Okay, so I want to take on a project that might seem a little daunting, but I want to do it anyways. I want to build my dining room table, and I want it to be butcher block. Anyone here done anything similar? I'm expecting to make it between 4-8" thick...I know that's going to be heavy, but it's okay. I want it to be something that ends up staying in my family

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What do you have for tools/ a shop?

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

I will buy them all... Right now I have wood glue and clamps. ^.^

I plan on buying a belt sander, table saw, and planer.

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We have a band-saw, drill press, circular saw and cordless drill. I don't get into anything quite that heavy/large scale though.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

I'll probably end up buying a router as well, just for some nice smooth edges.

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I'm trying to remember shop from high school.

I'm not sure what you're doing for the legs, but a lathe might not be a bad idea if you're doing circular legs.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

ew. I hate turned legs. The look old to me.

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Haha, fair enough. I'm pretty utilitarian in everything I build. If it serves its purpose, good enough for me.

I can't believe no one else on here is posting in this thread. Most of the stuff I do is fixes of furniture I already have.

I've built a few shelves, fixed some furninture, and made my PVC hockey goal, none of which really involved a whole lot of expertise.

Did a lot of machining and woodworking in high school though.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

I build the stand for my 240g saltwater tank and did all the plumbing for it (four corner overflows, plus a 4700gph pump running a closed-loop system of two 2" intakes and four 1" exhausts). That was a lot of fun.

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Ok, so, I saw the title of this thread and just burst out laughing

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Lord Stanley's Cup is what its all about.
Mr. Pegula, your destiny awaits you sir.

Yeah me too, it has "thats what she said" and other dirty comments written all over it, lol

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"I can't really hear what Jeremy says, because I got my two Stanley Cup Rings plugging my ears...." -Patrick Roy in reference to Jeremy Roenick's trash talking

pictures of this tank, please.

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Unfortunately, I deleted my myspace and photobucket no longer has them (I went over to my reefcentral thread...its not there any more). I gave the tank to the guy that got me into s/w when I moved from MD to NC. Don't fret though, I plan on setting up a new one this summer. I'll create a thread for it when I get going and document the build ^.^

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i want to set up a huge tank, but for native aquatic animals. like bluegill, perch, and a mudpuppy or 6 with a pond like enclosure. maybe even a softshelled turtle or two.

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Easy enough to do for fresh water; it doesn't need spectacular filtration or very warm temperatures. I needed to keep my tank at ~83*...which meant 3 300w heaters in the winter and a big ass chiller in the summer. And I was losing 5-7 gallons a day due to evaporation.

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jeez! what did you have in it!

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Fish, probably, hahaha

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"I can't really hear what Jeremy says, because I got my two Stanley Cup Rings plugging my ears...." -Patrick Roy in reference to Jeremy Roenick's trash talking

A LOT of corals, two anemones, and a bunch of fish. Two 750w metal halide pendant lights (a little under powered for my desire, but it worked), with a 55g sump tank housing the thermometers, refugium, and protein skimmer. Before I filled it with water, I laid down in it, without any part of my body touching anything but the bottom. I'm 5'9, 160lbs.

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pm me if you want specific advice

I don't know what kind of wood you are thinking of using, but I'd recommend at least hard maple and most likely red or white oak. Black walnut is hard and beautiful, but can be tough to work with without much experience. if you are seriously going to put money, time, and effort into it, there are a few tools you really need. cabinetmaking (the most advanced form of carpentry) isn't a lazy sunday task.

-a quality cabinetmaking square (starrett or better)
-tape measure
-a GOOD tablesaw, craftsman or (preferably) better.
-a good router, ryobi or better
-good carbide blades
-a drill press
-you will find a biscuit joiner (or, if you have the bank, a domino joiner) one of the best tools you can get
-tons of clamps
-wood glue (not elmers, real stuff)
-3d orbital sander (something as light duty as a skil will do, that's what i have)
-blueprinting and dimensioning skills (if you need help, i am willing to help you with that)
-steel wool (00)
-different grades of sandpaper...i'd say 180, 220, and 320
-stain and clear coat (i'd stay away from the combined stuff)


if you want it to stay in your family for years, i'd recommend beating the planed lumber with chains. it gives it a really weathered and beaten look that has actually grown quite popular as far as furniture goes. i think it's nice looking, but i haven't done anything quite that big before.

it's also probably a good idea (and much cheaper, too) if you use like a poplar or white pine and cover it with the type of wood you want to be on the outside. if you do this, black cherry and black walnut become more feasible options. it also makes the table much lighter (but it will still be heavy) so you can move it if need be.

do you want glass insets? or drawers? or hinged corners for places to stash the remotes and tvguides?

if you really have money, i'd recommend buying things from rockler.com. Festool is the best you can get and is a cabinetmaker's best friend. like i said, the pictures are my resume, pm me if you want some advice or help.