Silly Table Top Question

[stoutman]

I made a table and the top is a perfect square. Is it customary to have the grain run right left or front back ? or does it not freaken matter?

[Jerry Gilreath]

Wouldn't that depend on where your sitting at the time???

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Mine always runs left right or back front. Of course I'm left-handed so I plan it that way. You can reverse it in the southern hemisphere though. Ed

[stoutman]

No

The table has a front and a back because of a drawer. The top can be mounted with the grain going in either direction.

[stoutman]

I thought I might have it run left right Mon, Tue, Wed and then front back Thur Fri and Sat. Not sure what to do on Sunday!! :)

[Doug Miller]

Left-right. IMO it would look odd, very odd, with the grain running front-back.

-- Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

How come we choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?

[Jerry Gilreath]

My bad dude. I didn't know it had a drawer. If that's the case, I think I would run left/right. It's kinda like a coffee table. Or, if it was front/back it'd be like an end table. DAMMIT MAN!!!! Why you ask such questions!!!!:-) I get it, this is a test, right????

[stoutman]

Thanks. That's what I was leaning towards.

This is my first table with a drawer. When I finish the drawer I'm gonna post some pics. (if it still looks ok.) :)

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Mount it on a lazy Susan for Sundays and give it a spin.

With a drawer, the L-R or R-L will work. Ed

[Mark Jerde]

I vote for the grain going left to right, FWIW.

-- Mark

[Dave Mundt]

How about splitting the difference, and running it diagonally? Or...to be more interesting....glue up a panel out of triangles that has the grain radiating from a point in the center. This works great for ALL shapes of table from round to rectangular! However, the fact of the matter is that while it REALLY does not matter, as grain direction is a matter of taste, I prefer to run the grain along the LONG axis of the top. That just looks "better" to me. Regards Dave Mundt

[stoutman]

In this case there is no LONG axis. The top is a square.

[Bay Area Dave]

Dave, which axis is "long" on a square table? :)

dave

Dave Mundt wrote:

[Alan McClure]

I guess it's too late to vote for diagonal, huh?

With a drawer, I'd have to vote for left to right or right to left, depending.

ARM

stoutman wrote:

[Donnie Vazquez]

I think the "proper" way is right to left. The idea is that you don't have the end grain showing on the front.

[P©WÉ®T©©LMAN]

In that case from left to right, you would not normally want the end grain facing you.

[Lawrence Wasserman]

Just my opinion but I would make the grain of the top run the same was as the drawer face.

[Top Spin]

Well, make it 1/4" longer in one direction! ;-)

[Phisherman]

More common to have grain run right to left, than back to front. Just like it is more common for a table drawer to open from the front, but I've seen tables where the drawer opens from the side.

[JR]

For a NG in which helpful advice is usually given freely, you folks have really dropped the ball on this one.

Out of 17 responses, there are 5 for left to right, one for right to left (Vasquez), one for either way (McClure), a few for diagonal and none for front to back.

Stoutman is now going to be more confused than when he first asked the question.

The obvious answer is to cover the table top with a cheap plastic laminate, preferably some garish Wilsonart color like Pumpkin Harvest, and never worry about looking at wood grain ever again.

Go for it, Stoutman, you'll never regret it.