Advice on some recycled pine...

[Michael Donahue]

Hey folks! A friend of my mom's had built a trestle table out of pine they cut down on their property a while back (I'm thinking the 70s based on the color of the stain!). They passed it on to me to use in an apartment I had at school a few years back. I used it for a while but it was in rough shape so it got retired.

I want to use the wood to make a new computer/work table so I'm looking for some advice and design ideas. The boards are close to 1 3/4" thick now but some of that will be lost in cleaning it up and planing/sanding it down. I like the rustic look of the wood (cracks and all :)) and want to build a table roughly 30"x6'.

I'm looking for any tips or advice you can give me. I like the rustic look of the knots/cracks and the patina that the wood has, so what style of table would work well with this? I don't want to do another trestle table because the stretcher always got in my way underneath! What kind of finish would you use on this? I won't be writing directly on it because the wood is so soft anyway, but I want it to be durable without being plastic-y like the old super thick poly finish was. Also, how would you treat the cracks? Epoxy, or maybe darker wood filler? They don't seem structural FWIW.

Thanks for the help!

[Mike Wilkins]

Table designs are all over the map; you just have to choose what you like and run with it. Pine is not a wood species that is used for formal-type of furniture, so something with 4 legs, possibly tapered would look good.
If the cracks are not structural you could just leave them. Most wood fillers stand out like a sore thumb anyway, so if you can't avoid them, use that board in a hidden place.
As for finishes; I used Shellac on the last piece I made from old antique heart pine. Not much protection, but it was only a small bookcase. A satin finish poly would offer more protection and not look plasticky(is that a word?).

[Jamie Buxton]

For a desk, you could make a trestle table with the uprights of the trestle offset to the rear. Then the stretcher would be away from your knees. If you look at other desks, that's effectively what they do: the lateral bracing is at the rear.