Oak table

[RMS]

Hi

I've seen a solid oak table from a local shop where the guy says it's solid oak. This is priced at £600. He says it has no veneers

I've seen what appears to be the same oak table online but it says it's solid oak with strengthening veneers on the top surface priced at £500. They claim its more expensive to have the veneers and without them the table top would split etc

Is this the case and what is the likelihood of the first table being solid oak without veneers? They look like the same table to me

Thanks

 

[Norcon]

Can you post a link to said table?

A lot of timber products are sold as "solid oak"/Solid timber" etc but are in fact "engineered" products made in large veneer presses in the far east with cheap soft wood in the core.

I think most furniture these days has its origins in the far east.

Its not true to say the table top would split if solid oak is used.
Unless dodgy workmanship was involved.

 

[RMS]

Link for table with oak veneers

http://www.cotswoldco.com/dining-room-furniture/dining-tables/montague-large-extending-table/

 

[Norcon]

The legs look laminated in layers. Not veneer.
The top looks solid.

 

[AronSearle]

Solid means not hollow.

Solid oak means it has to be all oak (a few softwood dowels or such would be overlooked).

You can see in the pictures it has a veneer onto laminated oak, the end grain doesn't match the surface, you have to really look though because they have done it carefully.

It's cheaper to manufacture this way, (they can use crap bits of oak for the core and a thin quality veneer to make it look good). There is no real technical benefit, it's just cost cutting.

(but then you can't expect a 'proper' oak table for that price without some tricks)

 

[AronSearle]

In case you can't see it, the end grain and surface don't match = veneer.

 

[Norcon]

There's no veneer on that piece.
Explode it 1000 times bigger if you want.

 

[RMS]

It must be veneer as the online company have stated that the top has veneer oak layers.

So if the other table we are looking at is identical in design and the shop claims it's not veneered.... Does £600 sound realistic for a solid oak table?

 

[Norcon]

The other shop is correct. It's not veneered.
I'd buy that much solid oak for about £150 quid from my local hardwood supplier and could knock that table up in about a day..
From here...
http://www.murdockhardwood.com/

 

[RMS]

The picture / link from the website states the table has oak veneers on the top layer. So it's defiantly veneer as stated

The table I've seen at the shop is not the one in the picture but is identical in design and the shop say this one is solid oak

Wonder why they are identical in design but made differently

 

[Norcon]

They say "Oak veneers" but they've got that wrong.
The legs are laminated from layers. As are parts of the top as you can see on the end grain. Not veneer.
It's solid oak and would want to be at that price.

 

[RMS]

So not veneer as in a thin top layer but oak pieces glued together?

 

[Norcon]

Yes that's correct.
This might put you off though...

"Really poor quality table, marked on arrival and while waiting for a replacement the veneers on the table top started to peel. "

 

[AronSearle]

There's no veneer on that piece.
Explode it 1000 times bigger if you want.

That was just the native image size on their website.

They say on the website it is veneered, it looks veneered.

??

They say "Oak veneers" but they've got that wrong.

"Really poor quality table, marked on arrival and while waiting for a replacement the veneers on the table top started to peel. "

Make yer mind up!

 

[Dave54]

It's hard to tell. If it's oak veneer on oak it's going to be hard to tell from photos. The clamp, or cross piece you can see the end of, looks as if it might have veneer on it, as the top surface doesn't look edge joined, but the end grain clearly does. Also right on the corner, where it's dubbed over you can see a faint vertical line which might be the veneer join.
At a guess, they veneer "solid oak" so they don't have to worry about the grain match and blemishes etc. Makes the waste a lot less. Legs look as if they are simply boxed rather than laminated solid I thought, but could be wrong.
Far as price goes I haven't bought any oak for about 4 years, but I'd expect good quality oak to make a table like this to cost around the same as the table does. Depending on where it's from of course. Looks like European oak to me. Most of it is now. Same species, but not quite the same as if it's grown here.