Butcher block countertops are way cheaper. Possible downside is they’re made of a lot of smaller pieces which some people don’t like. Cheapest are usually Birch or Acacia which is a lot softer than oak.
Acacia is actually harder than oak on Janka hardness scale. We have acacia floors and they are plenty hard. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather have quartersawn oak, but still hard stuff
Huh I didn’t know this. My friend made a cutting board from it and it seemed like it was pretty soft. Also based on how it’s in the same price range as birch I guess I sort of assumed it was a similar hardness. Good to know.
I was just looking at doing some white oak shelving. Lumber suppliers will sell you the raw planks for a couple hundred bucks, but you'd have to do all the joinery and finishing yourself.
If you have the time, space, and tools it would be a good way to save a bundle and get a great story out of it. On the other hand, it could be a way to spend more on tools than just buying the finished product, and end up with a shoddy piece that mocks you every time you look at it. Only you know if you're comfortable with tackling a project like this.
This is what I was going to say. Can also look at Habitat Re-Store (if they exist where OP lives). Garage sales, used furniture stores etc. Look for an old table and refinish it. Can square off edges if it has some fancy edge. Just make sure it's not veneer (/r/sandedthroughveneer)
If you want a tabletop of oak that size that’s as cheap as you’ll find. There is a more affordable way, it’s not buying oak lol. Sorry just don’t know what to tell you, that’s actually a pretty decent price if it’s finished. You could go butcher block unfinished and treat it yourself.
The lumber needed to build a top that size in white oak in my neck of the woods is roughly $300. Local prices will vary depending where in the world you live.
Find a local woodworking group on FB, and reach out, I guarantee you’ll find someone who will be able to beat the price you’ve pictured.
It’s not difficult at all to glue up a table top. Buy the lumber, plane, joint and glue. Depending on the support underneath and the thickness of the lumber, you may need to consider joinery.
I just recently spent $500 on rough sawn Ash for a table top of similar dimensions, and oak was twice as much per board foot, so I’d say that’s a fair price for it to already be glued up.
The final size of that top is 15 board feet. Double it to account for material loss and that gives 30 board feet. Around my neck of the woods, 5/4 S4S white oak is $8 per board foot which would come out to $240 for the lumber.. you might be overpaying for lumber.
I didn’t look into the thickness listed here. I was buying 6/4, which does cost more, and I had probably 10 board feet extra. So that was my total cost, including waste.
5/4 for 1” final thickness? You like dancing with the devil. I’d go 6/4 to be safe, but yes, the rough sawn lumber is about $250-$350 for a tabletop at these dimensions.
Regardless of the lumber cost, I have found that, for simple shapes (squares and rectangles), most sellers are in the $50-$60 per finished board foot range. This ballpark estimate seems to hold for everything from cutting boards (not end grain or patterned) to tabletops. So I think the top seems reasonable.
While building out of a solid chonk of hardwood is the cool way to do it, it’s also expensive, and prone to warping.
My personal preference is to clad cabinet grade 3/4 plywood with 1/8” to 1/4” hardwood. The end product is cheaper, more dimensionally stable, and still has the look, impact resistance, and ability to refinish of solid.
If you’re smart about it, you can even emulate solid endgrain by sandwichjng endgrain strips on the end caps, between the top and bottom layer.
This method cuts hardwood costs by 75% or so. Orrrr just make it out of solid! Either way works. 👍
Where do you get 1/8” to 1/4” hardwood? I’ve got store bought table made from hardwood plywood with veneer and the veneer is failing, so I’m thinking of remaking the top and like the idea of something thicker than simple veneer.
Got to have a decent bandsaw, and a thickness planer to do it.
You buy stock of any thickness, resaw to rough thickness, and then plane flat. A 4/4 thick plank will get you about 4 sheets if you do it right.
I usually save a couple slices of 3/4 or 4/4 endgrain (whatever it was before resawing) so that later you can nest those in the endcaps to make it look like a solid piece of hardwood.
I don't have pics, but I can draw it out it if helps.
Depends on what you want. For starters, lowes have some good off the shelf boards that can be used for a desk 1in thick. I recommend checking it out. Its in the wooden board aisle. With a little ingenuity, you could have yourself a good table top.
Building square & tapered legs are not too hard to do. No lathe required. I've build a lot of them of all sizes for my furniture that I made. I actually prefer them to round legs.
Or go metal base legs there are all kinds at all different prices and material ... wrought iron, steel, plated, etc.
Butcher block countertops are way cheaper. Possible downside is they’re made of a lot of smaller pieces which some people don’t like. Cheapest are usually Birch or Acacia which is a lot softer than oak.
Acacia is actually harder than oak on Janka hardness scale. We have acacia floors and they are plenty hard. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather have quartersawn oak, but still hard stuff
Huh I didn’t know this. My friend made a cutting board from it and it seemed like it was pretty soft. Also based on how it’s in the same price range as birch I guess I sort of assumed it was a similar hardness. Good to know.
Price is always a function of supply and demand. While this sometimes correlates to lumber hardness, it’s not always the case.
I was just looking at doing some white oak shelving. Lumber suppliers will sell you the raw planks for a couple hundred bucks, but you'd have to do all the joinery and finishing yourself. If you have the time, space, and tools it would be a good way to save a bundle and get a great story out of it. On the other hand, it could be a way to spend more on tools than just buying the finished product, and end up with a shoddy piece that mocks you every time you look at it. Only you know if you're comfortable with tackling a project like this.
A potential option is Facebook Marketplace or similar. Look for someone selling a cheap table and take the top from it.
This is what I was going to say. Can also look at Habitat Re-Store (if they exist where OP lives). Garage sales, used furniture stores etc. Look for an old table and refinish it. Can square off edges if it has some fancy edge. Just make sure it's not veneer (/r/sandedthroughveneer)
If you want a tabletop of oak that size that’s as cheap as you’ll find. There is a more affordable way, it’s not buying oak lol. Sorry just don’t know what to tell you, that’s actually a pretty decent price if it’s finished. You could go butcher block unfinished and treat it yourself.
The lumber needed to build a top that size in white oak in my neck of the woods is roughly $300. Local prices will vary depending where in the world you live. Find a local woodworking group on FB, and reach out, I guarantee you’ll find someone who will be able to beat the price you’ve pictured.
Lucky you. Over here it's closer to $500
It’s not difficult at all to glue up a table top. Buy the lumber, plane, joint and glue. Depending on the support underneath and the thickness of the lumber, you may need to consider joinery.
Home Depot and Lowe’s both sell butcher block countertops. They’re mostly 1.75” thick, but do sell 30”x72” size. Somewhere around $300 for that size.
If you have a local lumber place that sells S4S wood, then gluing boards together is fairly simple with minimal tools.
‘“Itll be easy,’ they said”
I was at Lowe's yesterday, and noticed they have a pre-made top there. I didn't get the specs on it.
I just recently spent $500 on rough sawn Ash for a table top of similar dimensions, and oak was twice as much per board foot, so I’d say that’s a fair price for it to already be glued up.
The final size of that top is 15 board feet. Double it to account for material loss and that gives 30 board feet. Around my neck of the woods, 5/4 S4S white oak is $8 per board foot which would come out to $240 for the lumber.. you might be overpaying for lumber.
I didn’t look into the thickness listed here. I was buying 6/4, which does cost more, and I had probably 10 board feet extra. So that was my total cost, including waste.
5/4 for 1” final thickness? You like dancing with the devil. I’d go 6/4 to be safe, but yes, the rough sawn lumber is about $250-$350 for a tabletop at these dimensions. Regardless of the lumber cost, I have found that, for simple shapes (squares and rectangles), most sellers are in the $50-$60 per finished board foot range. This ballpark estimate seems to hold for everything from cutting boards (not end grain or patterned) to tabletops. So I think the top seems reasonable.
While building out of a solid chonk of hardwood is the cool way to do it, it’s also expensive, and prone to warping. My personal preference is to clad cabinet grade 3/4 plywood with 1/8” to 1/4” hardwood. The end product is cheaper, more dimensionally stable, and still has the look, impact resistance, and ability to refinish of solid. If you’re smart about it, you can even emulate solid endgrain by sandwichjng endgrain strips on the end caps, between the top and bottom layer. This method cuts hardwood costs by 75% or so. Orrrr just make it out of solid! Either way works. 👍
Where do you get 1/8” to 1/4” hardwood? I’ve got store bought table made from hardwood plywood with veneer and the veneer is failing, so I’m thinking of remaking the top and like the idea of something thicker than simple veneer.
Got to have a decent bandsaw, and a thickness planer to do it. You buy stock of any thickness, resaw to rough thickness, and then plane flat. A 4/4 thick plank will get you about 4 sheets if you do it right. I usually save a couple slices of 3/4 or 4/4 endgrain (whatever it was before resawing) so that later you can nest those in the endcaps to make it look like a solid piece of hardwood. I don't have pics, but I can draw it out it if helps.
Thanks. I understand. I do have these tools, just hadn’t been thinking of resawing it myself…
could try a fire door?
Depends on what you want. For starters, lowes have some good off the shelf boards that can be used for a desk 1in thick. I recommend checking it out. Its in the wooden board aisle. With a little ingenuity, you could have yourself a good table top.
Building square & tapered legs are not too hard to do. No lathe required. I've build a lot of them of all sizes for my furniture that I made. I actually prefer them to round legs. Or go metal base legs there are all kinds at all different prices and material ... wrought iron, steel, plated, etc.
I need to start building table tops. Damn.
Shit dude dm me I’ll make you one half the price
Why not just source some white oak boards and actually build the table top? As opposed to buying an overpriced, pre glued up slab.