Need help choosing desktop material...

[Troy Turner]

So I've finally gotten the two bottom pieces built for the computer desk. But now comes the top. I wanted to use solid wood (edge glued) to make a piece that's 6' long by about 25" deep. She's afraid it's going to turn out "bumby" across the seams and suggests I use a plywood top w/solid wood trim to profile. I have a 6" jointer and a 12" planer.

So my question is, if I opted for her route, how about a nice veneer. If so, where would I get it?

I've seen alot of ya'll put up pics with nice FLAT tops of edge glued pieces. I want to try that, but I don't know if I can sell her on it. And I've also seen some nice veneered tops too.

Need some ideas please. If I can figure out how to show her there won't be any bumps in the road, I should be good to go. If it would be easier for the veneer, then I'll bite and go there too.

Thanks for the inputs

[Chris Padilla]

Honestly, the solid wood glue up would be easier and folks have been doing it for a long, long time. You could practice with some cheaper wood (poplar is a good choice) just to sell her on doing it.

Some folks like to use any number of tricks to aid in aligning: splines, biscuits, dowels, dominos, or pocket screws. However, any of them could aid in MISalignment just as easily if you are not careful.

Veneering gets into a whole other faction of woodworking but can work equally as well. You'd probably want to use an MDF substrate and large cauls or vacuum press to properly press the veneer and then it would be onto hardwood edging.

Frankly, I'd go with the sold wood panel glue up BUT it all depends on what wood you want. There are some fantastic veneers out there that would make you drool that you simply cannot get in sold hardwood. http://www.veneersupplies.com/ is one great place to look at veneers and to learn about veneering.

[Jeff Monson]

My advice for a top that size would be a veneered mdf panel, in a solid wood frame. You can make some very attractive tops with different types of veneer. Either way is do-able, going with a veneer top you should have a vacuum bag system. If you go with a solid top of that size, you may want to go with breadboard ends to keep the top from warping. I prefer veneer tops, but mainly for aesthetic reasons. Here is a mahogany top and a burl oak top, that I have done for desks.
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[Chip Lindley]

...I wanted to use solid wood (edge glued) to make a piece that's 6' long by about 25" deep. She's afraid it's going to turn out "bumby" across the seams and suggests I use a plywood top w/solid wood trim to profile. I have a 6" jointer and a 12" planer.

So my question is, if I opted for her route, how about a nice veneer. If so, where would I get it?

Thanks for the inputs

Sorry, never heard that one before! Bumby! ;-)

I will defer the veneering to others. Using seasoned, straight stock, there is no reason you cannot glue up a 25" x 72" slab of solid wood for your desk top. The flatter/straighter the stock is, going into the clamps, the flatter it will come out when the glue dries. If your planer can produce smooth surfaces with no tear out, the slab will be ready for final sanding if it has been clamped together accurately.

But, often times planers leave snipe or knife marks not quite ready for final sanding. Mismatched glue joints need to be sanded perfectly flat. If you know of a friend or cabinet shop who would run your slab through a wide drum or belt sander, your wife will be very pleased at the outcome. Finally,Breadboard ends can hide the end grain of the slab and add visually to the top.

Good Luck!

~Chip~

[Troy Turner]

Jeff - No more suggestions from you. :) She liked your desk and the shelf you built a while back, so that's what's been keeping me out there all these weeks. Once I finally got done, it looks good, but man what a pain...Wish I would've taken your suggestion earlier about the full size pattern. This was a skill tester!

And that's what's got me where I am. I measured and cut out the BB ply, but it doesn't look right with the cabinets. If I'm going to put that much blood, sweat and tears in the base, there's no way I'm thowing the piece of ply up there. Don't get me wrong, one side has "flame" lookin grains on it, but it's also got alot of knots that have come out. The other side, well, not quite as good.

Chris - I'll probably end up going the solid wood route and if I can get lucky enough with Chip's suggestion about a local cabinet shop flattening it for so it's not "bumpy" :) I should be in the money. Add the breadboard and call it good.

I liked the use of veneer's though, just have to get a vacuum press. I could certainly see that in future projects.

I appreciate the inputs and will reluctantly post pics when I'm done.

[Steve Jenkins]

personally I can't stand breadboard ends. they are flush basically twice a year then as the top expands and contracts with the seasons they are either short or long. not much but not flush. I have done a lot of solid tops and never had any problems with them warping without breadboard ends. The latest 1 piece top was solid maple 48x96x 1-1/2" thick. I had a friend run it through his wide belt sander for me then I finish sanded it. I also just delivered a table that was all solid maple 55x75x1" thick. It had 5 leaves to extend to 13'-5". the grain ran across the table in order for the leaves to match. As for veneer, you can get really nice plywood already made if you shop where the cabinet shops do.

[Lee Schierer]

personally I can't stand breadboard ends. they are flush basically twice a year then as the top expands and contracts with the seasons they are either short or long. not much but not flush. I have done a lot of solid tops and never had any problems with them warping without breadboard ends. The latest 1 piece top was solid maple 48x96x 1-1/2" thick. I had a friend run it through his wide belt sander for me then I finish sanded it. I also just delivered a table that was all solid maple 55x75x1" thick. It had 5 leaves to extend to 13'-5". the grain ran across the table in order for the leaves to match. As for veneer, you can get really nice plywood already made if you shop where the cabinet shops do.

I agree with Steve. A solid top can be made that stays flat without breadboard ends. I made two night stands and two dressers with mitered breadboard type ends and they continue to move seasonally about 1/8" and match up only about twice each year, although all the movement is to the back.http://www.home.earthlink.net/~us71na/kristin2.jpg I also make it a point to finish both sides of table and dresser tops. I also alternate the growth rings where I can and still get a good appearance.

[Prashun Patel]

A solid top can be made plenty smooth just by careful sanding with a plane/planer/belt sander/ROS. Although for large, visible panels, my prefered method for flattening is to take it to a mill that will put it thru a drum sander on both sides a few times for $50. This saves a lot of sweat, wear on yr blades, time. Further, there's no chance of tearout if you weren't persnickety about the grain direction. Well worth it IMVHO.

The apron of the desk will also do a lot to keep the panel flat.

The thinner the strips in the glue-up, the better chance at retaining flatness.

Last, make sure you finish both sides of the panel. You don't to prep the bottom so much as the top, but you do have to top coat top and bottom similarly.

[John Piwaron]

I've made a lot of solid wood tops. And they're all still flat, in some cases for many years. No breadboard ends either. All are atached to their bases with Z clips or some variant of that to allow them to expand and contract with the seasons.

Every time I make a solid wood panel/table top, they are invariably simply edge glued. No splines, no dowels, no pocket screws, no nothin'. Just good 'ol yellow glue. With some Bessy K bodies and carefull alignment during glue up, they're pretty good. What they are not at that point is perfectly flat. When the glue up is dry I take them to my lumber supplier who also offers some machining services which include a wide belt thickness sander. My glue ups are so close to being flat it generally takes less than 3 or 4 minutes of time in the sander to clean up both sides. Of course you *will* remember to leave a bit of extra thickness for that sanding, won't you?

Cost to sand a table top for me would be well under $10.

Good luck with convincing your wife. Mine was like that in the beginning, but now she'll insist on solid wood for almost everything. In the beginning, she was a little anxious about whether or not something would turn out well, after lots of projects with excellent results that's no longer a problem. Nothing convinces better than success.

[Ellen Benkin]

Is this a work of art or a functional desk? My suggestion -- solid surface material (like Corian). It looks good and stays flat. Check with counter top makers to see if you can get some scrap glued up to your size.

[Paul Symchych]

I have made solid table tops with no bumps but my 3x6 foot computer bench is from a sheet of 3/4" maple plywood with 1/4" solid edging. This was a 'quick and dirty I need it now' project that I'm still happy with.
If I was to do it again I might opt for a different edge material. The maple edge's color doesn't match the plywood 100% so I might be inclined to use a quite different contrasting wood like cherry or walnut or something interesting. Just for the helluvit as a decor accent.
Have you considered some of the hardwood faced plywoods?

[Troy Turner]

Paul - Funny you should mention that. As I was down at a lumber yard I looked at their selection of plys. Maple, Alder, Ash, Oak and Birch. The Ash is a lumber core...all of it looked looked real tempting and made me go back to the drawing board now.

[Prashun Patel]

If you are going to write on this desk, then consider oak and ash are opengrained and will make for a bumpy surface unless filled and leveled.

[Chris Padilla]

Something else to think about: the species of wood you choose may or may not depend on if you want a very smooth surface to write on. For example, say you choose oak. That tends to be bumpy (late and early grain) and could make directly writing on it unpleasant. Of course, you could fill it to make it glass smooth but that is a ton of work. Maple, on the other hand, is very smooth (small pores). Or maybe you don't care or will use a pad or glass top to protect it.

[Cary Falk]

When I get arund to making my desk, I am going to put a piece of glass over the top for easier writing.

[Troy Turner]

Well, there won't be any glass put down or anything like that. Good call on the grains and pores on the oak and ash. Might go back and rumage through their pile of maple and alder and see what I come up with. You wouldn't think a desktop would be so difficult to figure out what I want...just want to make sure it's the right material and looks good!!!

I really do appreciate everyone's comments...keep 'em coming!

[John Tallyn]

My preferences for a desktop has always been a 1/2" mdf core, with 1/4 inch ply glued to both sides. Place a good edge on it, I prefer using a "V" type router bit to install the edge. You don't have to worry about warping, wood movement or gluing up a flat top. Done right, you can't tell the difference between this type of top, and solid wood. Should you choose to go with solid wood, I agree with the others, find a cabinet shop you trust, and let them run it thru a large planer, or thickness sander. Good luck with your project, and hope you'll show some pics when you get done.
John

[John Mark Lane]

I'm very lazy...and practical, at least when it comes to things that are primarily functional. I am just finishing up a desk for my basement home office, which will also serve as a media room, bar, reading room and general hangout. Real simple. Oak veneer plywood, iron-on edge banding, a piece of yellow pine trim, some flat white paint and a little poly for the top. T-111 veneer on the front to match the walls (like I said, I'm lazy...and cheap).

FWIW, the "cabinets" to the left hide the gas meter and the electrical box, the shelf under it is sized for DVD's, the "box" on the wall on the right will hold my coffee maker. The riser on the top of the desk is just the right height to put CD's along it on the inside. Books on the shelves. Total cost...including paint and poly, well under $100. Looks ok to me. Should function nicely for my simple old man needs...

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[Jerry Olexa]

I have made many desk and tabletops all of them solid wood with no problems...I use biscuits for alignment and after glue up, the sanding regimen up to 220 removes any slight imperfections..Of course all pieces are jointed and planed prior to assembly...IMHO you'll like solid wood much better..

[ken gibbs]

Tony,

I built my computer desk out of walnut and sugar maple that I cut myself. Made the top about six months before I started constructing the desk itself. I used biscuits and type 3 glue except on the breadboards. My theory is if you want to use plywood or MDF, you might as well go down to K-Mart and buy a desk that isn't made out of wood. It is only a picture of wood. I have about thirty coats of thinned eurathane that were sanded or scrubbed between coats. And I found a new way to attach the top to the desk frame itself. Buy sheet metal screws with the big built in washers and screw them rfrom the underside to the structural members by countersinking a large, elongated hole (1/4" or 5/16th") at the screw so the top can float. Breadboards are beautiful. When a craftsman sees a breadboard, he knows that a furniture maker made the piece.

[Troy Turner]

Here's a couple of pics of my project to give ya'll an idea. The carcass is birch ply and the trim is the "good" pine. I'm starting to get out of the "whatever is available at Big Blue"

and into, hey, if I have to order, then so be it. Don't mind the ply top, it's just there for my reference.

No way in the world does this compares with Jeff's, but I did get some good advice from him!!!
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[John Tallyn]

Looks good, the wife keeps asking me to make her a desk, I may have to put that on my list of to-do's one of these days.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

No way in the world does this compares with Jeff's, but I did get some good advice from him!!!

I think that it looks very nice. I like it. I really like the beveled front section for the two sides, I think that it adds much to the look. Always hate to loose storage space but very well done.

[Jeff Monson]

I think it looks great Troy! Nice to see some pics on your progress. Keep us posted, you have gotten some great advice on solid tops.

[Paul Symchych]

Looking good. keep us posted.
I think Ken is confusing plywood with Formica type products and photoimaged films stuck on MDF. Hardwood faced plywood is a veneer of REAL wood applied to a core of cheaper woods. Much the same as veneers have been used for centuries for the finest of furniture, thus getting much more mileage out of expensive woods.
And IMO breadboard ends are a sign of ... breadboard ends.

[John Mark Lane]

Looking good. keep us posted.
I think Ken is confusing plywood with Formica type products and photoimaged films stuck on MDF. Hardwood faced plywood is a veneer of REAL wood applied to a core of cheaper woods. Much the same as veneers have been used for centuries for the finest of furniture, thus getting much more mileage out of expensive woods.
And IMO breadboard ends are a sign of ... breadboard ends.

What he said.

Desk project looks nice. I still tend to agree with your wife. A nice veneered plywood with sold edging would work very well. I don't know about where other folks are, but around here you can get some truly gorgeous "plywood", in everything from birdseye maple to black walnut to zebrawood. It's expensive. But it looks nice and ... it is flat. Getting long pieces of edge-glued hardwood perfectly flat and even is not so easy, unless you have access to a large sanding machine.

[Troy Turner]

WOW! Thank you all for the inputs and compliments! I've decided on a solid top, edge glued, and then I'll make her something or another for her to write on. Didn't think about a pull-out board in the design, which would've been great!

Will certainly post when it's complete.