Another Dresser Top Question

[Sean Troy]

For aesthetic reasons, how would you handle this situation? The top is 67 x 22. The plans called for 6 equal pieces edge joined to make the top. I was trying to do it in three but can't make the depth. I could go two 7" boards, one on the front the other to the back and two 4 " for the middle boards or would the middle boards be better off the wider ones? Or? The wood is quarter sawn wht. oak.thanks, Sean

[Philip Rodriquez]

I would go with the best grain and color match and not worry about the size of the boards. If the color and grain are a good match, the joint will be hard to see.

[David Giles]

If the grain match works well, then whatever you do will be hard to see. And the QS oak usually hides glue lines well. But, the eye seems drawn to the middle of anything. Which is right where your glue line exists. So the middle section needs to be a perfect match or you might consider using an odd number of boards (one 7" plus four 3 3/4")

[David Thompson 27577]

Note that quarter sawn white oak is one of the woods that changes color based on your perspective -- if you look at from the "east" (for example) it will look much different than if you walk around it and look at it from the west.

I don't know what this effect is called -- I sometimes refer to it as irridescence. The wood seems to change while you're walking past it.

And to the best of my knowledge, it is also related to grain direction -- which way the board was oriented when it was still in the tree -- which end was up.

In some of the victorian palaces, there are rooms with herringbone-patterned floors of QSWO. And the installers were careful to lay the boards so that within each row, all the boards pointed in the same grain-direction. And in the adjoining row, they pointed in the opposite direction.

And when you look at the floor, the rows appear to be dark, or lighter. And if you stand on a dark row, and turn around, you'll find that you're on a lighter row. It's that perspective thing.

So if you really want the best grain matching, figure out which end of each board was up, and point them all in the same direction.

[glenn bradley]

I agree that good matching of grain will make the positioning irrelevant. I have made the boo-boo that David refers to and fail to view the boards from left to right as well as straight on.

You can see the poor effect on the boards to either side of the center panel here. (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=144105&d=1267750519) Just watch for that and your QS material should go together nicely.

[Sean Troy]

Thank you all. I would not have thought of that. I'll see what direction they each go and match up from there. Sean

[Ben Hatcher]

... one of the woods that changes color based on your perspective ...
I don't know what this effect is called -- I sometimes refer to it as irridescence. The wood seems to change while you're walking past it...

I think the word you're looking for is chatoyance.

[David Thompson 27577]

I think the word you're looking for is chatoyance.


Thank you for the correction -- I'll try to remember that when it's wood, it's not irridescense -- it's chatoyance. And Wiktionary proves you correct.

"Having a certain optical reflectance (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reflectance) effect, which can be likened to the sheen of a spool of silk."