Writing desk wood?

[The_Mad_Woodworker]

Simple questions, what are the best species of wood to make a writing desk? (I'm guessing a hardwood)

 

[Bryan S]

The late cajun cook, Justin Wilson would have people ask him what kind of wine should they cook with? He would respond with, the kind of wine you like. Your question has a simular answer, but I will not say it because it will sound like I am being a smart alec.

It could maybe, be better answered with what kind of look are you wanting to get. Soft woods like pine and cypress may not take the abuse that other woods will but will turn out beautiful pieces of furniture. Do you like the dense tight grained look then something like maple or cherry could be what you want. I love that cherry, and there are others to chose from. If you like the opened grained look then white or red oak, mahogany. The choice is yours. The hardwoods will stand up better to the abuse, but you can use what you want.


Please stop in the Who We Are forum and introduce yourself so we can properly welcome you.

Welcome to our sawdust pile.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

+1 to what Bryan said about style. If you can post a pic of the style you are planning on making, then you will probably get some useful suggestions about species of wood.

Chippendale style probably wouldn't look good in SYP, but a Shaker style desk probably wouldn't be appropriate in Mahogany. Certain species are more appropriate w/ certain styles.

Bill

 

[merrill77]

Simple questions, what are the best species of wood to make a writing desk? (I'm guessing a hardwood)

Nearly any wood will be up to the task of a writing desk. In fact, I have a hard time thinking of a wood that would NOT work well for a writing desk. Ok, maybe balsa and cork are out. But in all honestly, you should choose based on the look you are going for, your budget and availability.

 

[The_Mad_Woodworker]

Thank you all for your reply's and support. I really like getting constructive and creative feedback/ideas, so I'll further the forum with this additional information. My plan is to repourpose an old pedal powered sewing machine (Using the cast Iron legs and removing the actual sewing machine) into a kind of "old world" style writing desk. There will be a spot for an inkwell, Shelf and drawers on the back end, and if skills and tools allow, some drawers on the front sides. I Intend to preserve as much of the wood currently there (note: it is painted black and I know not what wood it is yet), except for the area where the machine currently resides. lastly, if the hardware permits, I will extend the new wood from front to back of desk, leaving only the original wood on the sides, to allow the writing surface to be continuous from front to back.

Note: I am using, almost exclusively, hand tools.

 

[Makinsawdust]

I clicked on this and was going to invoke Justin Wilson's "what kinda wine/wood u got" but Bryan S. already beat me to it. I hate when that happens!

Any good hardwood would do you well. The softer woods like poplar and yellow pine would probably be pure aggravation but white oak, red oak, cherry, and walnut would work well.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

If I'm not mistaken, most of those old sewing machine cabinets were made w/ red oak and a brown stain. At least that's what I remember about my grandmother's. If so, then red oak would be a good choice. Let us know if that's what you find when you strip off some of the paint.

Bill

 

[merrill77]

Thinking about it more - if you actually intend to write on the desk, you may want to stick with a small-pored wood. The pores in some wood (oak, walnut, mahogany, etc) are large enough to actually have a visible effect on the writing strokes. If you plan to write on a pad of some sort, then it won't matter.

 

[The_Mad_Woodworker]

good point on the pores. I also wonder if there might be a trick to which way to align the grain that might work best. Additionally, lets think on how the wood might wear in the next 20 years, will the rings cause problems latter on if the softer wood wears out between them?