Wood that would match well with oak?

[Adam Herd]

I am building a coffee table for a friends girlfriend and her housemates. I found a guy that has a sawmill and has a couple of oak slabs. I am going to see what he has this Friday. My design is pretty basic just going to make a 3 foot long by 2 foot wide table top with 4 legs and I think horizontal bars going around the perimeter to brace the legs. My problem is I think all this guy has is 2 inch oak slabs and 1 inch oak lumber. I want something thicker for the table legs at least 3 inch square. I am going to attach the horizontal bars with mortise and tenons. I am wondering if any one has a suggestion of a second wood to use as table legs. What wood would compliment the oak? I am not sure if it is red oak or white oak he has. My guess would be red. I believe he has red maple, ash, elm, cherry, and hickory as well as the oak. Would any of those compliment the oak table top? He also sometimes has random pieces of other woods that I could maybe use as legs. Let me know your thoughts. Thank you.

[Jim Becker]

Use the 4/4 oak and build mitered posts to the size you require. The internal space can be left open which reduces the weight of the unit without compromising strength. You clearly want to have the same kind of oak as your slabs...white oak and red oak can be a challenge to mix visually, IMHO.

[Adam Herd]

Thats a good idea I never thought of that. Except I can never seem to get miters to work for me I can never get a good 90 degree angle on all for corners.

[Ted Reischl]

This is just my opinion. Nothing will compliment or go with the oak. Nothing.

That said, and understanding you want thicker legs, I would laminate up the legs I needed and then dye them jet black. That seems to be popular these days.

[Ron Kellison]

You could also consider ash as a reasonable facsimile with red oak, especially if you're going to put any kind of stain/dye on the wood. There's a ton of ash available here in the North East due to the Ash Borer!

[Wade Lippman]

Depends on what you mean by "compliments". I frequently use butternut and walnut together because they compliment each other. Nothing really compliments oak in that manner.

OTOH I have mixed ash and red oak together because of the stock I had on hand; with a slight stain on them you can't really tell them apart. If that is what you meant.

[Doug Hepler]

Adam,

Harmonizing wood species involves color, grain and porosity. Color can vary within a tree or even a single board, so that's a matter of choosing your workpieces. Grain depends on how the board was cut at the sawmill, so that's also a matter of choosing your workpieces. Flatsawn oak (with cathedral shapes) and quartersawn (with flake) is distinctive but rift sawn may have nice straight grain pattern that is not that hard to match. Finally with respect to porosity consider ash, catalpa, elm, hickory.

I agree with earlier advice to make up (laminate) the legs. If you can get the mating surfaces smooth and flat you can glue them together with Titebond. These woods are difficult to work, however, especially to joint with a handplane.

When you buy lumber from a sawmill you have to be very aware of moisture content. The "slab" will move (shrink, warp, etc) as it dries.

Doug

[Jim Morgan]

Ash and oak can easily work together. I used to own a house with beautiful oak paneling and trim in the foyer and dining room and ornately turned and carved ash in the adjoining front and rear parlors. The pocket doors between the foyer and the front parlor were oak on one side, ash on the other. I visited the house a couple of years ago and pointed this out to the current owners - they had never noticed any difference.

[Mel Fulks]

Thats a good idea I never thought of that. Except I can never seem to get miters to work for me I can never get a good 90 degree angle on all for corners.
Try useing a coarser saw. Too fine can be a problem since one side is cutting with grain and the other is cutting against the grain. Real small stuff does need more teeth.

[andy bessette]

Stick with oak. Mixing wood species often spells amateur project.

[Adam Herd]

I really appreciate every ones feedback. I will see what this guy has on Friday and that will make my decision. I would prefer to stick with oak but I might go with ash if it will be unnoticeable. the table will being going in the basement of a college girls' house so it doesn't have to be perfect. Thanks again

[Martin Wasner]

Use the 4/4 oak and build mitered posts to the size you require. The internal space can be left open which reduces the weight of the unit without compromising strength. You clearly want to have the same kind of oak as your slabs...white oak and red oak can be a challenge to mix visually, IMHO.

You can laminate the legs together and leave the center hollow as well.

I've found oak goes real well with oak.

[Matt Day]

Stick with oak. Mixing wood species often spells amateur project.

I would disagree with that.

[andy bessette]

I would disagree with that.

I don't have a problem with that. :)

[Martin Wasner]

meh. Depends how it's done. One kitchen, two species in two different cuts in three different colors.

https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7f59bd_e7dfa57025c8436d98a816acd8df1422.jpg/v1/fill/w_959,h_639,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/7f59bd_e7dfa57025c8436d98a816acd8df1422.webp

[andy bessette]

You run the risk of having it turn out like a patchwork quilt.

[Jim Morgan]

Stick with oak. Mixing wood species often spells amateur project.

Of the 12 pieces in the Gallery section of the latest FWW, six have a single show species, six have two or more show species.

[andy bessette]

Of the 12 pieces in the Gallery section of the latest FWW, six have a single show species, six have two or more show species.

How many of those were built by amateurs?

[Earl McLain]

My name is earl, and i'm an amateur. I like white oak and dark walnut together, on some pieces. Red oak--when I use it--I don't normally introduce a second wood, though I have used some mesquite accents on a few pieces. Same with cherry, like it by itself.
earl

[Roger Marty]

Stick with oak. Mixing wood species often spells amateur project.

A project I recently finished, though I'm totally an amateur:

367063

[Jim Evatt]

I ran out of oak and used hickory, and it looks a lot like oak.

[andy bessette]

RM--very nice.

Sometimes I can't avoid mixing species, in this case teak and Birdseye maple.

https://s26.postimg.org/d03tbhlu1/cstar-table-1.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[eugene thomas]

I must be a amateur cause in the kitchen build for my house going to have walnut floors with ash island and chery cabinets and some maple countertops mixed in with solid surface. And trim going to be hickory.

I seen entertainment cabinet today that was oak with some walnut inlays, thought would look crazy but actually looked good.

[andy bessette]

...going to have walnut floors with ash island and chery cabinets and some maple countertops mixed in with solid surface. And trim going to be hickory...

OMG! Couldn't you come up with a few more? :)

[Justin Ludwig]

To the OP. If you have the tools, cut some veneer off the oak and make the legs out of whatever cheapness you can find, then veneer them.

[Harold Balzonia]

A project I recently finished, though I'm totally an amateur:

367063


Mr. Marty,
this piece needs its own thread here on the creek, if it doesn't have one. It (and you, sir) deserves much better than being buried herein. This is FABULOUS. My life is better for having seen it. thanks for posting it.

[marty fretheim]

Mission style QS oak with Hard maple top. Customer wanted maple top so he could see to tie flies better. I tried to talk him out of it but actually turned out alright.

367109

[Rich Engelhardt]

Wood that would match well with oak?Red or White Oak?

Personally, I favor white paint with Red Oak.
My wife insists on Red Oak with Red Oak.....

& yes, that was a huge bone of contention a year ago when I redid the stairs in the family room. I wanted white risers & she didn't.

[Matt Day]

Marty - very cool piece, obvious built for a specialized purpose. Do drawers pull out normally, or possibly fold out to be open on the sides of the fly tier?

Oh, and it's of course very ametuer as Mr bassette would say. 🙄

[Bill Adamsen]

Nice kitchen Martin! I like the natural wood and painted combination. And the floor matches well too. Wood flooring in a kitchen introduces vexing matching challenges!

In the nautical environment there is what is termed the "Herreshoff finish" which is widely admired. It combines natural brite (varnished) wood with painted wood. It is found both inside and outside the boat. On the attached photo (but search "herreshoff finish" in a search engine and get lots of results) the hull and deck are painted, the shearstrake (not as large as it should be), cockpit combing and hatch as well as the transom are all mahogany, spars are spruce. It goes well together. Down below you will likely have painted oak ribs with painted Atlantic White cedar strips or planks. But in my opinion, even if brite, white oak seems to go well with Honduran mahogany, Cedar, Spruce, and painted finishes.

[andy bessette]

Many different species of wood may be found in a single traditional wooden boat, spruce for spars, teak for decks, teak with holly for cabin soles, oak for frames, etc. But it is highly unusual to find exposed multiple species in a single professionally built boat cabinet. Though many examples exist where a boat's entire interior may consist of one species of veneer and another of solid trim.

[marty fretheim]

Thanks Matt, drawers slide out normally.

[Ole Anderson]

Best way to make 4 inch leg from 3/4" stock is with a lock miter bit.

[Roger Marty]

Mr. Marty,
this piece needs its own thread here on the creek, if it doesn't have one. It (and you, sir) deserves much better than being buried herein. This is FABULOUS. My life is better for having seen it. thanks for posting it.

Thank you for the compliment! I actually used oak for the drawer material, in attempt to get a contrast against the curly maple drawer fronts. I've been woodworking for about 1.5 years now. This was my most complex project to date.

367166

[Matt Day]

1.5 years of ww'ing makes that even more impressive!