points: factor the hardness of the wood into your joinery and understand what you're getting into. Most film finishes will dent, and some will be hard to touch up.
That said, one thing that occurs to me is the way some whitewater canoe paddles are finished--a layer of resin (polyester or epoxy) that saturates a layer of fiberglass cloth. Renders the underlying surface (often basswood) quite hard and dent-resistant. A single layer of glass will be pretty see-through, but it's never going to be as crystal clear as finish alone. Maybe worth making a sample if you're interested.
You might try a 2 part resin product from Abatron that is designed to penetrate and harden deteriorated wood. I've used it successfully on rotten oak. Only questions are:
Would it penetrate enough to make a difference? (I think it would.)
Would you like the appearance?
You would want to check with manufacturers about compatibility of your final finish; probably not a problem but it's good to check and to make finish samples.