Timber types, properties and shades

[Regyboy]

hi all, I am a newbie on here and in all honesty I am totally clueless about all things wood.
However, I will soon be retiring and I have always had a genuine love for natural wood products so I am thinking it is something I could maybe get into.
For my first project I fancy having a go at a simple coffee table.
Plans and tools needed seem to be straightforward but then which wood should I use?
Looking around I see this is a massive subject and I am having trouble just finding a source of info on all the different types, shades and properties of the wood that is generally available in the U.K., can anyone point me to a definitive source of information this?
This is even before looking into finishes, oh my word I have a great deal of learning to do here I think!
Cheers for any replies in advance......Reg

 

[Ttrees]

You could look at world woods in colour or something along the lines of it ..
Look on google for Species identification ...
Mitch Peacock is making videos on youtube ...Mitch's world of woods

You don't say where your from, so that will influence your decision.
If I were you I would start looking up hand planes, and get yourself a nice old jack plane with a thick sole that's not
lapped by some eejit who has made it too thin. OK

What kind of bench have you got ..or have you got materials to make one ?
You need a decent non racking FLAT bench to use hand planes .

I would be looking to find a fire door in a skip for a rigid flat plate to lay on top of the bench, so you have got a flat thing to work to.
Get any hardwood you can find there also ...even small bits can be laminated up to make a big surface/anything you want.
All my timber is hardwods like iroko and red meranti mainly, with some ash, beech, oak bits also.
Also some walnut and afrormosia.
This is all salvaged ...most folks think I'm collecting firewood till they see what it becomes afterwards.

If I was buying from a timber yard I would probably choose maple, ash or beech ...hell with it, if I'd money I'd buy
Flamed sycamore to be honest Oak can be nice too.
These are some of the more common dense lighter coloured timbers .
Walnut makes some lovely furniture along with a contrasting light timber too.

How much space have you got ?
Is it dry ?
Do you plan on getting some machines ?

Tom

 

[John15]

For a hardwood I would suggest either Oak or American Cherry and for a softwood Northern Redwood would be suitable. They are all fairly easy to work with.
Go to a good timber merchant. Not sure where Ruthin is but another member may know who is nearest to you.

John

 

[Regyboy]

Thanks guys,
I have a basement with plenty of space, approx 30x40ft and I have no tools other than basic hand tools.
The plan was to start with basic projects buying ,making and acquiring the tools/equipment needed as I go. I am a machine fitter by trade so familiar with the use of tools and fabricating but only in metals.
Woodworking experience consists of hanging a few doors and replacing skirting boards so it is going to be a steep learning curve.
Any and all pointers or advice much appreciated!
Ps Ruthin is in North Wales, no shortage of trees but where to buy I have no idea!

 

[Ttrees]

What are you going to make them on ?
Do you have any hand planes ?
Sounds like you would not be opposed to restoring some machines by the sounds of it.
Are you planning on making stuff to a Rob Cosman level ?

Here is a link to a thread on youtube woodworking videos
post1128355.html?hilit=woodandshop#p1128355
Have fun Regyboy
Tom

 

[ED65]

Hi Reg, welcome to the wonderful world of woodworking!

Plans and tools needed seem to be straightforward but then which wood should I use?

I'm glad you think so as both can be major stumbling blocks for those starting out.

Looking around I see this is a massive subject and I am having trouble just finding a source of info on all the different types, shades and properties of the wood that is generally available in the U.K., can anyone point me to a definitive source of information this?

There are a few good books just on woods, your local library might have one or more of them. But the major ones are not UK-specific and even if they were any book that wasn't published very recently won't be up to date unfortunately; something published only 10 years ago is sure to mention woods that have by now become uncommon or expensive, or may even be unobtainable in the UK.

Anyway putting that aside for a moment you can just focus on your proposed project for now. You can build a coffee table from nearly anything but did you have a native colour of wood you'd like to work with? There's a lot to be said for making something from a wood that is naturally the colouring you want rather than going with stains or coloured finishes.

So if you wanted something towards orange/red then cherry maybe, tan/brown oak or sycamore would be good choices, and if you want a pale timber maple's a great choice if budget would allow. These are all hardwoods and with the exception of the cherry they may be a bit too much of a challenge for the newbie to work with. There are a few softwoods you could use without the table's top being overly soft and prone to marking and softwoods are usually where most start because of their easier working characteristics (gross oversimplification but broadly held to be true) and they will often be cheaper than hardwoods too, although not always.

This is even before looking into finishes, oh my word I have a great deal of learning to do here I think!

Don't get overwhelmed by finishing. Many do and there's no need as you can do it very simply (and cheaply). You could start with only one finish and use it on everything you make and you might never feel the need to branch out.

But I do think it's worth having more options than this so there's a very simple trio of finishes that really would be suitable for use on practically anything you might ever build with the exception of stuff for outdoors. The three are boiled linseed oil (BLO for short), shellac and a varnish. A good varnish choice these days is polyurethane (gloss specifically). This would be an oil-based varnish so cleanup and dilution is with white spirit. For the shellac you will also need methylated spirit.

Between the three of these you have a wealth of options, from using each one by itself to all three together (in sequence) and various permutations in between. You can even blend them together in various ways too. So with only these three you have a dozen or more finishing options, most very straightforward to do and easily done by the first-timer, and they can provide a range of surface finish from matt to fully glossy – all the way to a shine worthy of a boardroom table if you ever wanted it.

 

[Regyboy]

Thanks Tom, I am loving Rob Cosman already!
Just watched the 100 dollar workbench vid, think that could be a good starter point for me hey.
Anyone got any preferences on workbench size for small projects, coffee tables, desks etc?
Ed, thank you for your detailed and very eloquent reply. As seems to be in line with the general fashion at the moment I am keen to work with pale hard woods, the more detail, grain and character the better and I do particularly like the live edge pieces I have seen around the net, any ideas?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Don't fret too much over your design, method of manufacture, materials etc. when making your bench, just build it and get on with it. If you take an age and spend a fortune on it it will be wrong. When you have some experience you'll know what suits you (notice I didn't say what's best ) and build another - when you've done that you can start thing about the third ... rites of passage and all that ... :lol:

 

[Regyboy]

Sounds like wise words from a man who has trodden this path before me.
Well heeded

 

[Peter Sefton]

Welcome to the forum Reg, finding information on timbers can be a little tricky. There are some great books around including one I recommend to my students.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding- ... 1561583588

I have just released a series of DVD's, the first video is all about timber selection which I made to assist woodworkers like yourself or more advanced makers to show the timbers we use and how we select them, including in the timber yard.

If you wish to Google Peter Sefton DVD's or look under the Knowledge section on my tool shop you can watch the trailer and read the reviews.

Happy woodworking, cheers Peter

 

[Regyboy]

Thank you Peter, exactly what I was searching for

 

[ED65]

Just watched the 100 dollar workbench vid, think that could be a good starter point for me hey.

Just had a look at that and it's a great modern design. The top lamination doesn't have to be four sheets of MDF thick to be stable, but if you go with that thickness you're unlikely to regret it unless you ever want to move it up the stairs

Anyone got any preferences on workbench size for small projects, coffee tables, desks etc?

In old units about two feet deep by 5-6 feet long will probably work well for you.

Obviously a workbench can be much longer than this, you can build a bench nearly as long as your workspace has room for but often there's little benefit for the single workman to have loads of extra length in their workbench.

If you need more working space it's often separate surfaces that will provide the most benefit, so you might have a secondary bench along one wall, and a small bench on the opposite site of the room for dirty jobs and/or sharpening and generally working with metal.

As seems to be in line with the general fashion at the moment I am keen to work with pale hard woods, the more detail, grain and character the better and I do particularly like the live edge pieces I have seen around the net, any ideas?

The right piece of maple will tick all those boxes. Birch is good too and may be cheaper, but don't know about availability.

There are plenty of other light woods but many lack character and some are downright boring, to the point where you'd often want to paint them instead of putting a clear finish on!

 

[Ttrees]

Here's some videos which might help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hYWU5PMi64

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcHaAgomDls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d16HDgs7wA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXqf7gkl76E