Building furniture - material question..

[joshmxpx]

My wife and I just purchased a house and I am planning on making a lot of the furniture myself (bed, dressers, etc.).

I already have all the tools necessary, I just had a question about the materials to use for construction. We were looking and different types of wood today, and for hardwoods pine seems to be the best priced. We are planning on staining the wood, and I was wondering if it would be okay to use spruce or cedar or a similar soft wood for construction, since it will be painted anyway. These are much cheaper.

Are there any reasons why one wouldn't use these materials for furniture construction?

I figure anythings better than the mdf or fibreboard crap that most places sell...

[IoannI]

I'm thinking on doing the same. Not sure on what wood to use either.

[virgoan]

pine is fine for most furniture...I used it to build shelfs and bookcases...sturdy enough for small-medium bookcases...but because it's soft wood...you can dent it pretty easy...I would use oak or cedar to build a bed frame tho...much stronger & it smells good....I love the smell of red cedar...besides...you don't want your bed to break during some hot moment :razz: :lol:

ps...don't paint the wood...vanish, oils and polishes to allow its natural colour to be seen...the wood grain is too beautiful to be cover up by some ugly paint...

[Cough]

Spruce warps and cracks and is crap.

Cedar splits and smells and is generally an outdoor wood (except for lining trunks and that is a very different class of cedar)

Pine is a softwood, not hardwood. Pine will warp and shrink and knots are an issue unless you specifically want the knotty look.

Why piss on MDF? If you are painting it anyway, it is stable, easy to work with, requires minimum sanding ........ Even stained MDF can look really good. I would use it unless you want a rustic look.

[CSK'sMom]

Spruce warps and cracks and is crap.

Cedar splits and smells and is generally an outdoor wood (except for lining trunks and that is a very different class of cedar)

Pine is a softwood, not hardwood. Pine will warp and shrink and knots are an issue unless you specifically want the knotty look.

Why piss on MDF? If you are painting it anyway, it is stable, easy to work with, requires minimum sanding ........ Even stained MDF can look really good. I would use it unless you want a rustic look.


+1. For some strange reason because the OP mentioned cedar I get the feeling he was looking at the construction grade wood and pressure treated and not furniture grade woods...

[sledbc]

Why would you not use MDF? If you're looking for a cost effective material for painted furniture, it is the obvious choice.

[joshmxpx]

I should clarify that I am going to stain, not paint. I should have specified that in the original post.

[cjt]

If you are looking at building a lot of stuff, you may want to consider buying the equipment to dress wood from rough lumber. Buying rough lumber gives you many more options and is significantly cheaper than already surfaced wood. At a minimum you will need a planer to create usable boards. These can often be had used from Craigslist for a reasonable price. It will not take many projects for you to have offset the cost of the machine in the savings you experience in buying rough lumber.

I think your profile says you are in the Oshawa area. If that is the case, you may want to check out Peacock Lumber on Ritson as they will have quality materials in greater selection and at better prices than your big box stores.

Hardwoods are generally the way to go for furniture building. They will be more sturdy and stable and will hold up much better than pine. Depending on the look you are going for, various species may suit your needs. Maple is a lighter wood with less pronounced grain (but can be difficult to stain); oak or ash have bolder grain patterns and are pretty easy to work with; cherry has beautiful, subtle grain patterns and weathers to a nice colour (but is pricey).

[Topher]

I've always wondered how bamboo laminate would work.

www.plyboo.com