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Type of wood for table?

FSUScotsman
FSUScotsman Posts: 754
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I apologize first of all because I know that this has been discussed but there are so many references to "table" and "wood" that the search engine just can't find what I need.

What I'm looking to find out is the type of wood that I can use for my table. Red wood here is $45 for each length. Cypress is pretty close to that as well. Oak is over $40!! In wood alone I would have over $500. Can I use yellow pine, stain it and then urethane it? Any other suggestions?

Comments

  • Ripnem
    Ripnem Posts: 5,511
    You can build the structure with treated pine and then finish it off with yellow pine or anything else you like. Seal the crap out of it and maybe even keep it covered. Mines 100% cedar (reclamed and free) and sealed very well.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,667
    if you can find douglas fir its tougher than regular pine. the half log siding on my house has been there since the 40's and the flooring is still origional in my house. when urethaned it looks like cedar. should be closer to the pine in price
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • tbonemac
    tbonemac Posts: 69
    Check with a local sawmill to see what you can get the lumber for. I bought mine at a sawmill had them cut it down to size. It was still rough but nothing so bad that a good sanding could not take care of.
  • otisdog
    otisdog Posts: 187
    Try a lumber yard as opposed to home stores. Usually cheaper. I'm just finishing mine and cedar looks pretty good. I got rough sided cedar and sanded it down. I don't think I'm much over $200 total cost. Don't know how it will weather yet.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    i would humbly implore you to consider anything other than PT pine. treated pine offers no extra benefit compared to any other wood (when used as a table), and costs almost as much (at least in my area) as cedar or mahogany.

    i would choose something that looks good, and maintain it. PT wood needs to have its finish maintained as well, but can't measure up as far as aesthetics go. and the expense of the pressure-treating is wasted because it isn't doing anything for you. even a pine (untreated) table table, properly finished and maintained, can be expected not to rot or be attacked by insects.

    man, do i hate PT. it has its proper uses, but furniture isn't one of them

    sorry for the rant... i just think he'd be happier with something that looked great and didn't cost a premium for some aspect that isn't being capitalized on
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Tripmaker
    Tripmaker Posts: 124
    I used "Massaranduba" which is a very hard Brazillian red wood. Got it from a local lumberyard for $2.09 a foot for 1X4. It has a deep red color after being oiled, looks great.
    album_pic.php?pic_id=48282
  • I don't know where you are located which will make a big difference but try the sawmills in your area that deal with the local woods. You may have to seek them out. We have a saw mill here that deals only with Cypress and Cedar. The Cypress for my XL table was only $100.00. and I built with an extra an shelf and it is strong enough to park a Tank on.
    DinnerwatchedbySecuritySuperviso-1.jpg
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    Don't worry I'm not doing PT. That stuff is for decks!

    As for the prices I quoted that was from lumber yards. Lowe's & Home Depot are even higher. I'm in Tallahassee.
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    Thanks. We are looking for that now.
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    I'll see if I can find one. This isn't exactly a big lumber area except for pine.
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    That is really pretty!!!!
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    heck. it ain't even for decks. hahaha

    though they made decking material out of it to meet the demand.

    the only board that needs to be PT on a deck is the ledger at the house, in case the flashing fails or there is a potential for insect activity. even the posts shouldn't need it, since they (properly) should land on a dry footing.

    insects and rot don't attack a deck hovering in the air.

    oy. i am such a dork.
    >dismounting soap box
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    Another great table. I've been on the phone and there is supposedly a cypress mill about 60-70 miles from me. I'll let everyone know. Thanks for all the help.

    Oh, it will be under a BGE cover until I get the patio roof up.
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    :laugh: No I understand. My grandfather was a carpenter and my dad was an engineer. Both were adament about using the right material for the right job.
  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    Not so fast Scooter.....code in this county requires that deck posts be buried to a minimum depth of 18". Mine are encased in concrete, but that is not a requirement.
  • If you are in Tallahassee and can't find a local saw mill it would be worth the drive to Milton 2.5 hours to get Cypress or Cedar. You might call them and arrange some sort of delivery they may come to that area for deliveries who knows.

    I can't believe that Cypress is that much more there. Call them and check it out if you spent $100. for the wood and $100. for gas you would still be ahead of the game. This saw mill only deals with Cedar and Cypress. Wilson Lumber in Harold Fl. 850-626-9198 ask for the better grades unless you like the knots look.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    if they are buried, sure. i happen to know a couple things about the building code. heh heh heh

    PT was in fact invented for use in wood foundations. buried in the earth (enclosed in poly, however). folks could never wrap their heads around that, so when contractors started using it for anything and everything as some sort of cure-all magic wood, the PT folks didn't dissuade them from it.

    you know, if you were to allow the PT post to sit on concrete, rather than separated with poly, you basically just short circuited it. concrete leaches the PT right out of the wood, rendering it nothing more than unprotected pine.

    i'm just saying it is overused, often in a way that doesn't gain any benefit from it's having been treated. that treating costs a premium and is therefore a waste of money.

    exposed (unfinished) PT deck offers no protection against insect, rot, weather, etc. but you'll see it everywhere. it also splits and checks and splinters horribly after a few seasons, where cedar, mahogany, etc. (for a BGE table) have tighter grain and won't have the same issue, even if also unfinished.

    blah blah blah

    shut up stike
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Anyone tried Ipe?

    Where mine will be sitting is gonna take weather and the lumber guy said this stuff is outstanding for o/d applications. Said it is a really attractive wood, comes finished at 3.70/ ft. Thats not too bad if it is something that I don't have to assemble then disassemble, stain and reassemble.

    Also said it is hard as concrete, all holes are pre-drill, cuts with a carbide blade, etc.


    Interesting.
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    WOW!!! Great!!! I'm on the trail of a place in Whigham, GA right now. If this doesn't pan out I'm going to be driving my dad's truck to get some wood!!

    Isn't it just amazing at the price difference? I've always said the cost of living in Tallahassee was just a lot higher than a lot of other places in the South. Just another example.
  • Ipe Wood


    Googling it right now and going to stop by the Lumber yard tomorrow and check it out.
  • Basically a Brazilian Walnut, It is Bad A$$ but hard to work with because it is so hard. You just about have to use Carbide bits and diamond blades. Usually a little pricey but will last forever. The next time I have to re-do any floors I am going to look into IPE flooring. It is so dense water can not penitrate it and bugs can't eat it even if they wanted to.
    http://www.ipe-wood.com/faq.html
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    I found my wood!! I got it a ways up into Georgia, but I've got cypress now, dressed out. I bought 3x3s for the legs and all of it with just a little extra to make a stand for the small cost me right at $100!!! I'll be able to get the wood tomorrow. I am really EGGcited about this.

    Now I just have to order the large table cover from Atlanta, no one has one here, which doesn't surprise me in the least.
  • AlwaysGolf
    AlwaysGolf Posts: 704
    Hey Scotsman where do you live in Tallahassee. Wife and I were both born and raised there. Lived there until I joined the Army in 87. I understand when you mention the cost of living there. That is why when I retired from the Army we chose Texas (although the area I am in the property taxes are a killer).

    I am a Die hard Nole fan. Not sure about Jimbo as Bobby's replacement. Maybe they should go after Turner Gill, just give Jimbo his $5million.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    i've been rethinking the PT . i'm afraid you may have made a mistake. :laugh:

    congrats.

    never see cypress up here. i'm amazed it cost only a hundred bucks.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Good deal. That is about the same price as it is here. You will make out better with that little road trip. Saw mills are the best deal going. When I picked up my wood they threw in 4 or 5 more 1x4's and a couple of 2x4's, they said just incase I measured short. :laugh: I measured right but had enough for an extra shelf and added more bracing. :)
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    I live out in the boonies on the Southside. I came back here after I got out of the Army, a few years before you got in. I Egg so I don't have to run their exorbitant utilities!!! :laugh:

    I'm a season ticket holder. I think if it weren't for Jimbo we might have been losing nine games a year for the past few. Bobby has been great, but retirement is calling.

    I'm more of a baseball fan though. It killed me when we got knocked out of the Supers this year in our own park....by a bunch of piggies!!!
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    NOT FUNNY!!!! :angry:

    I was surprised as well. I've got a picture that I'm going to post in a new thread tonight. Wait till you see THIS wood!!!
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    This place didn't through in more boards, but everything is longer than I paid for. My legs will be 4x4s and all are long enough that I'm going to be able to make the table at least six inches taller than BGE's plans. That's great for me because I'm 6'4".
  • Ripnem
    Ripnem Posts: 5,511
    I said treated for the structure...Not the finished surfaces. You know, like a deck...Treated to support and something else on top of it as a finished surface. Who in their right mind would build the whole thing out of PT pine?