I want to laminate some walnut and cherry to make table legs. Here’s what I’m thinking:
4/4 x 6″ walnut sandwiching 3/4 x 6″ cherry.. then ripping it down the middle to make 2 1/2″ x 30″ legs. First, will it work? Second, would it look better the other way.. cherry on the outside.. walnut on the inside.
The top of the console table will be walnut.. aprons also walnut.. with a shelf five inches from the bottom with a cherry board in the middle.. walnut on either side.. or the other way around.
What got me thinking this way is that I have 5 of each species board (8′ lengths) and want to combine them to do my first hardwood project.
I’d appreciate any comments.
Replies
http://www.woodbin.com/calcs/shrinkulator.htm
The above site allows you to input the wod species, and some other variables. It will then give you the amount of shrinkage/expansion that you should expect.
Use that site for both types of wood. Then use the expansion factors to determine if dissimilar expansion will cause your furniture to self-destruct.
My guess is that, over the 2-1/2 inch width of the legs, it will not be a significant problem (but you should still do the math.) Depending on your design for the shelf, it could be a problem. And as always, the design of the joinery plays a huge part in helping or hindering with wood movement.
So, will your idea work? Yes, but only if you avoid the movement problems.
First question, yes it will work.
Second question, that's a matter of personal taste.
I think it'll work just fine.
The rest is personal taste, as another posted stated. To me, since the piece will have a walnut top and aprons, the legs would look better with the walnut on the outside (the cherry would be an accent). Same with the shelf ... have the cherry accent strip in the middle. This way, the piece is a walnut piece, with some cherry accents.
John
Thanks, John, and to all who offered their comments. I'm glad to know this will work.
I plan to use the cherry as an accent and will post pictures when I get it done.
Bill"Variations of shrinkage aside,I don`t like to mix varieties in table legs.
Sometime in the future someone may think that I did not have sufficient stock with which to build the project.
Work safely ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬PAT¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
Well. to tell you the truth, I am using what I have on hand and even dimensioning the piece to accomodate current stock. You hit the nail on the head, Pat.
Bill,
What you propose will probably work without major problems, provided you use a glue that doesn't creep.
However I don't think that this is a good design from an aesthetic point of view. The stripes of color will overwhelm the actual lines of the piece. Contrasting wood looks great when used with restraint as an accent, in cock beading or string inlays for instance, but giving two woods equal weight in a single component of the table will look chaotic.
A much better approach would be to use one wood for the legs a and the other for the table's top. There's a small table in the current issue of Fine Woodworking, February 2004, that uses this approach.
John W.
Thanks, John.. I'll take a look.
For your first project, I advise you to be very wary of mixing wood species. Not from a functional standpoint , but from one of aesthetics. Just because you see others mix their woods, doesn't mean that it's a good idea.
Another thing to consider about mixing woods for contrast, is that the color of cherry will continue to darken over time. What may appear to be a nice accent stripe may disappear 10 or 15 years later when the cherry may look as dark as the walnut.
Just a thought.
4DThinker
Bill,
I'd like to add my voice to those advising you to go cautiously mixing wood species. Different woods can look beautiful together--but not always. There have been a great number of pieces shown here and elsewhere, in which different woods made hideous what was otherwise an attractive design. The reasons differ: some colors just don't look good together; as someone else pointed out, properly balancing colors is essential for a good design.
If possible, make large design drawings and color them to match your finished woods. What might look good on a small drawing may suddenly turn ugly when they are enlarged. I often make color decisions on the computer; the colors aren't exact, but I can usually judge the effect.
Restraint!
Alan
Bill,
Just a few thoughts. I assume that the walnut you have is that nice Hershey's chocolate shade of newly kiln dried stock and the cherry is that rich rusty shade. Such a color combination may be pleasing to the eye now but in a few years of exposure to a bit of sun (assuming a clear finish and no stain)it is very likely the walnut will turn to a rich brown and the cherry a dark sienna red. So, try to think long term and if such a contrast will be to your liking in the future. Also, from a pure design aesthetics point of view, the notion of using 4/4 and 3/4 actual may make the legs appear unbalanced due to the different thicknesses. Try to use the "golden proportions" if you can in your design.
Namaste',
Mike S.
Thanks, Mike. I appreciate the input. I will seriously consider what you say about this.
Bill
No painting was ever ruined by not coloring it enough, but millions have been ruined by too much color.
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