What is the biggest size of solid oak timber boards?
Question:I'm looking to make some furniture including coffee tables and I need to know what is the biggest size of oak timber boards it's possible to get (in terms of width and length)? Ideally, I would want the coffee table tops to be made from one piece of wood but this would obviously depend on the biggest size of wood I can buy. I would prefer to use American White Oak but European Oak would also be fine.
Answers:
Home depot or Lowes is not the place to buy hardwoods for furniture. Go to a lumber yard or hardwood specialist. Much higher quality wood. They will order it for you if they don't have it.
I would not choose to make a top out of one piece of wood. You risk warping and cracking. If you want the look of one piece you can book-match the pieces or use a veneer.
You can get any size you want if you deal with a hardwood seller.But, why do you want to have a one-piece top? It is prone to warping and laminating the wood creates a much more stable surface.
This all depends on the price you are willing to pay and the availability of sources. From a hardwood sawmill you may be able to get boards 20 or more inches in width from a place like Home Depot or Lowe's you will be lucky to get planks 12 inches wide and at most 8 feet in length.
Here's a tip - don't go to the home centers to buy your wood. Not only will it cost you a fortune, you're not going to find the wood you want.
I purchase mine directly from a sawmill (six tons of white and red oak, and cherry, for $200!) I have boards up to 18 inches wide and 20 feet long. And solid oak 4 x 4's for turnning the legs.
Mine was a special order that the mill cut several months prior to my visit that no one picked up. I bid on it and got it. They were glad to get it off the lot. Talk to the guys out in the yard before going into the offices. They can steer you to a good deal.
Got to go w/ jan.
A sawmill would be best place for oak in the sizes you want.
Usually the wood will not be seasoned stock which is what you need for furniture otherwise it will shrink & split esp thicker boards.
Most likely will not be thickness or edge planed either.
Might also try a millwork outfit & ask if they have any scraps in the sizes you need.
May still be a few yards around that carry dimentional oak in large sizes for custom finish contractors.
Good luck
There are already several good answers. It is obvious that most of those people that answered like me have dealt directly with saw mills. If you talk to the guys in the yard they will tell you what they have on hand. You should consider using either dowels or a biscuit joiner and piece the table top together. Make sure you alternate the way the grain curves to prevent warping.
it depends if your talking rough sawn lumber to make you appreciate the oak some trees git to be 350 years old
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