How thick to mill WO for a big dining table?

crmorse · July 21, 2020, 04:06:17 PM

I have some really nice white oak that I plan to use for a big dining table. Probably 10 or 12 place. I haven't decided on the design yet (or even close to doing so) but I will probably want to build it with leaves so it's not so large all the time. That said, no matter what it'll end up HEAVY so I'll need to keep the material as thin as I can.

Given that I need to saw the wood now in order to be ready to build it in a couple of years what size should I mill the slabs? I'm thinking 5/4 for the tops and not make much special effort to QS so that I'll yield a mix of both flat and QS to work with. For the legs I'm thinking 12/4 or 16/4 and maybe try to center the pith in them? Not sure really, I've never built anything this big out of hardwood before. Previously I've done face-frame cabinets and bed frames from the lumber store so it's pretty much whatever board stock they happened to have.

To be honest, milling my own lumber excites me but having to decide now how to cut it for a project I'm planning years into the future is a bit overwhelming. (currently working on building the frame of my house so the cabinets, flooring, and furniture really are literally years away.

Like I said, I'm not at all decided on what it will look like but I'm currently thinking something like this.
https://www.amishtables.com/collections/tables-for-14-or-more/products/cambridge-trestle-extension-table

I also have a nice hickory log I could use. Any thoughts about WO versus hickory?

SawyerTed · July 21, 2020, 05:00:34 PM

I saw more white oak than pine or anything else. My suggestion is saw a true 1 3/8 inch. That way you will account for at least part of the defects that will occur. You might have extra planing but I suspect you'll want the extra thickness. It's not unusual to get 20% loss in white oak so saw plenty of extra. For legs I would saw free of heart 16/4. Throw the pith in the firewood pile.

One of my regular customers has me saw white oak for tables and cabinets. His table stock we saw just this way. He is a very high end furniture and cabinet maker, his stuff sells for thousands so he is very particular about how I saw his logs.

Most of what I saw for him is quarter sawn.

crmorse · July 21, 2020, 05:02:24 PM

Thanks for that info! Does he have a website or pictures I could look at? Promise I won't compete ;-)

scsmith42 · July 21, 2020, 05:19:12 PM

Ditto what Ted said.

We do a lot of quartersawing, and my recommendation would be to mill for a 5/4 thick dry board. The QS portion of your log will shrink around 12% in thickness as it dries, so I would mill at 1-7/16" green for a 5/4 thick dry, quartersawn board. That should finish out around 1", give or take depending upon log quality.

For the legs, if you mill 16/4 they will require several years to dry.

If you don't want to wait, consider milling them at 5/4, drying, and then doing a glue up after S2S. Make your glued up thickness 1/4" thicker than desired finish thickness, and then slice an 1/8" of veneer off of each clear face to glue on the sides to hide the glue lines.

This method is extremely stable, costs less for drying time, and allows you to bookmatch the veneer face to the adjoining face - adding an additional artistic element to the project.

SawyerTed · July 21, 2020, 06:22:41 PM

Quote from: crmorse on July 21, 2020, 05:02:24 PM
Thanks for that info! Does he have a website or pictures I could look at? Promise I won't compete ;-)

😂 he's pretty well known in our area and is "old school" does no advertising, no website etc. He might share photos if you know him well. He shows me photos on his phone. He turns down work all the time because he's so busy.
He's built cabinets in NASCAR drivers' and owners' home from lumber I cut for him in spring and fall of 2018

busenitzcww · July 21, 2020, 10:09:34 PM

Different kind of table but I'm getting ready to slab some 12/4 WO 14' long and 48" wide :D I built a bedroom set out of qtr sawn WO here 2 years ago, and used the glue up/ veneer method on the legs and really like the look. As far as thickness it's always easy to go thinner than thicker.

sealark37 · July 23, 2020, 06:04:36 PM

My experience with dining room tables indicates 5/4 boards for the top and skirt. Don't try to use very wide boards, as they cup and twist. For the legs, I have had much better results with 5/4 boards, glued to the desired thickness. 16/4 takes a long time to dry properly, and heart-cut legs tend to split. Be careful to seal all surfaces. You only need to stain the visible surfaces, but a few coats of sealer on the unexposed areas will pay dividends. If you use removable leaves, don't try to make the extension supports. The commercial ones hold much closer tolerances, with less wiggle. Be patient.