The dining table I built 5 years ago finally sagged in the middle last weekend.

I used 2x4s from the big box store without letting them acclimate for a week first and now the middle dropped almost an inch, so I’m going to try cherry boards from a local mill this time around, has anyone else dealt with wood movement like that on a farmhouse table?

2 comments

2 Comments

alex_king5d ago

yeah the big box store lumber is almost always still wet when you buy it, I learned that the hard way too. I built a workbench out of their 2x4s and it twisted like a pretzel after a month. the cherry from a local mill should be way more stable if they've been drying it right, just make sure you reseal the ends after you cut it to length or it'll check like crazy. honestly I think the movement is part of the deal with farmhouse tables though, no matter how careful you are the wood will do what it wants with humidity changes. I skipped the acclimation step on my first big table and ended up with gaps wide enough to lose a fork in between the planks.

derek_bell4d ago

Grabbed a load of "kiln dried" pine from one of those places once and it was still dripping water when I cut into it. Built a set of shelves with my brother for his garage and by the next summer every single board had cupped so bad you could set a beer can in the groove. Ended up taking it all apart and using the wood for campfire kindling instead, which felt about right for the money I spent. Still makes me chuckle when I think about how we spent a whole weekend leveling and squaring everything up only to have it all warp into a wavy mess.