Darren Setlow Photography, LLC
Reclaimed wood has a surface and patina almost impossible to recreate. The good news is that one person's trash is another person's treasure. If you know someone doing a major renovation on an older home, chances are you can find 2x6 joists or 2x8 floor joists ready to be salvaged from the landfill. Architectural salvage and country antique stores are also good sources for reclaimed wood.
Darren Setlow Photography, LLC
Industrial adjustable cast iron bases can be found at antique stores or ordered online for less than $100. Choose bases that are at least 24" tall.
Darren Setlow Photography, LLC
Darren Setlow Photography, LLC
Before you begin, you must be absolutely sure that the wood is dry. Material that has sat out on the job site will likely have high levels of interior moisture from rain. If the material came out of a conditioned space immediately, it is probably dry enough to use. Remember that if you are using floor joists, they exist in a space subject to high moisture levels (crawl spaces). When you move wet wood indoors, it will dry out. This is not something you want after the table is ready. The best way to dry your reclaimed wood is with a kiln. A local mill might be willing to dry the wood for you. Another option is to store the wood indoors during the winter. In a house with forced air heating, air movement, low winter humidity, and heat will dry out the wood for you. If time is not on your side and you don't trust the dryness of the wood, it can be stacked in a warm, dry place with 1" spacers between layers.
Next, depending on the condition of the wood and the type of finish you want on the top, sanding the board may be a viable option. However, there is a good chance that, due to humidity and time, your boards will be slightly cupped or warped. The fastest way to correct this is to use a tabletop straightener. Although not insanely expensive, it's not a common tool in most garages. Chances are you know someone you can borrow these from, or a local woodworking shop might be willing to plan these for about $20*.
If you're doing it yourself with a tabletop trowel, start by checking your nails and excess dirt. Then cut the boards lengthwise until you are done. The final cut will be made after the planks are joined, so leave them at least 1" long. Run them through the planer, taking a small amount from each side at a time.
You will need to manually adjust the depth of cut while the board is traversing. This is important as the board will not be consistent in thickness (or twist) throughout its length. Damage to you, the board or the brush can be caused if you do not manually adjust it for a small cut every time. Keep running the boards until the blade has lightly touched all surfaces. Don't worry if the boards are a slightly different thickness (less than 1/8" apart), we'll fix that next. Then run the boards through a table saw so each side is parallel. Just pull out the blade long enough.cuts along the entire edge.Every board doesn't need to be the exact same width, just a uniform width along its length.
Due to the possibility of hidden nails and/or embedded dirt, some shops will reject this job due to the likelihood of dulling their blades. Be sure to pull out all the nails and drill through any broken heads. Small tabletop planers have less expensive replacement blades. If all else fails, a hand-held belt wide belt sander will work after joining the boards (below). Run the sander with the belt perpendicular to the plank joints and constantly move it back and forth parallel to the joint.
Frank Murray
Darren Setlow Photography, LLC
Darren Setlow Photography, LLC
Darren Setlow Photography, LLC
Darren Setlow Photography, LLC
Set the depth of the biscuit combination to #20. Place the top four boards on a flat surface and place them in the final position. Using a pencil and working on two boards at a time, make a mark at each 8" point along the seam of the two boards. After making the marks, use the wood to cut out cookie slots at each location. .tool (similar to a circular saw) and hold the top plate firmly against the board.In one smooth motion, plunge the tool in until it bottoms out.
Note :Do not cut joints on the outside edges of the first and last boards.
After cutting all the slots, lay each board on end and coat the edge of the jointed side with wood glue. Next, cover the cookies with glue. Insert crackers on only one side of each board, then insert glued crackers into the empty joint of the next board. Assemble the planks in order until the top is complete. Don't worry about the little gaps. Next, carefully position the top and attach pipe clamps at approximately 1' intervals. Slowly tighten each pipe clamp in a consistent manner until the gaps* disappear. Small amounts of glue can be removed when dry; Scrape up any puddled glue with a plastic putty knife. To minimize sanding later, avoid gluing the top of the wood. Let the top set overnight.
Once the top is dry, remove the top clamps and check the assembly for flattening. Use a small handheld smoother or razor to remove any dried glue. Mark each end 1/2" from the shorter board and make a clean perpendicular crosscut.
Do not over-tighten the pipe clamps as the top will eventually buckle. Clamp a cross piece of 2x4 (perpendicular to the boards) before fully tightening the clamps to keep the boards flat during the drying process.
Darren Setlow Photography, LLC
Darren Setlow Photography, LLC
Darren Setlow Photography, LLC
Darren Setlow Photography, LLC
Darren Setlow Photography, LLC
Cut the remaining 2x8 into four equal pieces approximately 2' long. Bevel two pieces at 45 degrees with a circular saw. Flip the top over and if the boards are relatively flat (remember the cookie joiner made sure the tops lined up), adhere the base to the top. If not, or for safer assembly, put in a pocket for the unpeeled pieces you just cut. Do this about 1' from each side. Mark the location by squaring the board and tracing around the perimeter. 1/4" plunge path at both locations. Cover the pocket with a thin layer of wood glue. Tack this piece in place with 2" finishing nails. Do the same with the beveled pieces.
Center the metal table legs on this base and mark the center of the mounting holes. Using a long pilot bit, drill perpendicular to the board and through the top. Choose carriage bolts 1/16" smaller than the mounting holes for the legs. Using a drill bit 1/16" larger than the carriage bolts, drill through the pilot holes. Install the legs and lightly tighten the carriage bolt nuts. Have a helper hold the top while you tighten each nut. Just tighten until the top of the carriage bolt rises slightly at the top.
Darren Setlow Photography, LLC
Once the legs are secured, remove a 1x reclaimed (or additional 2x) for the edge banding to cover the end grain. Do this for the two extreme sides with a square cut. Glue and blast with 15 gauge nails. Sand the top or leave as is. To accentuate the existing wood tone, apply a clear furniture polish or polyurethane.
Darren Setlow Photography, LLC
Darren Setlow Photography, LLC
Darren Setlow Photography, LLC
Approximately 16' of reclaimed 1x4 will be needed to create a 24" x 12" drawer.
Start by making the drawer box. Cut two pieces at 22.5" and two pieces at 12". Cut a piece of 1/2" plywood to 22.5" x 10.5". Attach the sides of the box to the bottom of the drawer with wood glue and 15-gauge finishing nails. Then cut one piece to 28". Add wood glue and the finishing nail to the front of the box with the same protrusion on each side.
Install 12" drawer slides on each side of the box. Measure the overall width (including slides) and cut a piece of 1x4 to this length. Cut two more pieces 14" long. Glue one end of the two 14" side pieces together and, on a flat surface, finish nailing the face of the third piece (back). Flip the table over and align the box so the 14" side pieces are 1 "from the back. Edge and center on the long side of the desk.
