Thread: Minimum Thickness

I don't know the answer to that. Haven't made a table yet.

But check out the size of the workshop. My Gaaawwwd! You must be planning some serious equipemnt to have that much space.

I would guess that it depends on the thickness of the boards you are using and your aesthetic preferences.

I wouldn't think that you'd want to go below 19mm but personally, for that size table top I'd reckon that around 25mm would look better. Provided of course that you can get a dressed size of 25mm out of your boards.

I had a look through a couple of my books and the only mention I could find of tabletop thickness was 19-25mm particle board or 9-12mm ply on a hardwood frame! Nothing about solid timber.

19mm (or 3/4") sounds right to me, but I don't know why. My dining table has a built up edge, so whilst the top itself is probably under 19mm thick (I've never measured it), it looks about 1 1/4" thick.

well i thicknessed one length up & by the time i got all the mill marks out i had 30mm !!
is this to thick ?

Originally Posted by BUNTA

well i thicknessed one length up & by the time i got all the mill marks out i had 30mm !!
is this to thick ?

You might need a forklift to move it.

Well Rookie i sold my flash ute bought a hammer C3 31 so i wont need many other machines. & the weight should not be a problem ( it wont get moved much ).

i think 30mm is fine i wouldnt go any thinner...
when i did my apprentisship at timeless timber gallery all tops were between 30 and 40 mm thick and now working for myself i make tops 30 here is a few examples allthough not on tables they will still give you an idea that 30mm is about right

30mm top on this buffet i made
Attachment 48184


40mm top on this wine rack i made
Attachment 48185

The top on my dining room table looks exactly like your wine rack but it's not 30mm thick, it only looks it.

I think a dining room table would weigh a tonne with a 30mm top. What's your reason for saying "i wouldnt go any thinner"? Appearance or is there some technical reason?

25 to 30 mm will look best for the size for a big table like yours.

mainly movement! thinner tops tend to cup. if just for appearence you could just run a edge all the way around the bottom but its quicker to just to make it a solid top

with weight it will make a bit of difference but not that much! you can always get some people to help you move it.

If you are really concerned with keeping weight down use pine. the way i see it is all solid hardwood furniture is heavy but if you like the timber generally the fact that it is heavy goes hand in hand with that so i say take the good with the bad!!!

well 30mm it is !! i like the solid look & some of my boards are 50mm so the thicknesser blades are going to get a flogging as it is so the thicker the better.
if they where a lot shorter i would rip most of the excess off with the saw but being so long its to hard. will post some more pics as i go.

cheers for the reply's.

Originally Posted by Wongo

25 to 30 mm will look best for the size for a big table like yours.

Ditto. The early 900's standard solid timber dinner tables were 3'6" x 6' and had 1" tops. For a 4' x 8' 30mm should be just OK.

ETA: got in too late... did not change the outcome anyway!

The original question was "what is the minimum thickness", not "what thickness should I make my table top". I can accept that cupping may occur with thinner tops but it's not a rule and there are plenty of tables with 3/4" thick tops around, many of them antiques.

So just for completeness, the answer "30mm" may solve your quandry, but it is not the minimum thickness that you could make it, which was what you asked

Originally Posted by BUNTA

well 30mm it is !! i like the solid look & some of my boards are 50mm so the thicknesser blades are going to get a flogging as it is so the thicker the better.
if they where a lot shorter i would rip most of the excess off with the saw but being so long its to hard. will post some more pics as i go.

cheers for the reply's.

Don't waste them. Keep them for something else.