Recent content by Woodcrafts

I am based in Surbiton, SW London. I generate a fair amount of sawdust and planer shavings which I used to be able to dispose of to a company for compost making. Sadly they can no longer take it, so it goes to landfill. Too dusty for animal bedding. I work mainly with beech, so the...

Haven't used them for a long time but always got good service and reasonable prices from Richard Russell Panels in Beddington, Croydon.

For ply and other boards I've used Richard Russell Panels in Croydon. A lot of people on this forum use South London Hardwoods, also in Croydon. For boards and decent softwood there's Champion Timber and Alsfords Timber; both have several branches in and around SW London & Surrey. It's a while...

You don't say how wide the boards are. Splitting them on a tablesaw could be inherently dangerous as if they are wider than the maximum depth of cut of your saw blade they would need to be cut in two passes, and this would mean removing the crown guard and possibly the riving knife (or at least...

Bend/flexi ply is kerfed isn't it? Which means no smooth surface on the inside of a bend. Profchris, I think you're confusing bendy/flexi ply with bendy MDF which is kerfed. Flexi-ply has smooth surfaces. Both the ply and MDF will only bend in one plane, so compound curves are not possible.

Another vote for elm.

What thickness is the MDF that you bought? Over a span of 1.5m you will need intermediate support, or a batten along the full length of the alcove as well as the ends, to avoid sagging.

There are two big yards I use in west Sussex - W. L. West & Sons, and English Woodlands Timber. Both stock a good range of timbers so may have what you're looking for. They have machining facilities so might be able to prepare it to your sizes.

If it's not to be seen it shouldn't matter what species - no point in using expensive or exotic. If it will be seen occasionally (the inside of a door for example) then it's a matter of aesthetics. Whatever you user, make sure that they are (more or less) the same thickness (i.e. don't use...

Top picture could be Zebrano (zebrawood). Almost certainly a veneer. (But if you can you see full endgrain on the top and bottom of the panel then it may be solid timber). Bottom picture a cheaper balancing veneer.

Quote: " And if it was worth a lot of money I'd rather sell it to someone that would appreciate it and make my coffee table from scratch." For what it could sell for in its present, complete condition, you could probably buy several times the quantity of oak required to make your coffee table...

Mahogany? African Mahogany (Khaya)? See www.hobbithouseinc.com/ Masses of close-up pictures very similar to yours.

I use flat bookcase strip (tonk strip) from Isaac Lord with double raised bookcase studs. Router cutters from Wealden or Trend. They are recessed into the sides of the bookcase and are less obvious than the supports in your post which do not sit flush with the side of the case. I have also...

Impressive. Yes, the crenellations will significantly reduce the likelihood of any deflection in the depth of the board/beam as demonstrated in the lift test. If my memory serves, a book "Practical & Decorative Woodworking Joints" by John E N Bairstow published by Batsford shows a number of...

Over the width you are planning I would suggest that some cupping may still occur even on thicker boards. The nearer you can get boards to being quartersawn the less chance of cupping. And the longer you can leave them to acclimatise before working them the better.