Shopsmith Forums

Last night, after cleaning up a glass of water that my wife put on the living room floor, (two English pointers under 5 years old play rough) I decided that my first furniture project - not counting my shop stool out of 2x4s - must move up on my priority list.

My wife insisted that I install the heat in what will be our nursery (now just a big 6'x14' storage room near our bedroom) first. Today, I'm working on that project, and should have it done by Sunday.

Next week, I'm going to start this:

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/artic ... _tabouret/

I bought the issue that featured the story about this table, and I love it. Woodworking Magazine is very well done. It focuses on the skills needed to work with wood, and has a couple of projects that go along with the skills. Man is it helpful for a beginner! But I digress...

The tables in the article are made of cherry, and while they look beautiful, I'm not sure I want to build my first piece of furniture out of expensive wood. We're a young family, and money's tight, and I don't want to burn expensive wood when I mess up.

We have a bunch of furniture that is stained very dark, and our new kitchen matches this - Espresso Maple.

If I were going to stain this table very dark, almost black, what wood would you suggest, knowing that I'm broke and have to justify every dollar spent to the LOML?

Nick Laeder

Nick

Alder is a good substitute for cherry. Also soft maple will do well with a dark stain. Red oak if the grain is not offensive to you is a very workable wood. I would stay away from pine if it were to be my table.

Nick:

Poplar can be stained to look a lot like cherry. It is not an expensive wood. Obtain a small piece and experiment with stains first.

It will be very important to let your wood "climitize" in your shop for several weeks before starting your project. It seems like every time I ignore this procedure I end up with warped or twisted pieces that can't be used.

8iowa wrote:Nick:

Poplar can be stained to look a lot like cherry. It is not an expensive wood. Obtain a small piece and experiment with stains first.

It will be very important to let your wood "climitize" in your shop for several weeks before starting your project. It seems like every time I ignore this procedure I end up with warped or twisted pieces that can't be used.

Well then, maybe I won't be starting next week.

My shop's an unheated garage. Will this matter in climatizing the wood?

I too like Popular Woodworking and Wood Magazines. They give great tips and cutting guidelines. I must admit that I often modify their ideas to suit my skills and tastes.
As for wood, as you are also from the West, I would start with clear pine. I know it is a soft wood, but it is relatively inexpensive, it works well, and the finished product is well accepted as a western motif. A bar-top finish or shellac will give a hard surface for the top. I remember my last visit to the Moose Store in Estes Park, the natural pine furniture was beautiful.

Bottom line, it will be half the price and a hand made family piece of furniture is priceless, whatever wood you choose.
Merry Christmas

kalynzoo wrote:...I remember my last visit to the Moose Store in Estes Park, the natural pine furniture was beautiful.

That must be the place on the outskirts of town near the national park entrance? Our family had a summer cabin that we frequently visited in the summers for many years -- unfortunately it was sold a few years ago due to family health issues..

I would use either poplar or clear pine. Either is easy to work with, fairly inexpensive and will stain well and should serve you for many many years.

Maple was mentioned but staining maple can be a challenge. Oak was also mentioned but carries an unmistakenable grain pattern that you might not like and isn't easily camoflauged.

Cherry or walnut would be excellent but pricey.

Almost any clear wood like birch, some alders and a few others that don't have a real distinct grain pattern would work. What you want to use is something that is easy to stain to make them look like more expensive wood but again they probably cost more than poplar or clear pine.