My small local lumberyard doesn't carry any specialty wood so I'm going to have to do some searching for the right stuff for the table I plan to build. I live in very rural northeastern NM and their are several small sawmills that produce rough cut boards. Can anyone explain to me what exactly is rough cut? Would this type of lumber be suitable for a table top? I'm going for a rustic look but I do want a smooth top that can be easily wiped clean.
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claydowling
Tue, 07/24/2012 - 19:19
Rough cut
The rough cut hasn't been surfaced yet. It has the rough surface from the sawmill.
You can surface it yourself if you buy a good jack plane and a jointer plane. You can buy them second hand for about $100 for the pair. You'll need to learn how to sharpen them, which isn't hard, and you'll need to do a little research about how to surface by hand. But it's simple to do, will let you buy lumber for a fraction of the price you'd pay at a home center, and will give you gorgeous arms in the bargain.
This is a nice little video about how to surface your lumber. Just over five minutes per board in that video, which is about the time I get as well.