Im looking to build a single surface 5' by 8' dining table. The client is looking for a relatively massive appearance ... that is a side skirt of 4". The top is envisioned to be whitewashed rift sawn White oak or White ash (discussed in the finish forum).
Any thoughts on how to build this top in a way that keeps the weight manageable, and the surface flat? I was envisioning veneering an engineered structure (torsion box) of 1/4" material sandwiching an end-grain balsa or honeycomb (nomex) interior with a thick veneer surface. Would I be able to vacuum bag the structure without collapsing or distorting the core? Other ideas?