Solid Timber Dining Tables

Hey Guys,

My GF and I have been looking for a new dining table and we couldn't believe the price of a simple solid timber table and chairs.

We went to a furniture store on Johnson St here in Fitzroy for a look on the weekend. They quoted $1,595 for a dining table 2100 x 1050 x 770 in Blackwood + $2,000 for 8 (discounted from $295 each to $250!) low back chairs in Vic Ash. :eek:

They didn't have the table we liked in an 'off-the-shelf' size so the sales person had to go away and call the manufacturer to see if they could make it.

Anybody know who makes these tables for furniture retailers? From what I could tell this particular store didn't have their own workshops like say Mark Tuckey or somebody does.

Figured I'd be able to get it cheaper by going direct to the source or is this standard pricing these days?

Any recommendations for Melbourne suppliers/manufacturers?
 
Thanks Y-Man, did you put your table out for collection? You should have let me know at the last MIG so I could have arranged a truck to come over under the cover of darkness! :D
 
Thanks Y-Man, did you put your table out for collection? You should have let me know at the last MIG so I could have arranged a truck to come over under the cover of darkness! :D

Why cover of darkness?

You one of these folks too embarrassed to be seen recycling other folks stuff?

I love seeing the old fellas take whatever I leave out. Much better than sending it to landfill!
 
A solid timber table for $1,500 sounds like a bargain to me. Get two of them. People pay that for veneer tables. You'll have a solid timber one forever. Imagine how often you will will use it.



I love seeing the old fellas take whatever I leave out. Much better than sending it to landfill!

In my suburb, the council make rubbish pick-ups on Thursdays. We just book on-line or call the council. I've never had to book more than about 10 days out. But most of time the stuff I put out goes before the council gets to it. A couple of years ago, I had some stuff out the front on the same day the old Lebanese bloke across the road had some stuff out. So I sauntered across to look at his stuff, and he had a poke around mine. We passed eachother in the middle of the road with our arms full of eachother's stuff.
 
I've actually got 2 nice solid timber tables - one from some people who were going overseas (for a massive $150!) and another that a tenant left behind.

I've sanded and refinished both of them - came up great!

Cheers,

The Y-man
 
A solid timber table for $1,500 sounds like a bargain to me. Get two of them. People pay that for veneer tables. You'll have a solid timber one forever. Imagine how often you will will use it.

Really? Is that a good price for the size? We are actually thinking 6 seater now instead of 8, so would most likely be cheaper again. We do like entertaining though..

Any experience with Seasoned Blackwood Scott?
 
A solid timber table for $1,500 sounds like a bargain to me.

Gosh, yes.

Back in the days when we had oodles of $boodles we bought a handmade Amish table of solid cherry, no nails - just pegs, with enough extensions to seat 14. About $4000 then. 20+ years later with a beautiful patina and still in immaculate condition despite everyday use, it's now a treasured possession and will be passed on through the family.

Go for quality and just buy once in your lifetime. It's true economy.
 
Really? Is that a good price for the size? We are actually thinking 6 seater now instead of 8, so would most likely be cheaper again. We do like entertaining though..

Any experience with Seasoned Blackwood Scott?

If you can fit an 8 seater, you'll probably regret getting a 6 seater. $1,500 honestly does seem pretty cheap to me if it is solid hardwood and well finished. I'd say those Wagga made tables are probably more expensive than that.

I don't know a heck of alot about different timbers, but I'm assuming most hardwoods are pretty stable.

There is a forum for timber, of course:

http://www.woodworkforums.com/

Lots of blokes there who know everything about timber. I found it a few months ago because one of the projects I need to do at home is make a table, coincidently. I've got a heap of dressed oregon from the ceiling I pulled down recently and I was looking for some clues on making a table. It's going be 4.5 metres long and hard to make, so I'm sort of putting it off.

I did notice one person on that site who had ordered a hardwood table (I think it was a table) that was a good price and he discovered when it showed up that it was veneer.

The Working With Wood show does the rounds of the capital cities every year, too. Some good stuff on display there.
 
Their delivery to Brisbane seems pretty cheap, so maybe you could still get what you want for a good price.


No Cashflow I wish! because they say its only a small sample of their work - I am pretty sure they sell to far Pavilions - if you want to see their work - the cube bookcases sell for a little over double there.

Three items shipped to Bris for $120 I think - see if a friend wants something?
 
It is incredible how much they cost - most of the solid wood ones you see in regular furniture shops are just stained pine and they still cost a fortune.

I have a lot of old oak furniture so I'm most likely to get a secondhand 'distressed' (aka old and battered) oak table from one of the local second hand or antique dealers and do it up. You never get old ones with a full set of chairs though, so those I'm going to have to get new.

Right now I have an old 70s melamine topped table the other half's grandfather made and 6 deliberately odd chairs to not match it :) When we get a new dining suite, these will end up in the games room for jigsaws and stuff. I constantly run into chair and table shortage issues when people visit so an 8 seater is a must.
 
I constantly run into chair and table shortage issues when people visit so an 8 seater is a must.

We had a problem at Christmas. Early December there were just 5 people coming. Then the number started creeping up. By Christmas Eve it was 22. I had to knock up a table out of some steel and plywood I had out the back.
 
I have a lot of old oak furniture so I'm most likely to get a secondhand 'distressed' (aka old and battered) oak table from one of the local second hand or antique dealers and do it up. You never get old ones with a full set of chairs though, so those I'm going to have to get new.

Often those old oak tables are just veneer on top and usually worn through the top layer. They don't sand up so nice in this case.

If you find a solid oak one it will be much better.

I had a formica kitchen table with wooden turned legs. The formica was a mess so I took it all off and the aluminium edging too and it sanded up a real treat. Waxed and oiled it and it was a lovely kitchen table for years and years.

Once I got my new home all sorted out I will start filling it with quality stuff - secondhand if possible.

With Army moves and little kids we just lived with cheap stuff up to now. Now I am approaching my twilight years I deserve some beeter things :)
 
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