What wood might this table be made from?

[PhilipL]

Pulling together two houses into one late marriage means that my new wife wants rid of a coffee table which is too heavy for her to move. Sad, I know, but eBay makes its money that way. Any idea what the table might be made from? The underside looks a lot richer in colour than the top. Very solid piece of engineering.

 

[Jameshow]

Douglas fir or similar native American fir???

 

[Cabinetman]

I would think that D/fir which I think you’re about right on, is a balancing veneer on the underside, top layer knowing the Americans it will be cherry but not quite the right colour, unless it’s faded? First glance I thought Teak.
Someone who knows will be along in a minute

 

[baldkev]

That front set of legs looks kinda oak to me

 

[D_W]

need a closer picture. It looks like red oak.

 

[D_W]

(If it's from the 1990s or so, red oak was very popular then - about as heavy as beech, relatively, and for whatever reason, in a "honey stain" it was everywhere. I worked at a cabinet factory at that time and probably 65% of the cabinets were red oak with light stain leaving absolutely everything else (including dark oak) in the last 35% and something like 10-15% was white RTF.

Nice smooth natural or stained maple was available back then, but hardly anyone bought it. Common to see light oak with brass and porcelain hardware.

Red oak is the beech of the US - it grows everywhere, grows large and fast, and the wood is strong and dense (probably stronger in fast growth trees than old growth). Well, dense compared to stuff like cherry and alder and poplar. Beech is uncommon here commercially, but clear red oak probably wholesales for a dollar a board foot when flatsawn.

it's gone totally out of style, though.

 

[PhilipL]

It is from the 1970s. Could be faded. Not sure it is veneer - no marks of damage which you might expect?

 

[Cabinetman]

Now you mention it that does look a lot like red oak that front leg, I used some earlier this year to make some drawer boxes, thoroughly enjoyed the wood and wasn’t sure why people I had come across in the past had denigrated it so much.
It was in California and buying the wood at Home Depot would have cost about $350 the local timber yards were taking the p.ss and wanted almost $600, totally unashamed when it was pointed out to them.
Then stumbled across a rundown place in the Mexican Quarter and got some beautiful flat clean 1/2” boards for $60, lesson learned about timber in the States! Ian