Good Quality Wood For Desktop

Kris Petrosky

Member
Messages
58
Location
Rochester Hills, Michigan
Hi, I'm trying to re-purpose an old executive desk into something fancier. I have a large piece of 30in by 72in slab of mahogany. If you can see from the picture, I'm going for a "sandwich" top. Although kinda sad, I'm probably going to have to just put the mahogany between two lower quality pieces of wood and then veneer them. What I was wondering was, what type would be strong and sturdy for a desk, that would also finish nicely. I'm looking for it to have a nice shine to the finish. Desk Design Final.jpg

Also I wanted the thickness of the 2 other slabs to be an Inch.
 
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If you are going to veneer it, you would be better off using plywood (or multiple layers of plywood) as the core, rather than the mahogany. Both from the perspective of a stable base and not wasting a great piece of mahogany. I often make a desktop or tabletop of plywood, with solid hardwood edges. The hardwood allows edge profiles, but is kept narrow enough so the expansion/contraction of the wood, across the width, is not an issue.
 
Charlie is one who knows. I was simply going to comment that veneering a piece of mahogany seems like a waste. For a top-top just about any wood is suitable with a durable finish. Oak is a great furniture wood.
 
Charlie is right about using something besides the mahogany as the substrate for your veneer. He suggested plywood, which is what I have used on many projects. I tend to use MDF for a lot of veneered panels because of its stability. Visible edges can be banded with hardwood of a thickness appropriate for doing whatever profile you want to use. Save the slab of mahogany for something that will show its beauty.
 
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