Solid wood table: advantages of the material. Tips on choosing the type of wood and the shape of the countertop. Photo and video instructions for production

Nowadays, there are many materials for making tables: laminated chipboard, MDF, steel, stone, glass, plastic. They all have their advantages and disadvantages, but the most popular, high-quality material that never goes out of fashion is wood. However, the array can be different. Which breed should I choose? What are the pros and cons of the most popular tree varieties? More on this below.

Solid wood has undeniable advantages over other raw materials. Namely:

• Environmental friendliness, absence of harmful fumes, beneficial effect on human well-being and mood.
• High wear resistance. Furniture made from natural wood will last for many years and can be restored if necessary.
• Good compatibility with other materials. A solid wood table looks harmonious not only in a classic interior, but also in a modern setting.
• Solid appearance. Wooden tables look expensive and often become the main item in the room.

Specifics of the material

A piece of wood suitable for such work can be obtained by sawing a large trunk. Depending on the needs, tree trunks are sawn into beams, boards of different thicknesses, beams or shaped parts.

Solid wood is a fragment of a whole tree, and not an artificial material, such as chipboard, obtained by pressing wood waste.

On a metal frame

Metal furniture is particularly durable. It can be used both indoors and outdoors and is not afraid of rain and snow. If a wooden tabletop turns black or cracks over the years, the metal frame remains in its original form. To update the furniture, you just have to strip the boards or nail a fresh sheet of plywood to the old support.

To assemble a simple metal structure, you must have at least basic skills in working with tools. For the footboard you will need a welding machine, a grinder or a metal knife, and a square metal profile. For the table top, you should prepare 6 two-meter boards 15x4 cm or 5 slightly wider, 2 bars with a cross-section of 5x5 cm and a length of 180 cm, self-tapping screws and a screwdriver.

1. From the profile, 4 blanks for legs 71 cm each, 4 short crossbars 67.5 cm each, 2 long guides 180 cm each and one piece for the screed 170 cm long are cut.
2. The parts are welded at right angles. For accuracy, use a square; work is performed on a perfectly flat surface.
3. If necessary, the workpiece is cleaned of rust and painted.
4. The boards are laid close to each other and tightened at both edges with bars using self-tapping screws. The outer edge of the latter is cut off at an angle for greater aesthetics. The distance between the bars must match the length of the metal frame.
5. Holes for self-tapping screws are made in the upper part of the frame. Using a screwdriver, the tabletop is attached to the footboard.

For greater comfort, at the final stage you can file the corners and chamfer the top of the table. The finished product is coated with protective impregnation, tinted, and varnished.

Cutting options

In addition to the type of tree, the type of massif is also determined by the method of cutting the trunk:

Cross cutting - cutting a trunk into circles of varying thickness. When cut, you can see the pith, growth rings and outer layers (sapwood, cambium and bark).

A radial cut is made along the trunk in the center. Semi-radial and tangential cuts are also carried out along the trunk, but at a distance from the center.

When cutting wood in this way, the texture of the material is most fully revealed.

Table with benches

When making garden furniture, functionality comes to the fore, so when planning to make a table, many people prefer the option with benches. The boards left over from construction or finishing work are used.

To fasten the base parts, use nuts and bolts with a diameter of 8 mm. To prevent the structure from “creeping”, it is additionally tightened with spacers.

You can make a table from almost any available material. Boards from an old barn, brick pallets, logs and much more will do. It is used materials that often add atmosphere and country flavor to furniture.

Types of Solid Wood

Let's look at the characteristics of different types of array:

Solid wood from which luxury furniture is made is more expensive than others. When dealing with a thick trunk of an old tree, it is difficult to find a piece of wood that is devoid of characteristic defects - resin pockets, large cavities. But this is also appreciated by lovers of natural materials.

Glued laminated wood is created from wood fragments by merging smaller elements. Products made from laminated wood are somewhat cheaper, but look no less aesthetically pleasing.

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Wooden tables: range of shapes and sizes

Elegant benches will ideally complement a homemade table.
It is important to decide in advance what shape and configuration the table requires. Professionals advise paying attention to several points:

• the table should fit well into the room where it is planned to be installed;
• think about how many people will constantly be at this table and what it will be used for; from this parameter, calculate the size of the product;
• choose a folding table option if from time to time you need it for more people;
• take into account the age and capabilities of people (for example, the table for children will be different).

By choosing different positions of the table legs and the distance between the boards, you create your own unique design.
The table can be of different shapes. In addition to different shapes, the table can also have different support under the tabletop itself, in other words, a different number of legs.

• table with one leg - this type of installation is suitable only for a small product; it can be used, for example, to make a children's table;
• table with two stable legs - this type of table is good for a rectangular or oval tabletop, but is quite inconvenient and unstable for constant use in everyday life;
• a table with four legs is the most common type, has the greatest stability (compared to the others), is suitable for both a dining table and a coffee table - it is the most versatile type of this type of furniture.

The table can be decorated with openwork wood carvings.
In order to guess the most suitable table size for any room, you should take into account and constantly keep in mind the area of ​​the room itself and that part of it that is the maximum allowable for placing this piece of furniture; you should also, of course, take into account the wishes of the owners.

Advantages of solid wood furniture

Furniture made from solid pieces of natural wood looks exclusive and is characterized by increased strength and durability.

When compared with products made from chipboard or MDF, a dining table made from solid wood will be much heavier, but this cannot in any way be considered a disadvantage.

Let's consider the advantages of furniture of this type:

Ecology of housing. Natural wood significantly evens out the microclimate. Chip boards contain resins that release volatile toxins. Natural wood will save homeowners from having to breathe formaldehyde.

Aesthetics. Cutting natural wood is a real work of art. It's hard not to admire the luxurious pattern of the annual rings and the different shades.

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Reliability. Large tables made of solid wood last 100 years, maintaining strength and without losing their attractiveness.

Aura. It has long been noted that wood has a positive effect on the deepest spheres of a person, gently correcting the psycho-emotional state.

Solid oak is especially praised. For example, a desk made of solid oak definitely puts you in a businesslike mood, gives you confidence in business, and relieves emotional stress.

In addition to these positive characteristics, natural wood can also be praised for its ease of restoration, processing and painting.

Which types of wood are best to choose this or that furniture from?

What to consider when choosing

• Furniture made of maple wood fits perfectly into the Scandinavian and Provence style.
• Oak furniture looks impressive in different interior styles, including loft.
• When properly processed, cherry successfully imitates mahogany.
• Conifers create a healthy ecosystem in nurseries.
• Beech is great for allergy sufferers.
• Cedar is used to make luxury outdoor furniture - verandas, terraces and patios - as well as spectacular carved elements.
• Larch becomes even harder when exposed to moisture, so it is suitable for long-term unheated country cottages. It is used to make furniture for swimming pools, showers, saunas, loggias and terraces, as well as kitchen units, including countertops and space elements near sinks. Larch furniture looks great in Alpine style.
• Alder does not absorb foreign odors, so it is suitable for furnishing kitchens. Its moisture resistance is comparable to ceramic tiles. Alder wood has anti-allergenic and antibacterial properties, making it suitable for children's bedrooms and bedrooms.
• At dusk, pine furniture looks much lighter than other types. Wood releases phytoncides, which create a favorable indoor microclimate.
• Mahogany and other exotic types of wood are used for finishing because of their exceptional cost.
• Over time, any natural wood changes its color to a greater or lesser extent - dark wood becomes lighter, and light wood becomes darker.

The best wood for furniture is the one that suits you in terms of technical, aesthetic and price characteristics. To consult an expert in St. Petersburg, contact us in any convenient way.

Make a table with your own hands

Solid wood tables are an elite segment of furniture production. If a ready-made dining, writing or coffee table made of solid wood, in your opinion, is too expensive, you can try to make such a product yourself.

This path promises a win in everything: the shape, color, and decor will ideally match the taste of the owner, as well as the surrounding environment. Any average home craftsman can handle the manufacture of such a design.

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However, if you have little experience in carpentry, it is better to start with the traditional design: a rectangular tabletop on four legs.

Tools and Supplies

From the tools for making a wooden table, you need to prepare:

• 
  drill;

• ruler;
• building level;
• screws;
• drill;
• sandpaper.

The materials we will need are:

• lumber;
• furniture glue.

Wood selection

The main requirements for any table are reliability and stability. This can be guaranteed not only by skillful assembly, but also by precise selection of materials.

If you make a kitchen table from solid beech, it will very soon demonstrate low resistance to moisture. On the contrary, teak, saturated with essential oils, is practically not deformed by water.

Beech

Minuses:

Beech furniture is not resistant to changes in humidity. Beech is susceptible to rotting, strongly absorbs moisture and can become deformed over time. Not recommended for use in bathrooms or under-sink countertops.

Pros:

High density 660 kg/m3. 140 kg/m3 more than pine, which means that more effort will have to be made to damage it. The cost is slightly higher than pine, but still affordable. The cost of a beech tabletop is 11,100 rubles

Types of wood

We list the best types of wood for tables:

Merbau: A deciduous tree native to Thailand, Malaysia, Fiji, Solomon Islands and New Guinea. The trunks of these huge trees, reaching a height of up to 50 m, have a diameter of 1.5 m.

Ulin (iron or jasper wood) is found in Sumatra and the islands of Kalimantan and Sulawesi. The wood is so dense that it sinks in water.

It has enormous wear resistance and has an unlimited service life if used in a room with sufficient ventilation.

Mahogany is a species of Mahogany, widespread in South and Central America. Wood has the highest resistance to various influences and has a luxurious appearance. Excellent processing ability.

Of course, in our latitudes, exotic wood species are difficult to obtain, so you can opt for oak, walnut, cherry or maple.

Ash

Minuses:

Does not tolerate constant humidity very well. Better than beech, but still, if you expect a service life of more than five years, it is better to choose something else for bathroom furniture, such as oak, larch or pine.

Pros:

High density, like ash - 690 kg/m3, this makes it an ideal material for dining table tops and work tables.

The cost of an ash tabletop is RUB 13,600.

Aesthetics

Since the tabletop is constantly in sight, attracting the attention of everyone around, the closest attention should be paid to the selection of wood patterns:

Oak: shades of golden brown intersected by darker growth rings look very attractive.

Light birch is ideal for interiors decorated with pastel colors.

Affordable beech is the first material that comes to mind when it comes to the production of premium furniture. The heartwood of old trees of this species, colored dark brown or red, looks very rich.

Types of tables by type of design

Today, the “smart home” policy is gaining immense popularity, which provides for the presence of multifunctional and compact furniture.

Solid countertops do not lose their relevance, but if there is a lack of free space, you can choose the following types of wooden tables:

1. Table transformer. This model is equipped with additional plates, which, if necessary, allow you to increase the surface of the tabletop.
2. Extendable table, additional plate hidden under the main part.
3. Dining tables are very popular; additional plates rise like petals on both sides.

The additional surface can be raised on folding legs to form a two-tier coffee table.

When there is a shortage of free space, you can use a hanging table. When assembled, such furniture is a picture or a mirror plate, and, if necessary, folds out into a full-fledged tabletop.

Tabletop geometry

The most common tabletop configurations are:

The round shape looks quite beautiful, but does not allow the table to be moved close to the wall. Also, cutting a circle out of a square leaves too much waste.

A large oval is an excellent option that is suitable for most rooms. Looks great in the living room or dining room.

A rectangle is the simplest universal shape. It is very easy to make, looks beautiful and convincing.

To choose your own option, look at the photo of a solid wood table.

Features of assembling wooden tables

If you follow the correct drawings, there is nothing difficult in assembling the table.
There are several types of hand-assembled wooden tables.

• o on dowels (attached with glue);
• o on the drawers (necessary on tables that are subject to periodic disassembly);
• o bolted (such connections are used mainly for garden furniture).

Photo of solid wood tables