Favorite solid wood to use for projects?

[ddawg16]

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.

The iron on edging is almost impossible to tell from real wood....unless you look close. I don't use it very often...I prefer solid wood....you can get thin trim strips 3/4" wide that fit perfect....as Squeeker says...a couple of nails to hold it in place while the glue dries....then sand to match....

Another option is molding....they make lots of 3/4" molding with different looks that can really change how something looks. That is what I used on the shelves...

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

10x the work....even if you have a biscuit cutter and use biscuits, you still have a lot of work getting the plank smooth.....and unless the boards have had time to move to their final position...you still taking the chance of warpage and and planks pulling apart. Additionally, to do it right, you also need a jointer....

The only time I do something like this is when I want the look of several boards together....hence, it's something will be facing the person...not coverd with books....

If you look at the mantel of my fireplace...that is about a 10" wide board that was glued together from 2 strips....it's attached to a 2x4 that keeps it flat....I bet I have about 10 hours into making just the top board of the mantel....



Regarding staining....one of the keys to getting good repeatable results....use a pre-stain conditioner....it does two things....it helps you find the small scratches you missed...and it helps prevent the 'blotches' that you get on large surfaces....

 

[allinon72]

Wow this thread has taken quite the turn! I have basic woodworking tools and this project is not terribly complex. I do not have a planer or jointer.

I'm thinking of doing this with painted birch ply with a nice piece of stained poplar for the top.

 

[ddawg16]

Wow this thread has taken quite the turn! I have basic woodworking tools and this project is not terribly complex. I do not have a planer or jointer.

I'm thinking of doing this with painted birch ply with a nice piece of stained poplar for the top.

Paint? NO.....NO....NO....you only paint wood that goes on the walls out outside your house.....

A stained and varnished shelf will look and last much longer than any painted shelf.....and nothing yells cheap quicker than painted wood....(with a few exceptions).

 

[allinon72]

You are killing me here! I've decided on about 10 different wood choices since I've started this thread.

 

[Gary S]

Paint? NO.....NO....NO....you only paint wood that goes on the walls out outside your house.....

A stained and varnished shelf will look and last much longer than any painted shelf.....and nothing yells cheap quicker than painted wood....(with a few exceptions).

100% correct! It is a felony to paint hardwood. It is done only by folks who can't do anything else.

 

[turbowoodworker]

I routinely make bookcase and cabinets from hardwood plywood (walnut, mahogany, alder, maple veneers over venner cores. expensive but well worth it. Compimentary hardwood face frames, drawer fronts etc.
My favorite hardwoods to make furniture fromm are walnut and mahogany. They are easier on tools and easier to stain than maple and they look fantastic if you choose your wood well.

 

[1Garageman]

Check Craigslist also for wood under material, you can sometimes get great deals there on wood, or even sometimes in the free area!

 

[ishiboo]

Red oak is still my favorite... inexpensive as hardwoods go and manly/warm.

 

[c_mccann]

For color, Alder beats Poplar as it has no green in it and it has a more uniform grain pattern. The hardwoods are preferred over Pine as you can get a sharper (truer) edge from them while tooling, less (or no) knots, they will not warp over time and can carry a heavier load. Pine can be pretty, but is a lousy material to machine and has many bad properties to it, most come from the fact that it is still wet when sold and is poor grade. A grade pine will cost as much as any of the common hardwoods.

 

[turbowoodworker]

^^^this.
Alder is great to work with. just hard enough but easy on tools and the look is great. Often it is the least expensive wood in the yard. Pine ***** unless you are building a fire.

 

[ddawg16]

For color, Alder beats Poplar as it has no green in it and it has a more uniform grain pattern. The hardwoods are preferred over Pine as you can get a sharper (truer) edge from them while tooling, less (or no) knots, they will not warp over time and can carry a heavier load. Pine can be pretty, but is a lousy material to machine and has many bad properties to it, most come from the fact that it is still wet when sold and is poor grade. A grade pine will cost as much as any of the common hardwoods.

That is a real good point.....if you go price clear pine....it is almost as much as any of the hardwoods.....and about 1/4th the hardness.....

You want to avoid pine for furniture as it too easy to dent and damage....

 

[Mandres]

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.

Welcome to the outrageous prices for s4s lumber at the big box stores. As a general rule don't ever buy any wood there except MDF, 2x4s and CDX plywood for sheathing if you can help it. Around here they charge >$7.00 per board foot for pine. That's more than I pay for cherry or walnut at the good yard.

find a real hardwood lumberyard and see what they have available. Ask around and see if you know someone with a planer/jointer to let you mill it to size, or pick up an old hand plane and put in the work.

 

[GarageEnvy]

I like mahogany. It's stable. It finishes great. It machines like butter. It's available in wide widths. The downside is it can be a bit soft for some projects.

Here's a table that is mahogany veneer with a Philippine mahogany border. The plywood is grooved and calked. The top has a poured finish which is really soft. It also had to be flashed with a torch to prevent bubbles.
<a href="http://s1222.beta.photobucket.com/user/richardsam/media/gj%20photos/DSC08109.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd490/richardsam/gj%20photos/DSC08109.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo DSC08109.jpg"/></a>

Here's an African mahogany coffee table with a brown stain and conversion varnish finish.
<a href="http://s1222.beta.photobucket.com/user/richardsam/media/gj%20photos/Table3.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd490/richardsam/gj%20photos/Table3.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Table3.jpg"/></a>

Both of those are relatively inexpensive. I paid about $4.25 a board foot for the African.

Here is an entertainment center I made with Honduras mahogany. The price is crazy now. Last time I priced it, it was $18 a board foot.
<a href="http://s1222.beta.photobucket.com/user/richardsam/media/DSC06508.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd490/richardsam/DSC06508.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo DSC06508.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1222.beta.photobucket.com/user/richardsam/media/DSC06510.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd490/richardsam/DSC06510.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo DSC06510.jpg"/></a>

For durability, I used some black walnut that was given to me for my kids bookshelf. It has nothing more than a clear finish. As you can see it takes a beating.
<a href="http://s1222.beta.photobucket.com/user/richardsam/media/DSC09988-1_zps29bcd69f.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd490/richardsam/DSC09988-1_zps29bcd69f.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo DSC09988-1_zps29bcd69f.jpg"/></a>

 

[srmofo]

Wow this thread has taken quite the turn! I have basic woodworking tools and this project is not terribly complex. I do not have a planer or jointer.

I'm thinking of doing this with painted birch ply with a nice piece of stained poplar for the top.

Im going to say that if you dont have a jointer or planner, then plywood with veneer is going to be your best bet.

I didnt look at the plans but if you have no way to do glue ups then buying the actual dimension boards is going to get real expensive real quick. Nearly every board has some bow to it anyway and without a way to remove that (jointer) its going to be difficult to get a professional look

 

[Kevin54]

100% correct! It is a felony to paint hardwood. It is done only by folks who can't do anything else.

It's just history repeating itself. Years ago, most of the furniture was made of oak, walnut, or mahogany and people were tired of the wood, so to freshen things up, it was painted. I don't know how many pieces of furniture that my dad bought cheap because it was painted, only to strip it down and find oak, walnut, or mahogany underneath. Then there was a lot of furniture that was made and then covered with a thin layer of wood veneer. I have a Melodian that my parents had that was made from Rosewood and Rosewood veneer.

 

[shocksandstrutz]

I like black walnut.......BIL has a bunch of trees we cut down and are resting and drying out so we can take them to the mill and have boards made......cant wait, were going to build a really nice dining room table and chairs.

 

[GarageEnvy]

One thing to consider is the thickness of the veneers. Many of the modern veneers are REALLY thin. Anything more than a light sanding will go through some of them. The mahogany veneer in the plywood entertainment center above was about as thick as heavy paper.

 

[bww_mnm]

i didn't view the entire thread, but can't go wrong w/ cherry. pretty it up w/ glossy, "red" stain to go fancy, or clear coat for more casual / modern.

here's a link worth looking at ... they use plywood w/ hardwood banding.
http://57thstreetbookcases.com/

 

[bighouse01]

Buddy of mine has been in a kick lately making stuff out of siding from an old barn. Weathered gray, raised grain, looks awesome.