Wood end cheeks

[Echopraxia]

Hello.  Sorry I know this isn't home depot but what is a good quality type of wood to use as end cheeks on a table top metal enclosure?  I am probably being too specific. I just want to buy good wood that won't fall apart while gigging. Does anyone have any recommendations about staining and sanding and all that good stuff?

[nILS]

Any hard-wood will do just fine. I personally would use 15-30mm multiplex beech (sth. like this). That's nearly indestructable.

About the sanding: I usually start sanding with 100 grit and end up with 400-1000 depending on how smooth I want it to be. That's really up to you though.

When it comes painting it, you've got a lot more choices to make =) IMHO wood should look like wood, so I'd go with matte clear paint. Basically any clear coat spray paint used for cars will do the trick. Sand the wood until you find it nice and smooth. |: Paint it, let it dry, sand it with finer sandpaper :| repeat until you're happy with what you've got (the last two or three layers of paint don't really need any sanding, the final one definitely not). Since you're planning to use the piece of equipment live, I'd go with a minimum of 5 layers of paint.

[Echopraxia]

Wow thanks nils! I am trying to go for that dark redwood type look with a sorta glossy finish. Maybe not glossy but nice and smooth. I am also going to try to paint the metal enclosure with a candy coat finish like on low rider cars.

I usually start sanding with 100 grit and end up with 400-1000 depending on how smooth I want it to be. That's really up to you though.

Sorry I don't understand what you mean by 400-1000. Is 100 grit the type of paper and when you get towards the end of sanding and painting you then use 400-1000 grit paper?

[nILS]

The higher the grit number the finer the paper. 100 grit is pretty rough (used to smooth the wood at first and get rid of minor scratches...), 1000 is basically polishing =)

[Jidis]

I am trying to go for that dark redwood type look with a sorta glossy finish.

Walnut and Mahogany both look really "high class" and dark, but you can stain most stuff to make it darker (or red). I've had a rough time making either of those two look bad with various stains and top coats. Mahogany's grain is a bit more open. I've gotten a nice gloss on walnut with a few top coats and buffing.

This is semi-gloss lacquer on walnut:

That, IIRC, is actually with no stain (like I said, it's hard to make it look bad). Be warned about working most of that stuff. The durable nicer looking ones are some of the hardest ones to work.

George

 

[stryd_one]

This may not apply to the rest of the world (don't know if this stuff can be had overseas), but... just for the Aussies... Don't be fooled into thinking that because you heard "mahogany' and 'walnut' and the likes bandied about on the net heavily, while you rarely hear of jarrah, does not mean it's the best stuff around. In fact, not by a long stretch.

Even the cliched jarrah is harder, stronger, more dent and scratch resistant, longer wearing, less brittle, closer grained than the best of overseas timber, and just as pleasant to behold (moreso in my biased opinion). Speaking of pleasant to behold, the aussie timbers also give you a selection of very attractive grain patterns which are generally only available in african or south american breeds (jungle goodness). Even in the same species you can find various colour phases and grain types.

http://images.google.com.au/images?q=mallee+burl

I won't share my secrets about the really good timbers (whch are rare and generally not needed except for special purposes), I'll let you do your homework... But take the hint - aussie timber is the best in the world (sorry guys). The only thing that comes close is a critically endangered Amazonian rainforest breed which is illegal to buy and sell ;)

Buy Local timbers, if you're able to. Deforestation and the like have jacked the prices up, so reclaim if you can. :(

[nILS]

[OT]Sere is nossing better sen german oak![/OT] ;D