Hello Ernie,
I have the opportunity to purchase a quantity of butternut wood which has been milled and been drying (in an unheated garage) for approx. ten years. It is roughly three quarters thick. I am thinking of using it in a project to build a desk (ie an office desk).
I am a relatively novice woodworker, enjoy using hand tools over power tools and jigs (ie in dovetailing), and I know little about the properties of wood.
Here are my questions.
1. What should I look for before I commit to buying the wood? How thick should it be for a desk top?
2. What are the working properties of this wood with hand tools? Will it be a good wood for joints such as dovetails?
3. Is this a good choice of wood for a desk or should I look elsewhere?
Replies
If the wood is "roughly" 3/4" thick then it is probably planed. If it is still rough sawn it is roughly 1 and 3/16" thick. If it is 3/4" rough sawn I would pass it by. That it has been under cover for ten years is great! It never hurts to bring such wood into your heated shop about three weeks before you plan to use it to let it "relax" to your environment.
Butternut has excellent working qualities and is a great choice for handtools. If anything it is a bit soft. While it will be good for the frame of the desk I might think of using something more dent resistant for the top. Possibly veneer plywood with something interesting and put a butternut edge around it to tie it in with the desk frame. Drawer sides, backs and bottoms will, of course, be a secondary wood such as poplar, withe pine or withe oak.
With best regards,
Ernie Conover
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