Do it yourself

Look for pallets meant to hold a lot of
weight, they are made of oak. The
lighter ones are cottonwood, which
is not very desirable. This table was
made from ash pallets.

Face, I knew a guy 30 years ago who made
furniture from scrap wood in his garage.
He always wore Amish style coveralls and
an Amish straw hat, though he wasn't
Amish at all. He would put the finished
stuff by the road and made his living
that way. He was taking specialty orders
eventually and was always busy. Course,
he really knew what he was doing, that
helped.

Yes, that table you just put up is exactly what's in my head for, well, all projects I do.

Perfection, as it exists, are for the well-to-do's in the 'burbs. The ones with polished granite counter tops and polished cement vanities. 'Round here, that rustic Americana look is super huge. The sort of warped and uneven look fits the same "do for yourself" motif that most everyone does in my area. But, of course, not many can actually do for themselves.

A living? Not me. But an extra hundo a month? Maybe more? Why not. It's enjoyable, more so than TV for sure.

Quote: Face

It's sort of viewed as a "girl thing", but man... Pinterest.

I should dare you to follow me on it ;)

Quote: Face

A living? Not me. But an extra hundo a month? Maybe more? Why not. It's enjoyable, more so than TV for sure.

What I'm talking about. A hobby that is a side hustle! I love side hustling, got one each the next three nights, one just came in an hour ago! Make a nice table or pool chairs? Why not! Biggest cost is some hardware. Get some poker money and have something extra for times between day clients.

Yeah, less tube time, keeps the mind sharper.

Quote: Face

A living? Not me. But an extra hundo a month? Maybe more? Why not. It's enjoyable, more so than TV for sure.

Tables are easiest to build and sell. Look
for ash or oak pallets. Your belt sander
will be your best friend, I have hundreds
of hours on one. Put the table together
and sand the top down till it's smooth,
use an electric finishing sander at the
end. I always use an oak stain no matter
what wood I use.

The final finish is the thing. Use Deft and
only Deft. Learn how to spray and 'sand'
with wadded up newspaper in between
coats. I know a guy who refinished for
30 years, and his finish is what sold his
stuff. Smooth as a babies butt. Women
loved it and they're the buyers.

Use pre made legs, nobody gives a damn
about the legs. They want a smooth wood
grain top, like the one in the last pic I
posted.

Make smaller tables that can hold a computer
and monitor, those are good. Also, short legs
for a coffee table. My wife has an oak coffee
table that was a library table that had the legs
cut down. It's perfect.

Yeah, my next project (when I free up $100) is a new computer desk for myself. It is pretty easy, and way better than this particle board BS I got going on now.

Any advice on how to toughen the surface? If I can't salvage wood, I buy white pine and fir because it's dirt cheap. It's also soft as the dickens. If you even write on a piece of paper on it, the imprint will be left behind.

Don't use pine, it's makes shit furniture.
Find pallets, they're everywhere. Look
behind grocery stores, in dumpsters,
behind strip malls, behind lawn and
garden stores, motorcycle stores, you'll
find pallets. Stay away from big businesses,
they usually recycle. Cruise around and
you'll be surprised. He who looks, finds..

Understood. But that doesn't help the pine table I already have =/

Quote: Face

...Any advice on how to toughen the surface? ....

There are some polyurethane finishes that harden like a rock. I think you will still have trouble with sharps directly against it, but it should polish up fine.