OT: Wood desk top

[C40_guy]

My company is providing a WFH subsidy, for furniture and related stuff...

So...I'm ordering an electric height adjustable desk and need to make a table top for it.

My current desk (a repurposed kitchen table) is approximately 6'x3' and I'll be making the new table top in approximately the same size...

Would appreciate the hive thoughts on wood options...

I love the look of natural wood...see the bird's eye maple table below ($6,000 at a local shop)

Walnut, maple, cherry, mahogany, oak?

Or do I just need to head over to my local lumberyard, which has a good selection of hardwoods, and just browse until I fall in love...

I've already got a biscuit joiner, will need to invest in a couple of long wood clamps to put it together...

[benb]

Get something North American that has 0 sustainability issues.

That'd be anything on your list except Mahogany.

"Mahogany" doesn't mean much anyway... there are a pile of different trees that get called "Mahogany" that aren't really true Mahogany.

I have a Mahogany deck. If it was the "good mahogany" it'd have probably cost more than the house. Who knows what it actually is.

Good plan.. make it so you can stand or sit. :)

[C40_guy]

Get something North American that has 0 sustainability issues.

That'd be anything on your list except Mahogany.

"Mahogany" doesn't mean much anyway... there are a pile of different trees that get called "Mahogany" that aren't really true Mahogany.

I have a Mahogany deck. If it was the "good mahogany" it'd have probably cost more than the house. Who knows what it actually is.

Good plan.. make it so you can stand or sit. :)

Thanks...I know a bit about mahogany...we need to redo our deck and mahogany is my wood of choice for the deck. I used it for the deck of our outdoor shower last year and am happy with the results. And yea, I have no idea what kind of wood it really is. :)

With regard to the height...I'm buying an electric base (https://thelifedesk.com/products/standard-desk-smartlegs2/) so I can stand or sit... :)

[redir]

If I were you I would stick to New England timbers just because I like that. Save the mahogany for the guitar makers :D

That maple top is beautiful. I think walnut is an excellent choice but so is cherry. I love quarter sawn oak too but many people today don't like it so much.

Cherry and walnut combined is nice too.

[Dude]

I bought some dimensional 5/4 pine from my big box store (I don't have a planer or a table saw to square the edges) and I pocket screwed/glued it all together. Added some breadboard ends, hand planed it (because i had one but i'd buy an elec handheld planer) and stained it. I'm sure someone would scoff at it but whatever, it's not a statement piece. It cost less than $50 (i had a circular saw, drill and kreg pocket hole jig).

Working with wood is really as easy as you think it is. Sure there are some gotchas but you're not going to die if you mess it up.

And you really can never have enough clamps. Double the number of clamps you think you'll need.

[benb]

I can't find the brand name now.. I have a super nice standing desk at the office.

I haven't been there in months so can't remember what it is.

If you are going electric I highly recommend getting one with the memory settings.

I've had several different standing desks at various offices.. the ones with electric + memory are really nice.

The manual ones take a long time to crank, then you get people using a cordless drill to lower it up and down which is distracting to others. (Not a big deal at home.). Or people end up just leaving it where it is cause it gets annoying to crank.

When you have memory you dial in your desired height for sitting + standing and then you can just set it to go back and forth without fiddling with it.

[HenryA]

Of the woods you mention, walnut cherry and mahogany will be the easiest to work. That table you show is actually quilted maple. (And quite nice) Maple is quite hard and figured maple will be difficult to work because of the changes in grain direction.

You might also consider quarter sawn white oak if you like a little show. (think Stickley furniture) Other nice but unusual woods might be quarter sawn sycamore, (very showy) and figured cherry. Sycamore is a bit stringy but well within reasonable limits of workability. Of figured woods, cherry is often the easiest to deal with. Quilted cherry is mighty nice.

Do a search on some of those terms and see what they look like.

[C40_guy]

Thanks for all the comments so far.

Most of my wordworking, to date, is painted...you can cover a lot of sins with a couple of coats of paint. I did make a mission style platform bed out of oak, and that's stained and polyurethaned. Came out nicely. We needed a king size platform and everything on the market was both expensive and ugly.

This should be pretty straightforward work. I'll glue the boards together (not even sure I need to biscuit them) and then add a second strip on the bottom edge, all the way around, so it looks more substantial. I'll route it with a simple curve. Another couple of strips underneath for stability and then sanding, sanding, poly, sanding, poly, sanding...

Either satin or semi gloss poly is probably the best finish...the surface will see a lot of use, writing, keyboard, monitors, papers, coffee mugs, lunch plates, blah blah...

[flying]

Depending on where you live & selection...

I have seen some nice solid door blank used as desktops
(you may even be fine with a semi hollow interior door) Depends on your needs

[C40_guy]

Depending on where you live & selection...

I have seen some nice solid door blank used as desktops
(you may even be fine with a semi hollow interior door) Depends on your needs

I'm actually looking forward to making a custom table top.

Once that's done maybe I'll get to assembling the bookshelves that are sitting in pieces on my shop floor (couple of 4x8 plywood sheets ripped down).

[Ken Robb]

My workbench is maple butcher block and I wouldn't mind a table made from the same stuff. We know it's sturdy and stable.

[flying]

I'm actually looking forward to making a custom table top.

Once that's done maybe I'll get to assembling the bookshelves that are sitting in pieces on my shop floor (couple of 4x8 plywood sheets ripped down).

It is always nice/rewarding to build :beer:

[C40_guy]

My workbench is maple butcher block and I wouldn't mind a table made from the same stuff. We know it's sturdy and stable.

I need to head over to the lumber yard and find out what they actually have in stock. They do have a pretty good selection of hardwood.

If I don't find anything there, I can head to Boston to Anderson McQuaid (https://www.andersonmcquaid.com/)...they've got everything!

[Tz779]

I need to head over to the lumber yard and find out what they actually have in stock. They do have a pretty good selection of hardwood.

If I don't find anything there, I can head to Boston to Anderson McQuaid (https://www.andersonmcquaid.com/)...they've got everything!

if you are looking for maple or walnut, or any northern hardwoods, try northland forest products, town just north of atkinson, kingston i think. they do not mill anything for you tho. best prices. new hampshire!

[Coda1]

(not even sure I need to biscuit them)

It will be a much stronger joint if you biscuit them. Since you already have the biscuit jointer there isn't a good reason not to put them in.

[Doug Fattic]

I like maple because it is a closed grain wood. Oak is open grained so the pores have to be filled so the top can be smooth. Maple butcher block is usually the wood of choice for work benches in case you desk becomes a multi-purpose top.

[C40_guy]

if you are looking for maple or walnut, or any northern hardwoods, try northland forest products, town just north of atkinson, kingston i think. they do not mill anything for you tho. best prices. new hampshire!

Thanks for the tip...I'm south of Boston, so NH would be a bit of a trip...but for the right wood.... :)

I felt like a kid in a candy store the last time I went to Anderson Mcquaid...

[C40_guy]

I like maple because it is a closed grain wood. Oak is open grained so the pores have to be filled so the top can be smooth. Maple butcher block is usually the wood of choice for work benches in case you desk becomes a multi-purpose top.

That's the nice thing about having a 3x6 table top...who knows where it will get used next...

[C40_guy]

It will be a much stronger joint if you biscuit them. Since you already have the biscuit jointer there isn't a good reason not to put them in.

You're probably right...and it is easy enough to use, particularly when it's a simple edge to edge join...

[benb]

If I were you I would stick to New England timbers just because I like that. Save the mahogany for the guitar makers :D



Since you build guitars... our "Mahogany" decks are probably from smaller trees that wouldn't be good for guitars right?

I have a Taylor with a Mahogany neck.. some of the boards in my deck are almost that nice. But they're not thick enough for a neck and not wide enough for a body.. maybe they'd be wide enough to bend into sides of an acoustic.

It wasn't mentioned but I think Ash was a great choice for a tabletop/desktop. I really love Ash.

I have an Ash coffee table I bought about 20 years ago that is gorgeous and has worn like iron. My kid finally managed to put a scratch in it but he had to work really hard and I bet I could get it to clean up.

Too bad Ash is in trouble. I bought an electric guitar with a 1-piece Ash body last winter and I'm really glad I have it now that it's going to be harder to get due to the damn beetles.

Heh.. both Ash and Cherry for furniture.. round corners are preferable IMO. We have a Cherry bed too (Made in VT!) and if you bang your leg against the bed it punishes you.

They are gorgeous but Mahogany decks are stupid too IMO. You get to become a woodworker whether you want to or not. The whole clean/sand/refinish every few years is a ton of work or a ton of money. I've been taking care of mine for 10 years now. Major major work. We would never build one ourselves at this point, ours was on the house when we bought it and we had no idea what we were getting into.

[.RJ]

Late to the party here, but Ikea has really reasonably priced butcher block tops - under $100. I use Ikea cabinets & their butcher block tops for my garage workbenches.

[redir]

Since you build guitars... our "Mahogany" decks are probably from smaller trees that wouldn't be good for guitars right?

I have a Taylor with a Mahogany neck.. some of the boards in my deck are almost that nice. But they're not thick enough for a neck and not wide enough for a body.. maybe they'd be wide enough to bend into sides of an acoustic.

It wasn't mentioned but I think Ash was a great choice for a tabletop/desktop. I really love Ash.

I have an Ash coffee table I bought about 20 years ago that is gorgeous and has worn like iron. My kid finally managed to put a scratch in it but he had to work really hard and I bet I could get it to clean up.

Too bad Ash is in trouble. I bought an electric guitar with a 1-piece Ash body last winter and I'm really glad I have it now that it's going to be harder to get due to the damn beetles.

Heh.. both Ash and Cherry for furniture.. round corners are preferable IMO. We have a Cherry bed too (Made in VT!) and if you bang your leg against the bed it punishes you.

They are gorgeous but Mahogany decks are stupid too IMO. You get to become a woodworker whether you want to or not. The whole clean/sand/refinish every few years is a ton of work or a ton of money. I've been taking care of mine for 10 years now. Major major work. We would never build one ourselves at this point, ours was on the house when we bought it and we had no idea what we were getting into.

Side blanks are usually 5x34in or so. That would be for a Dreadnought. There is nothing wrong with making 4 piece backs though. I have done that many times. I rented a house in Indiana in the 90's, actually a log cabin, the floors were made of Imbuia which is a tree that grows in Brazil. I told the guy how impressed I was with it and he said he had a bunch left over in the barn and I could take as much as I wanted. So I took a huge stash, ever quartersawn board I could find. The boards were 4in wide and about an inch thick so I could resaw them for sides and backs of smaller guitars.

Necks are often times laminated too so you could take those boards dress them up and make 3 or 4 piece lam necks too.

I bet the mahogany is beautiful for a deck but yeah that's a lot of work. If I were to build a deck today I'd probably go with that composite stuff.

[redir]

Another thought is it's pretty cool to use reclaimed wood and you can often times find it on Craig's List at reasonable prices. You would need a planner though. I built this table from a collapsed barn on the farm I was living on in Virgina. It's white Oak I left the nail holes in it.

Oh and plus one on the biscuit. I use dowels but some sort of jointing method is always a good idea. And a method to allow for wood expansion is good too.

https://i.imgur.com/BXeYK94h.jpg

[Clancy]

Some good and some puzzling advice here. My suggestions

If you’re looking for a butcher block type top, unless you have a planer, joining wood together to make a table top is going to leave you with the uneven surface. Ideally you’d want to glue up as wide of sections first, flatten those, and then carefully align and glue the sections together. If you hope to use either a hand sander or a belt sander to flatten the top after gluing everything up you’ll have a good chance of having a wavy surface. If you are limited to a few portable power tools and handtools, Your best bet is to get a premade top. A simple Google search should find these typically made out of hard maple, oak, other species.

If you’re looking to glue up 4-5 wide boards edge to edge you have a good chance, using simple portable power tools and hand tools, of getting a nice flat top. Here using biscuits really helps to align the boards. Absolutely do a dry run aligning and clamping before applying glue. Regular yellow wood glue is all you need, with a longer set time. Some of the modern adhesives can be problematic.

When gluing wood together long grain there is no need for any additional joinery methods. A properly glued joint is stronger than the wood itself. Biscuits are extremely good idea for helping to keep everything lined up as you glue it and clamp.

Hard maple is pretty hard to work with and you’ll have a lot of tear-out unless you have access to a jointer and planer with carbide tipped spiral Head cutters. Soft maple works far easier but of course is too soft for table tops. White oak is a good choice, hard to work. Red oak is too open grain and gives a lousy appearance. Walnut is lovely. Most all the furniture I make is out of native Texas pecan, a beautiful wood but a pain to work with.

Think about a reclaimed top as mentioned. I’ve seen desk tops made out of reclaimed bowling alleys, basketball courts, even old antique mesquite doors, and they all were beautiful as well as unique.

Good luck, it sounds like a fun project. Wish you were local, I’d turn you loose in my shop.

[William]

One of my next DIY projects will likely be a barn door table. Not hard to do and could work if it interests you as a possibility. Glass top optional depending on door design...








W.

[redir]

^ That's what I'm talkin' about. I love that rustic reclaimed look.

[buddybikes]

Late to the party here, but Ikea has really reasonably priced butcher block tops - under $100. I use Ikea cabinets & their butcher block tops for my garage workbenches.

Our kitchen (small) is 80% butcher block, with just end cabinet soapstone. Just sand and like new...

Also give a warm look

We also eat off of a butcher block table that was made 40 years ago, my first furniture purchase

[Hardlyrob]

Clancy is spot on - I've been building furniture as a hobby and sometime business for 30 years. Without a table saw, joiner and surface planer forget about maple. Cherry is a lovely wood to work with, as is walnut - the problem with walnut is it comes random width, random length and often has lots of white sap wood you need to work around.

You can create a pretty flat top using hand planes, a belt sander and a straight edge - and a lot of time - that's how I've done tables and kitchen counters - people like the little irregularities left from sanding / plane tracks. You can also assemble a top and send it to a shop to be stroke sanded - which gives you a professional flat and smooth surface.

Anderson McQuaid does some beautiful things, but can be quite spendy. If you want a road trip check out Yankee Pine / Righteous Woods in Rowley MA - crazy Steeve-O has some stunningly beautiful lumber in any species you can imagine.

A company I have used for years is Steve Wall Lumber in NC - walllumber.com. They ship wood all over the place, specialize in custom cabinet doors for kitchens, and do lots of special projects. I suspect they would be happy to send you a "kit" for the top you want to make that is surfaced and edge jointed. I would recommend 6/4 for this project in whatever species you settle on.

Biscuits and yellow wood glue are all you need. Then it's on to finishing. I would advise against doing a breadboard end for a large top - the main boards expand and contract in width with the seasons / humidity - the end does not, so the top and end are almost never lined up. I've done several, and won't do them again.

You will also need a number of pipe clamps (Pony model 50) that go on threaded sections of 3/4" pipe - figure on one for every 6-8" inches of length for the top - you can get all of that at Home Depot or Lowe's or Woodcraft.

Where are you in MA? If you want to come to Topsfield, you are most welcome to my shop!

Good luck, and post pics when you are done.

Rob

[guyintense]

It will be a much stronger joint if you biscuit them. Since you already have the biscuit jointer there isn't a good reason not to put them in.

Long grain to long grain is the best joint you'll ever have, the biscuit is there just to help with alignment.

[Tz779]

“ I bet the mahogany is beautiful for a deck but yeah that's a lot of work. If I were to build a deck today I'd probably go with that composite stuff.“

the 1x4 and 5/4x6 mahogany for decking is indonesian or phillippine mahogany. much denser and hard to work. african or honduras mahogany is what you wld want for furniture. and much more $$$!

sometimes high schools or tech schools have “adult woodworking” classes, that gives you access to jointers, thickness planers, maybe even a timesaver sander.

[C40_guy]

I would advise against doing a breadboard end for a large top - the main boards expand and contract in width with the seasons / humidity - the end does not, so the top and end are almost never lined up. I've done several, and won't do them again.

Where are you in MA? If you want to come to Topsfield, you are most welcome to my shop!

Good luck, and post pics when you are done.


Thanks Rob, your comments and suggestions are appreciated. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to finish the ends...but with your (and others') comments about wood expansion/contraction, I'll plan to leave the ends free to move...

I'm on Cape Cod...I appreciate the offer of your shop...I know that proper equipment and space make a huge difference. We bought our house four years ago and the PO had built a basic workshop in the basement. He left me a massive ShopSmith table saw, router table, and a dust collector. I've got almost everything I need, except perhaps a planer and more air circulation...I've got smaller hand tools -- biscuit joiner, belt sander, pad sander, etc... I think I should be good :)

I'll end up doing the sanding and finishing in the garage for better air circulation...I don't have any fresh air circulation in the basement shop.

[woodworker]

I don't have much to add to what the others have said in terms of using a biscuit joiner and gluing it up. It's best to have a number of long clamps that are made for this purpose. You might try placing some smaller strips of an offsetting wood in between the larger primary boards to add some interest. Just a thought. You should think about how you want the edges to look. I assume that you will be using at least 4/4 or perhaps 5/4 stock, so you may want to router the edge to give it a slimmer, more finished look.

Finally, what sort of finish? I like Liberon, but it's not as durable as some of the other finishes available. I've used General Finishes Arm-R-Seal, and it's been bulletproof, is easy to apply, and looks nice. Here are some pics of two finishes and edge treatments. The longer entertainment cabinet with the butterfly top is made of Samran Raintree and the table top with a curved edge is a mix of mahogany (primary pieces) and bubinga (small wood strips).

I'd go with walnut or cherry, and I'm not sure obtaining a flat surface can't be done with a good ROS if you select straight flat kiln dried boards. Good luck.

[Hardlyrob]

Great ideas Woodworker!
Arm-R-Seal is a great finish, and I have gravitated to Endurovar over the past several years - it really does look like oil based varnish - which you can't buy any more. I'm also a fan of many many coats of Danish Oil - gets you a deep in the grain finish, and is really tough - and if it gets worn - you simply add more to it.

[woodworker]

Couldn't fit them in the last post, but here's a better picture of the entertainment center. That finish is Liberon. The other picture is of the game/office table. I routered the underside to give it a smaller profile. It's 4/4 wood and finished with a semi-gloss Arm-R-Seal. Hope that helps.

It may be that you're going for a more rustic look; and if so, then disregard my posts and enjoy that instead.

[woodworker]

You're welcome. Aaargh. Never get the photos right. So it goes.

[Hardlyrob]

Nice work Woodworker!

I also tend to rout the underside of tops to lighten the feel. Either a simple 45° chamfer, or any of a number of roman ogee (not orgy) profiles works really well. A 5/4 or 6/4 top with a routed under side has the heft without seeming clumsy / bulky.

[woodworker]

Thanks. I agree. It gives a lighter look with the greater durability and heft of a thicker top. O

ff topic a bit: I live in San Diego and for many years went to the Del Mar Fair just to stare at the projects in the woodworking contest /show. Just absolutely stunning stuff. I always left thinking that, based on skill and hours into a project, many of the items were waaaaay underpriced. Not cheap, but still a value.

[C40_guy]

Couldn't fit them in the last post, but here's a better picture of the entertainment center. That finish is Liberon. The other picture is of the game/office table. I routered the underside to give it a smaller profile. It's 4/4 wood and finished with a semi-gloss Arm-R-Seal. Hope that helps.

It may be that you're going for a more rustic look; and if so, then disregard my posts and enjoy that instead.

Some beautiful work!

Actually, this table top is going on an adjustable sitting/standing desk, holding three monitors, a couple of keyboards, B&W mini speakers, etc.

High tech environment, so sleek/contemporary look versus rustic...

Legs will be black in color. Rest of home office is mostly light colors...

[woodworker]

Sounds great. I tend to like reddish woods, but I've used lacewood and bubinga and walnut. They're all great, depending on how they're finished. Sounds like a fun project.

[C40_guy]

Just picked up 44 board feet of 5/4 cherry, 6" width. Wood looks pretty nice, with some character in the grain. I've got some extra, so I can select the best 6 pieces for the top, then I'll use the additional for the long edges, and two braces underneath.

Not sure the best way to finish it once it's together, open to suggestions. I'd like to accentuate the grain, and keep it fairly light overall...

[benb]

Yah wow! That bookmatched top on the entertainment center is incredible! I don't expect to see an entertainment console that looks like a fine musical instrument... that is seriously cool. :banana:

[bicycletricycle]

making a big flat wood top will probably require a jointer and a planer. I like cherry a lot. quartersawn white oak would probably be my go to for a big desk top.

[woodworker]

Thanks Benb for the compliment. Here's a better shot of the full set up (likely to be upside down).

To the OP: Wood selection sounds great. I'd just play around with different finishes on the extra wood. that you have. I've used fillers before to offset natural wood colors, but I haven't been excited with the results. I tend to like the simpler and more natural finishes, especially with something like cherry that has nice figure to it. Not sure if you live near a woodworking store or if you have to do it online. I live in San Diego, and we have a Rockler and another place, TH&H Hardwoods, that have a really nice selection.

My other comment is that you not skip any sandpaper grades. For most woods I'd start at 80 and go 100 or 120, then 150, 180 and 220, and stop there. If you skip steps, it will show in my experience. Sounds like fun.

[HenryA]

Waterlox looks great on cherry!

https://www.waterlox.com/products

[C40_guy]

Waterlox looks great on cherry!

https://www.waterlox.com/products

Which would you recommend? The original in a satin finish?

Thanks!