Hello all,
I’m relatively new to woodworking but not completely green. I have decided to take on a ‘bigger’ project than the usual small cabinets and boxes I’ve been making. I want to build a desk and have a question about the table top.
I’m making it (the entire desk) out of Butternut since I have access to a considerable amount that has been air drying for a long time. about 30 years or more. Any words of caution before I make the purchase would be welcome but that is not my question.
I want to make the top out of solid wood since I can’t find Butternut plywood and it will give me a good excuse to practice my planing skill.
How do I proceed in making a top that will stay flat over time? Should I glue up smaller boards and alternate the grain direction so they want to warp in opposing directions (i.e. such as when making a cutting board) or can I use wider boards (10″ for example) and glue those up? Can I assume that any boards that have stayed straight over the 30 years of air drying are not likely going to warp?
Thanks in advance for the help
Replies
One caveat about butternut is that it's on the soft side for a desk if the desk is going to see hard usage. It's also a wood to whose dust some people are allergic.
Most table tops if flat when built, from stable wood, will stay that way because they're held firmly in place. I've usually used boards as wide as I can get just for the look of it, and had no longterm problems. If a board is going to bend it's likely to do so shortly after you've milled it and before you get around to building. I'm working now on a blockfront chest using 14" wide boards on top and sides. You'll get differing opinions on the value of alternating boards for stability. According to Tage Frid the alternating practice was a textbook mistake, since heartwood is more stable than sapwood. Personally I just put the best-looking sides of the boards on display.
Jim
Thanks for the quick reply. The desk is intended for a home office and will be used by one person so I think with the right finish I can make it durable. I think I'll go with your advice and trust that if the wood hasn't moved by now it will probably be fine to go with the wide boards.
Do you have any opinion on what an adequate thickness would be for this softer wood?
Thanks again
Maurizio
I think I should have made myself clearer about warping. Sometimes wood from a flat rough board will warp after you've planed it to final thickness by machine or by hand, especially if you let it sit afterwards improperly stacked. You can often flatten it out again. However if it's flat when you put the piece together, it should stay that way in the long run. The couple of desks I've made have had sloped, not flat tops, so I've been happy enough with 3/4. I wouldn't go much more than 7/8, depending on how you support it. Butternut is plenty strong enough for furniture. It's soft in the sense that you can scratch it easily with a fingernail. I've used it for things like jewelboxes and it's lasted quite well.
Jim
Again thanks for the prompt reply and for the useful information. The thickness you recommended (3/4") is what I was planning on so I'll go with that.
I'll likely be soliciting more advice as I work through my project.
Maurizio
According to Tage Frid the alternating practice was a textbook mistake, since heartwood is more stable than sapwood. Personally I just put the best-looking sides of the boards on display.
And I thought I read in his books that he did NOT alternate the boards?
I tend to agree.. best side Up!
Right -- he doesn't alternate. That's what I was trying to say.
Cheers, Jim.
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