Gary,
In trying to work back into this wonderful pastime, I’ve read everything I can find, and thus am confused. An upcoming project is to be a 4′ square cherry table for the kitchen eating area. My question involves the necessity for bread board ends. Given that most houses use central heat and air so that temp and humidity levels are relatively constant, would that eliminate the need for breadboards? I mean, experts now say there’s no reason to finish both sides of a piece or to alternate end grain directions to keep a piece flat. Is this another obsolete idea?
Thanks,
Steve
There are two secrets to keeping one’s wife happy.
1. Let her think she’s having her own way.
2. Let her have her own way. President Lyndon Baines Johnson
Replies
Steve,
I don't know which experts you've been reading. You will always need to finish both sides of a piece to keep the moisture loss/ gain in balance in a board or boards. Alternating heart sides up or down helps to equal out cupping over time, but I think if you fasten the top down well along many spots underneath it should stay flat. So if you ran all heart sides down, your top would have a tendency over time to cup as a single board up and away from the heart. Keep it well fastened down at the ends and this problem should be minimized. But definitely finish both faces of a table top.
Breadboard ends are both a design and technical feature. They look nice, but they cover up the end grain where you can lose up to 12 times more moisture than in long grain. Remember the tree is a bunch of straws held together with lignin and then we cut it apart and the straw ends lose and gain a lot of moisture over time. By covering up most of the end grain of a large table top you minimize moisture loss.
You also help to keep the top flat over time, another nice feature. If properly fastened the breadboard ends will keep the boards from cupping. Finally they also look nice on a table. However if they don't suit your design, then I would simply use spring joints along the edges of all my joints to keep the ends tight over time. Good luck. Gary
Gary,
Consider me to be "straightened out". Many thanks.
Steve
There are two secrets to keeping one's wife happy.
1. Let her think she's having her own way.
2. Let her have her own way. President Lyndon Baines Johnson
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