Favorite solid wood to use for projects?

[allinon72]

I'm wanting to build a bookcase out of solid wood because I want it to last and I want it to look more professional than plywood. Upon pricing some select pine, it will cost me in the neighborhood of $175 for all the boards I need to make this average sized bookcase. That includes $33/each for a 1x12 select pine board.

What is your favorite material to build stuff out of that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? Don't want to use Birch because of the finishing problems that you run into with the veneer.

 

[purplezr2]

Why not use plywood with a solid wood face frame. That is how I have seen many nice bookcases made. If you do it right it will be plenty sturdy.

 

[Falcon67]

Poplar is a good straight wood that's fairly inexpensive, but not sure about how it would finish or the cost per bd/ft compared to select pine.

 

[niget2002]

If you use poplar, you can use gel stains to get a decent stain if you don't plan on painting.

I agree that using Plywood and then doing a solid face frame would be the way to go. I'd use 1/4" ply in a dado for the back. Use matching/similar wood as the plywood for the face frame (I.E. oak plywood with oak face frame. pine with birch plywood)

If you plan on staining pine, definitely use a sealer prior to doing the stain... it makes for a more even coat.

 

[Jeff95TA]

If you plan on staining pine, definitely use a sealer prior to doing the stain... it makes for a more even coat.

I stained about 700 lineal feet of trim and over a dozen pine doors when our house was built. I used Minwax pre-stain conditioner and it kept it from getting blotchy.

Oak is always a good choice for staining. If, like me, you don't care for the heavy grain, maple is a good choice. You can get it to look close to cherry without the cost.

 

[machine_punk]

That is a very individual choice. I personally prefer spalted maple now. I have liked oak in the past. It sounds like you are trying to make something of heirloom quality...buying the best wood now (exactly the wood you want) will be little expense, compared to the life of the bookshelf. I would recommend you get exactly the wood you like to see...and the pleasure you receive, every time you look at it, will make up for the expense. Every time you look at a bookshelf where you didn't get exactly what you want, it will be annoying, instead of a pleasure.

Maple, for a clear, bright wood - hardwood
Oak, for a beautiful wood with 'rays' in the grain - hardwood
Ash, for that Oak look, without the rays. - hardwood
Pine or poplar for inexpensive, softwood options. Not nearly as pretty a grain to me, but everyone has their preference. I personally detest knotty pine.

Looking forward to seeing pics of whatever you build...

Kev

 

[allinon72]

The bookcase below is the one I want to build and it doesn't have a face frame

http://chiefsshop.wordpress.com/2012/10/14/plan-of-the-week-bookcase/

 

[ilovevocs]

Pretty cool design.

 

[Angelfire]

My preference is cherry followed by hard maple. Neither of which are "cheap". I also have built a number of things from some of the more exotic of species (ie. tatajuba, jatoba, bubinga, jarra, etc...) but they are generally more expensive. For heirloom quality, you definitely want to look at something in the hardwood realm (ie. deciduous) although there are woods that are technically hardwoods (ie. Balsa) that are pretty soft and there are softwoods that are pretty hard (ie. southern yellow pine). I typically pick something that comes close to the color I want and don't bother with stain very much other than to use as a toner or light glaze.

 

[ilovevocs]

5A Quilted Maple is my fav, however my wallet and skill level typically warrant a much cheaper and lower grade of wood.

 

[Justanoldguy]

I use Heart Rimu.

https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=H...-jiAfgzoHoCQ&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1047&bih=682






.

 

[allinon72]

I think heirloom quality might be a bit further than my goal, but I just want it to last and look good.

 

[Squeeker]

That looks like a nice design for a bookshelf.

Cherry, red or white oak, walnut. I buy the lumber rough and machine it down to suit my needs. But you need the tools (jointer, planer) to do that.
Buying 1x lumber at places like HD/Lowes is very expensive.

I wouldn't shy away from plywood. You can buy decent plywood in pretty much any hardwood veneer these days. With a matching hardwood edge (not face frame) to cover the plys, you'd never know it was plywood and it will be just as strong. I have made several pieces of furniture that include plywood in some form.

 

[pfctblu]

I'm a big fan of Douglas Fir for stained projects and usually Aspen or Poplar for painted.

Speaking of low cost lumber, my buddies and I took down an Ash tree in my yard over the weekend. Gonna make a terrific hybrid Roubo bench once it dries out.

 

[1Garageman]

I love oak, cherry, etc.. all kinds of wood(s), but they cost a lot!!

We were at Menards on day and saw these boards on sale after rebate $1, that's not a typo, one dollar. We bought about 30 of them. Here is one bookcase I made from them.

So this book case was ruffly $10 plus screws

 

[pattenp]

......
I wouldn't shy away from plywood. You can buy decent plywood in pretty much any hardwood veneer these days. With a matching hardwood edge (not face frame) to cover the plys, you'd never know it was plywood and it will be just as strong. I have made several pieces of furniture that include plywood in some form.

Agree... veneer plywood is also very stable. You can purchase matching edge veneer to cover exposed cut edges.

 

[ddawg16]

I also concur with plywood. Hardwood in larger widths will give you trouble with warping. You are better off using 3/4" stain grade plywood with a solid edge. Done right, no one can tell the difference, it's stronger and lighter.

I'm so tired of oak....good hardwood...but so tired of the grain...it's 'boring'...always looks the same....

If I'm going to do a light stain...soft maple (soft it's not)

Poplar is a great wood for general projects....you can stain it to 'almost' look like most of the other woods...just avoid the green stuff you get at HD or Lowes.

Alder is also a good wood...a step up from Poplar....

For darker projects...I love Birch...you can make it look like Cherry (as long as an expert does not look too close)

Here are some examples....

Soft Maple with a honey stain....I got most of this wood at $1.60 ln/ft. Sides are 1/2" Maple plywood (stain grade both sides)

This project was done with a mixture of Birch and Poplar....with the right stain and finish you can't tell which is which....

 

[Kevin54]

I'm wanting to build a bookcase out of solid wood because I want it to last and I want it to look more professional than plywood. Upon pricing some select pine, it will cost me in the neighborhood of $175 for all the boards I need to make this average sized bookcase. That includes $33/each for a 1x12 select pine board.

What is your favorite material to build stuff out of that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? Don't want to use Birch because of the finishing problems that you run into with the veneer.

I don't think you want to use 1"x12" boards. Later on down the road you'll have warpage. In making some furniture that will last, use a good grade of plywood and band the edges. It will be way more stable than one solid board. Even in the old days, they would use either a plywood or use a harder wood than pine then veneer over it. Today's lumber is grown so fast that it isn't really stable when it comes to warping. If you don't want to use a Birch plywood because of being hard to get the stain to penetrate or getting the color you want, use Birch ply then put a thin veneer over it.

 

[Kevin54]

Ddawg.....Im'a loving the looks of the fireplace surround and bookcases. Nice job!!!

 

[ddawg16]

Ddawg.....Im'a loving the looks of the fireplace surround and bookcases. Nice job!!!

Thanks Kevin.....

This is what it covers up.....the prev owners installed the fireplace in 82....on top of the paneling....we couldn't get the wood paneling off the wall next to the fireplace....so we covered it up.

As soon as I'm done with my 2-story addition...I'm taking my air chisel to the brick arch on that fireplace....

 

[1Garageman]

Thanks Kevin.....

This is what it covers up.....the prev owners installed the fireplace in 82....on top of the paneling....we couldn't get the wood paneling off the wall next to the fireplace....so we covered it up.

As soon as I'm done with my 2-story addition...I'm taking my air chisel to the brick arch on that fireplace....

I can't believe how much better that fireplace looks than it did in this picture, GREAT JOB!

 

[Kevin54]

Thanks Kevin.....

This is what it covers up.....the prev owners installed the fireplace in 82....on top of the paneling....we couldn't get the wood paneling off the wall next to the fireplace....so we covered it up.

As soon as I'm done with my 2-story addition...I'm taking my air chisel to the brick arch on that fireplace....

Wow Ddawg...that is as different as day and night. From the pic, one kind of expects the Partridge Family to be in front of the fireplace.

 

[5lima30]

Why not use plywood with a solid wood face frame. That is how I have seen many nice bookcases made. If you do it right it will be plenty sturdy.

+1^^^This!^^^ I built my built-in entertainment center out of 3/4" cabinet grade oak plywood and used solid pine that I ripped down to size for the face. Another option I have used for the face frame is hardwood flooring ripped down to size. I can get #2 grade 3/4" hardwood flooring for ~$1.89 a sq ft. Good luck!

 

[allinon72]

I'm now considering plywood but I've never done any edge banding so ill have to look into that. I like working with Birch but I always hear horror stories about staining it (if I choose to stain)

 

[Squeeker]

The edging can be iron on banding or solid wood. In fact, solid wood will increase the load capacity of the shelf and prevent it from bowing. You can glue it on and use a few pin nails to hold while it dries. Just keep the top edge of the wood level with the top edge of the plywood to keep it smooth.

 

[Holt]

Ive always found the more expensive the wood the less misstakes I make.

 

[c_mccann]

That design you posted is made for quarter sawn oak with a meduim stained finish. If you want to go paint grade, poplar trim on Birch plywood is the call. Personally, I am a mahogany guy, second choice is Cherry or a stained Alder.

Cool design..

 

[Gary S]

My preferences for hardwood are:

1. walnut
2. cherry
3. hickory
4. oak
5. juniper (aromatic cedar-it actually is a softwood, not hardwood)

I use plywood for wide spans for straightness and strength. Then, edges, faces, and trim are solid wood.

 

[trainer]

I'd consider gluing up some narrower boards to get the 1x12 pieces. Much less prone to warping and cracking with temperature and humidity changes. It's usually cheaper to buy narrower stock.
Also if you can buy directly from a mill, the price will be much better.

Red oak would be a good choice for this, especially if you could get some quarter sawn pieces for the top and wings

 

[jake00]

Wood prices aren't too bad hen you buy by the pallet...

Braz. Cherry, cumaru, santos mahogany, ipe and wenge have really jumped in recent years.

I like walnut followed by qtr'd white oak

 

[TerryH]

That design you posted is made for quarter sawn oak with a meduim stained finish. If you want to go paint grade, poplar trim on Birch plywood is the call. Personally, I am a mahogany guy, second choice is Cherry or a stained Alder.

Cool design..

+1. That design is screaming for some white oak. Quarter sawn would be super but it's quite a bit more than plain sawn. I built a ton of stuff in our house out of white oak. It is by far my favorite because we have lots of Mission style furniture. You could mix plywood and soild. I do that on most furniture. It's just good furniture making practice to use good plywood where it works best and solid wood where it works best.

Lots of solid wood in this entertainment center but it has plywood shelves and side panels.

These pantry cabinets have solid wood face frames with plywood shelves. The door panels, drawer front panels and window seat are plywood also.

Bottom line is that it just makes good sense to use plywood in places that it is suited for in projects.

 

[TerryH]

ddawg16....

Just an incredible transformation!!! Really looks great.

 

[KEH]

To save on finances, go to Salvation Army, Habitat, or other thrift stores. You may find shelves that will work fine and can be refinished. OR you could get some pieces of furniture and salvage the wood from them for your project.

KEH

 

[srmofo]

In highschool I always used poplar because it was only slightly more expensive than pine and looked a whole lot nicer. It stains well and is easier to work with than a harder/denser wood like oak.

The green color covers easy with the right stain

 

[allinon72]

In highschool I always used poplar because it was only slightly more expensive than pine and looked a whole lot nicer. It stains well and is easier to work with than a harder/denser wood like oak.

The green color covers easy with the right stain

Poplar seems like a real decent option for this particular project. If you look at the design, it's completely open, meaning there isn't a lot of places to use plywood other than the back.

 

[shoot summ]

I'm going to stay out of the "which wood" discussion, it really depends more on where the piece is going, and what other pieces it has to go with.

I'm not a fan of staining woods to make them look like something else. Most newer build houses have "cherry finish" cabinets and trim, not cherry wood, I'm somewhat of a purist. When I was doing cabinet work if someone wanted cherry, they got cherry, not cherry finish.

To address solid versus ply. Solid wood tends to move/shrink/expand in relation to moisture in the air or the lack of. So for long, flat, wide parts most tend to use ply as it is more stable with little or no movement. In the design you are showing I would use a combination of solid wood faced ply(I'm not a fan of iron on edging), and solid wood. Watch the ply from the box stores, the veneer is very thin and easy to sand through.

 

[onewaydave]

There is a lot of potential here.

Don't buy finished wood from a BBS. Wander out into the country a bit and find a saw mill and buy seasoned rough cut wood. For instance, I recently bought about 20 2x 8-10" 8' rough cut maple for less than $100. That would make several bookcases without a bit of ply or buy about 2 1x10 4ss boards from a BBS.

Your area should influence the choice of wood for the bookcase (you say it is not intended to be an heirloom so specifying a wood type is much less an issue). I use what's plentiful, cheap enough, and meets aesthetic and workability demands. For me that boils down to Walnut, cherry, oak and a few other less commonly milled species.

I like the bookcase design, but I would change the curved sides to slightly angled (7-10 degrees). Leave the arch sill under the top and in the kick plate. The arch will stand out more and could even be increased in height a bit.

If you don't have mill capabilities (planer, jointer, accurate table saw, band saw) then read and learn to mill lumber by hand. The size of this project would not increase the time invested a whole lot (but would increase the cost in energy input significantly, well calories versus amps) and with 3 planes, 2-4 saws,and a few chisels everything could be done by hand.

I have a few early American antiques that have 10-14" wide boards in them that have not warped in 150 years or so (and I have others that have warped). They are all quarter sawn. Finding seasoned, quarter sawn hardwood today to complete a project will put the investment in the heirloom category.

Learn to joint. Stickley did.

If you use panels, raised/flat or otherwise, you need to stain/finish/paint before assembly. Wood moves.

Dave.

 

[onewaydave]

... To address solid versus ply. Solid wood tends to move/shrink/expand in relation to moisture in the air or the lack of. So for long, flat, wide parts most tend to use ply as it is more stable with little or no movement. ...

Solid wood construction has a whole different look and feel because of this. I like the solid wood construction but use ply for things I care less about.

Ply/MDF/vernier move also, just not as much.

Movement was accounted for in the frame-panel style of construction. If one compares the ply with end frame to that there is a subtle (or not so subtle) difference in the appearance. The solid (usually a joint up) is trapped in the frame and allowed to move.

Another difference in ply and solid is the trend to 3/4" dimensions. Modern construction is mostly 3/4" based where as it was not uncommon to find true 1" or 7/8" thick wood in older pieces. The difference is notable in the feel, weight, appearance and sound or the structure.

Dave.

 

[TheShrine]

My favorite is what I've got.....it's go'n to be a mantle.

 

[Voi]

I'm wanting to build a bookcase out of solid wood because I want it to last and I want it to look more professional than plywood. Upon pricing some select pine, it will cost me in the neighborhood of $175 for all the boards I need to make this average sized bookcase. That includes $33/each for a 1x12 select pine board.

What is your favorite material to build stuff out of that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? Don't want to use Birch because of the finishing problems that you run into with the veneer.

I would use poplar instead of pine as it takes stain more evenly than pine. And even if you get a batch with a lot of green heart wood it can look pretty good with the right stain.

I see the plans you linked to have the option of either solid wood or plywood for the vertical sides where the shelf pins go. I wouldn't rule this out as it would be more stable and might even be cheaper than the equivalent solid wood glue up. But you do need to be a bit more careful when choosing wood species. In some cases the veneer won't take a stain like the solid wood will.

I've seen poplar matched to both cherry and maple plywood but it's dependent on stain color.

If you do use plywood, I would strongly encourage you to use one with a plain sawn veneer vs a rotary sawn veneer. In my area that means going to a wood dealer that supplies cabinet shops.

Do you have a jointer and/or planer or are you going to need to buy S4S wood?