Thank you all for your good advise on my bandsaw problems. But this is a new problem brought to my attention by reading some of the other questions on this site.
I’m planning to make a dining room table for our new house. I’ve already picked up the wood and was decided on a method. Namely, to use the 10″ boards running the length of the table and attached by cleats (I think that is the right term) on the underside. The table (planned) is to be 7′ X 40″. I would appreciate any of the vast knowledge you all possess to be sent my way with ideas on how to put the planks together. I’m not too concerned with the table being completely flat or with the planks being really tight. I’m kind of envisioning a little bit of a rustic look. Almost like a picnic table, but not quite. Is this a crazy idea?
Replies
Well, I understand rustic.. but I also know what happens when dining table planks have voids between them. You get crumbs and all manner of gunk trapped between the boards. Not only unsightly.. but unsanitary.
Rather than attaching them with cleats.. I would go with the more traditional method.. edge joining them with yellow glue and perhaps biscuits to keep them aligned.
With a table that length, and the challenges presented in a flat glue up.. you'll have all the "rustic" your heart desires.
Be sure to use wooden buttons to attach the top to your apron so that the top has plenty of wiggle room.
Post pictures, please.
10" boards .. IF OLD growth OK but if 'modern' wood it will be sure to crack someplace.. I cut and glue up...
If a indoor table you Want nice.. I would make sliding dovetail cleats..
Just a bit of glue in the middle.. Sorry I love makin' sliding dovetails...
Edited 8/12/2005 1:13 pm ET by WillGeorge
Edited 8/12/2005 1:14 pm ET by WillGeorge
Will,
Where were you when I was facing a firing squad for merely hinting that "wide" boards may sometimes require cutting and rejoining , for various reasons? And you want the man to cutandrejoin all his boards that are a mere 10inches wide and Bubinga moreover which is quite stable when acclimatised? Dang it man what has come over you? The re-registration been too much?
Just funnin ya , I know you like Bubinga ,<G>
P.S-That wood is from Africa-I can tell you that there is no chance of it being "modern" as you say. It will have been cut , never to be re-planted or sustained in any way.
Philip Marcou
Edited 8/14/2005 5:43 am ET by philip
And you want the man to cutandrejoin all his boards ...NA! Just the split one. LOL
Aloha,
If you intend to continue with woodworking, it is best to use each project as a learning experience. There is a wealth of information out there on the internet for free and a couple of good books would be a wise investment. Just a bit of research will answer your questions on how to put together a solid wood top. The techniques that you will see have been developed over a long period of time and are done the way they are for good reasons. I doubt that you will find a technique for putting together a table top such as you suggest except maybe at a US forest service site on how to build a picnic table.
I understand your desire to get cracking on building something, your wife probably wants it done tomorrow afternoon, but if you've bought a fine wood like bubinga, I think you owe it to yourself to take a little time.
Do the best job you can do with what you have, you won't regret it.
Matthew,
I am not trying to be rude but I think what you are proposing to do with that Bubinga (African Rosewood to me) is indeed a crazy idea. Why? Because Bubinga is a fine timber and not deserving of a "picniccy rustic look" , to say nothing about the gaps ....
If I were you I would find another timber more deserving of this fate and reserve the Bubinga for when you have a better project lined up for it.
You did ask if it was a crazy idea <G>
Matthew, I for one like your idea of a somewhat rustic table. Leaving the wood in wide-plank form, with a hand-hewn surface, and enough space between the planks to get a sponge in there to clean, and topping with a nice natural oil-and-wax finish would really bring out the nature of the wood. Not everyone likes the super-smooth, super-level, super-shiny look that seems to be popular. Do treat the wood with love and care, though, as it is like working with ivory from an environmental standpoint.
Thanks for the encouragement, it seems people are more touchy than I had thought. How would you recomend joining the bourds?
For a "Fine Furniture Interpretation" of a picnic table, I might just use two or three cleats under the tabletop. Something like 5/4 x 3 with chamfered edges, stopping 2 inches from the edge of the top. Leave a good 1/2" between the top boards, and be prepared to clean the gunk out of there on a regular basis. Use some nice #10 or #12 oval head slotted brass or stainless steel wood screws. Counterbore the cleats for the screws, then elongate all but the center holes so the top boards can move. I like to use a biscuit joiner for this, but any way will do. 3 or 4 inches of glue at the center of each board is enough--you don't want to restrict cross-grain movement too much.
The cleats will also be a good place to attach your leg structure.
Mike
I think if I were doing something that was a stretch for me, with wood that nice and expensive, I'd be quite tempted to make a version in cheaper wood first, to validate the design and make sure it feels and looks good to you and your wife. Better to scrap a pile of pine than bubinga. Or you can donate the mockup to a good cause, if you finish it well enough to be usable.
I'm designing a home entertainment center, and before I put together the cherry version I'm doing a mockup with white wood and cheap plywood, figuring I can rip it apart and use the scrap later for jigs, etc. But then, I'm a raw beginner.
Edited 8/15/2005 8:35 pm ET by vulcan666
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