My Apologies, Burly Lumberyards Everywhere

This is my “How I Built My DIY Counter-height Harvest Table” story.

But it’s not exactly a “take X pieces of wood, a bag of wood screws, and a lot of sandpaper” kind of story.

There’s some of that here (and feel free to ask if I didn’t cover something you’d like to know)…but I’m hoping there’s something more in this little tale.  Fingers crossed that I’m a better writer than builder so you can see it.

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Can I build the table in my head with just a few tools?

And the bigger question:

Can I tell you about it without boring you to tears?

The answer to both questions, good friends, is the essence of this blog… “let’s try”!!

I’ve had ever-changing ideas for a Harvest/Farm Table for our kitchen….all constricted by me and my usual conflicting design variables. If you read my last post, you know that I finally decided to just dig in and try to make one.

This antique harvest table was what I had in mind (and, sorry, I couldn’t find an original source for the photo other than Pinterest)

Step one:  whip out my non-existant lathe and turn a few table legs with my finely honed chisel skills.

Heh, heh, heh…no.

Instead, to build the table frame, I ordered these 36″ table legs from TurnTech,

chopped them to my desired height (34.5″), cut the rest of the wood to the desired size for my table base;

then connected them (via wood glue and pocket holes) to 1″ x 4″ Poplar wood boards to form an apron/frame.

Chop saw, pockethole jig, clamps, and cordless drill/driver…those tools I have!

So far, so good.   Table frame: Done. ✔️

See those nifty variations in the wood grain color, btw? The table frame is made of Poplar wood, and that grain can get funky colored when you stain it. I intended to paint the frame black, however, which made Poplar a durable, economical choice. Couldn’t have been easier.  

Next: I had to choose between the table being narrow and long  (~30” with a length of ~70”) OR putting a shelf underneath…which would have been very cool, but would have required a wider tabletop so the chairs could push underneath it properly. As you can tell, I went with a narrow table.

With that decision made, the next step was to make the table top…which I hoped to be about 1 1/2”-ish thick and made of three to four boards wide as in the inspiration table. Easy peasy?

Well, I thought so, until I read about “cupping.” Sigh 😞

Cupping is IMHO the dirty little SECRET of DIY table making. And the best way to describe cupping is when the moisture in the wood planks cause the wood to curve along the width of the board… like this:

Who wants to sink a ton of time into a focal-point project and end up with THAT little surprise?!

And so, I tried to research away the problem. Here’s what I found:

• Glue/Don’t glue
• Don’t pockethole/Go ahead and pockethole;
• Give the wood room to expand/So what, it’ll cup anyway;
• Use boards that aren’t wide (think gym floor)/DON’T make a table that looks like a gym floor…

So. Many. Conflicting. Articles.

Jeez, all those Pinterest-y antique farm tables with all their imperfections made it look so simple:

Just slap a few boards on a frame and go milk the cows.

BUT THERE IT WAS AGAIN.  The same kind of project paralysis that haunts nearly every one of my adventures. HOW to I get over this hurdle with so many conflicting opinions?

I went to one wood store and stared at wood.  Shockingly, that did not solve the problem.  I asked “the guys.”  They suggested plywood.  Not what I wanted.

Thought I’d just dive in anyway, so I went to friendly big box stores and tried to choose wood.   The boards were mostly bowed along the length before I even GOT to worrying about cupping.

I went to the terrific wood store that supplied the wood for my overmantel mirror. This time, they weren’t much help at all (very NICE, just not helpful to this particular cause).

Quitting time.   I was frustrated…and ready to take the table frame outside to the firepit.

As a last ditch thought, I hit the computer and started searching for other local, quality lumber suppliers…I don’t know what search term I used, but somehow I came upon glowing Google reviews for this place:

I knew this place…my boys often swam and played hockey at the college across the street.

Judging a book by it’s cover, this was TOTALLY  “a burlyman lumberyard” ….and I imagined the scenario of me amusing the scary burlymen with my suburban-housewife-who-wants-to-play-with-nails story. I had it all pictured in my narrow-minded head…

But those reviews:

AND THIS:

So I took a baby step, put my pride in my pocket, and started with a phone call that felt like I said this:

“Look, I’m a dumb suburban housewife who wants to play with nails…  Here’s what I want to make…  Here’s the problem.  Can I do this with minimal tools?”

I paused, waiting for an exasperated sigh of condescension.   It never came.

Instead, I heard something along the lines of:  “Sure, why don’t you come here and we’ll see how we can help.”

Huh?! Hopeful, but not entirely convinced, I hopped into the car and went to the burlyman lumber yard.

I’d only ever saw the place from the street, and up close, it felt even burlier.  I went into the office and it felt like I’d walked into “Cheers,” but for builder-y people.

I reexplained my situation…and felt like an idiot.  But you know what?  That was MY problem.  Because those imagined scary guys could NOT have been nicer!!!

Rob, the owner, explained that his wood was very dry so I shouldn’t have any problems with cupping; asked me how I planned to make the table, helped me choose beautiful, straight, pine boards; made suggestions for a well-crafted table; AND EVEN offered to put a nice edge on the table top for me if I wanted one and didn’t have the tools.

I was thinking this was a yard for SERIOUS builder/roofer craftsmen…and while that’s also very true, the owner is also a master woodworker/carpenter (if I’m using these terms correctly) who works on beautiful, historic homes known for their spectacular detail.

Moreover, he WANTED to help and offer guidance.  When someone with that skill level is willing to walk you through what–to him–was likely the most elementary basics, you know you are in the presence of a true teacher. In this case, someone who loves what he does and is willing to share his time to ENCOURAGE you in a way that doesn’t make you feel stupid, but instead gives you confidence and the hope that you CAN do this.

I am OFTEN intimidated to ask questions…and from this experience, as well as the several kind, helpful workroom designers/seamstresses I pester on Instagram, I am regularly surprised and blessed by people who are willing to offer guidance without making you feel stupid or annoying. NOT that there aren’t people who also do that. But you have to be willing to suffer through those people on your way to the bright shiny HELPers. Because those helpers, quite honestly, are some of the difference makers in life. They’re just sometimes harder to find.

So…it was back to the tabletop….armed with new found confidence and freed of prejudices against burly lumberyards.

I glued my four boards together (four 8″ boards, which are actually 7.25″ wide, equals a 29″ wide tabletop),

trimmed off the uneven edges to make the finished length 71″ long,

sanded the hell out of it; stained it and HATED the way the stain “took”…YIKES!!!

sanded the stain off, conditioned the wood, REstained it until I was happy, liked it ALOT;

varnished and fine sanded it, and repeated that several times.

and marveled that I could actually “make” a table that LOOKED. LIKE. THIS!!!

And truthfully, although the table has been in use since the fall, I only just actually “attached” the top to the frame.

I did not follow all the helpful craftsman’s tips, because this is a first project of it’s kind for me and I thought there was too much risk of my messing it up. I hope he wouldn’t be disappointed…it may lack some “true craftsman” details, but it’s pretty darn close to being exactly want Mister and I wanted.

STILL…his tips were invaluable, saved me SO much grief and makes me want to try more projects like this in the future. And when I do, I know where Mister and I will be shopping…for advice and supplies.

My original hope was to make something that looked like the table pictured at the top of this page. My fingers-crossed, DIY expectation was a usable table that wasn’t a train wreck.   The actual result was a table with a smoother top than I would’ve guessed I could ever possibly make, and one that we would have bought immediately had we ever found it in a furniture store. A fairly remarkable outcome for me.

Two months later, the table already has a couple of good gouges in it from…well, life.  I chose a soft wood on purpose, after all. If that ever bothers me I’m not afraid to go back and sand it or touch it up… For now, I think I’ll just enjoy the character it gets from being used by our family.

I guess this post isn’t technically a “How I Built My DIY Counter-height Harvest Table” story. Rather, it’s how I couldn’t have built it without the kind support of someone who took the time to encourage a newb and share some great advice. In a half hour of just being nice, he entirely saved this project and helped take it from firepit to family gathering place.

Thank you, Niemiec Builders Supply!

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(And thank you, Mister D&D for your patience with my adventures!!! 😘 )

Next up: SEATING!

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If you ARE interested in making a table like this, this last section is for you:

First, if you’d like more inspiration or links that helped me, check out my Pinterest board, “Table Project.”

Second, from among the many pro suggestions from Mr. Niemiec, these turned out to be the BEST tips for me on this endeavor:

When gluing the boards together (joining), apply glue to each of the two sides you’re joining together. I actually set long sheets of Dollar-tree parchment paper underneath the wood while I was gluing to catch the glue that oozed without having the paper stick to the wood… or drip somewhere else. Don’t squeeze the boards together SO tightly that ALL the glue oozes out. Some will ooze, but it’s the glue that creates the lasting bond.

I did not glue all boards together at once…just two at a time and was glad I did. Wood glue grabs fast, so work quickly!! Had I done all four simultaneously, I’d have been way over my head. Remove the excess glue carefully while it’s still pliable, and use a damp cloth to completely wipe off the excess or that will affect the quality of the stain. I elected not to use anything other than the glue for joining the boards (e.g., cross braces or wood screws or pocket holes to add support to the table top joinery). The glue-alone join has proven to be very strong and plenty adequate to date.

Sand, sand, sand… not just in rows with the grain or you will be sanding lengthwise channels into the wood. Keep sanding with incrementally finer grit paper until you have a nice, really smooth surface.

Finally, the table ended up costing somewhere between $250 and $300 to make…we had the stain on hand; I bought a few brushes and varnish, and a pocket hole jig. I skipped some details in the telling o’ the tale here, so if you have any questions on my making process, feel free to ask below or email me at Em@DustandDoghair.com. Don’t be afraid, I’m not a scary burlyman!