I see that Home Depot has walnut boards for about the same price as the red oak I was planning on using for a sliding-desktop desk like the one below. (That one's oak ply w/Douglass fir legs, but the design is the same.)
Is walnut too brittle? The shelves and desktop are going to be edge-joined.
My first thought is Home Depot has walnut? Second thought… that walnut isn't going to be straight or flat.
But in answer to your question, walnut would be great for a desk. It's a little softer than oak, so a desktop pad would be good. Structurally though, walnut is great. Easy to work with too.
One thing is check for twist and bow etc. When people rummage through they leave them all scattered etc. Otherwise its not too much more than the hardwood store.
They tend to be cheaper than a lumberyard. If I remember right, 1×8s are about $8/ft.
But yeah, Home Depot's inconsistent supply of walnut boards is why I'm a little nervous about offering it as an option to the person I'm building the desk for. I know they always have decent oak (and for that matter maple) boards in stock, but their selection of good walnut boards isn't a sure thing.
walnut is a pleasure to work with. it planes like butter. it's easy on router bits, very little end grain tear out. doesn't splinter when cutting dove tails. and it's a beautiful wood.
if theyre all stood on end, site down them. i havent seen one stick of walnut or oak at the local HD that isnt bowed end to end from standing on end for months upon months.
Yep, its quite a bit higher than an actual hardwood store in my area. It is around $16/bf, but they don't have 1×8s near me, only 1×4 and 1×3 last time I went. My local hardwood shop runs around $11/bf, but they usually have "shorts" for around $7-8/bf
My local HD doesn't stock walnut, but it can be ordered from the website. 1in x 6in x 8ft boards are $89.10. That's over $22 per board foot! I pay $6.50/bf at my local saw mill.
Thanks for all the replies - I appreciate it as always. This forum is a great resource.
I'm in Los Angeles, so the prices are going to be different - higher for most things, but sometimes lower.
HD does have a good stock of oak boards at every location I've been to. But since this is a few hundred dollars' worth of wood - and it comes out of my profit! - believe me, I'll shop around.
Also, this will be the first time I edge-joint the desktop (the others I've made are plywood), so believe me even more that I'm not going to buy warped boards!
(And I admit to being just a little bit too excited that I get to use the beautifully restored Davis & Wells 1940s vintage jointer I picked up a few months ago… )
They tend to be cheaper than a lumberyard. If I remember right, 1×8s are about $8/ft.
- nickbatz
thats $8 a linear foot. now figure out the board foot price with that. thats about $16/bd ft off the top of my head.
- tomsteve
Yep, its quite a bit higher than an actual hardwood store in my area. It is around $16/bf, but they don't have 1×8s near me, only 1×4 and 1×3 last time I went. My local hardwood shop runs around $11/bf, but they usually have "shorts" for around $7-8/bf
yeah shorts are usually always cheaper and for a desk it would probably work fine.what area of l.a. are you in.im in the southbay area and i get my hardwoods from hudson and west in torrance,great people and will get you anything you want.
They used to build these desks for me, or a similar design, before I got hooked on making stuff myself! Good place, but my guess is that they're not particularly cheap.
There's also Anawalt Hardware in North Hollywood. They have high quality wood and are good people, but not a huge supply of hardwood.
They used to build these desks for me, or a similar design, before I got hooked on making stuff myself! Good place, but my guess is that they re not particularly cheap.
There s also Anawalt Hardware in North Hollywood. They have high quality wood and are good people, but not a huge supply of hardwood.
if you wanna try them id call first and make sure they have what you want,ask for duane and tell him larry from crenshaw lumber sent you.310-533-4000.check out their website they have everything including a great supply of finishing supplies and hardware.
If I use oak, dark Watco Danish Oil and then an oil-modified polyurethane topcoat.
It's not a writing desk exactly, it's a composer's desk that holds a music keyboard and features a sliding desktop over the keyboard - so you're always the right distance from your computer monitor and speakers; we go back and forth between playing the keyboard and typing/writing on the desk all day long.
The picture linked in the first post of this thread is what it'll look like, although this one is going to have a glossy topcoat. That one's oak ply, but it won't look very different.
By the way, the legs in that one are made out of the Douglass fir from Anawalt Hardware I was talking about in my previous post. I've used that stuff for parts of six projects now, and I really like it. But this one is going to be solid hardwood.
f you wanna try them id call first and make sure they have what you want,ask for duane and tell him larry from crenshaw lumber sent you.310-533-4000.check out their website they have everything including a great supply of finishing supplies and hardware.
Phillips Lumber in Pacoima has the best prices I've found in LA on hardwoods, Valencia Lumber near Van Nuys airport has the best selection. Phillips also seems to be a little more generous on discounts for weekenders if you are a regular. Valencia always gives me the "I don't know you and you don't buy enough" price.
Thanks skatefriday. I didn't know about either one of those.
(For a second I got Phillips confused with Far West Plywood, where I found out they don't cut down 4'x8' sheets for you - a fatal flaw, since that's too big to fit in the back of my SUV.)
Thanks skatefriday. I didn t know about either one of those.
(For a second I got Phillips confused with Far West Plywood, where I found out they don t cut down 4×8 sheets for you - a fatal flaw, since that s too big to fit in the back of my SUV.)
I don't frequent Far West as I found their sales people unfriendly and condescending to weekend woodworkers. They do however have CMT router bits at retail, so if you need one today there's that.
Phillips on the other hand had a guy walk me around the warehouse teaching me about all the grades of plywood when I was first starting out. That was pretty awesome.
Only one i've been to in LA is Ganahl. Only when I am up in that area. They seemed ok, kind of more construction stuff but some decent hardwoods.
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