Are there any good reasons not to face-glue boards for extra thickness? I am making a tabletop from walnut and I want it to be at least 1-1/4″ thick when ready to assemble. I can get some nice 4/4 shorts locally for about a third the cost of 6/4 boards. My plan was to mill my 4/4 stock true, then face glue, then send through the planer once again if needed, expecting 1-1/4 to 1-1/2″ finished thickness by the time I’m ready to edge glue. I’m planning on a 45º bevel around the top, and could maneuver so the glue line is hidden with the bevel, while also doing my best to match the edge and end grain on the show edges.
Thanks.
Replies
That will likely move in ways that cannot be planned for. If you just build up your edges, or buy 6/4 stock for the outside boards your top will be better behaved. I can't imagine double the 4/4 lumber could cost much less than the 6/4. How do you plan to join the "shorts" into "longs"?
Pay for the 6/4. It will be worth it.
It would likely be fine, but it's a lot of work and time.
I always choose stock to have the fewest glue lines I can. To me, it's a mark of better work. I've seen store bought table tops about 25 inches wide that have a dozen boards glued together. I prefer two or three, max. I dislike legs that have a couple of boards glued up, rather than using one solid piece.
I don't do this for a living. How I choose to make things is a matter of personal conceit. The table top with 12 boards joined together functions just as well as a one or 2 board top. But I will never want to make it.
If you check out garret hacks work bench he did this exact thing so if garret did it I think it would be fine.cheers
Ps. Basically your making plywood.
"Ps. Basically your making plywood." Great point.
Whenever I've glued up two or more boards to make a thicker piece (like for making 8/4 table legs) I find that those flat boards are often not exactly flat enough when you're trying to mate them, and you end up going through a lot of wood to find good matches.
Tbone, if you're still there, yes you can do that.
He's not "making plywood".
Yes, face gluing two 4/4 boards is in no way, shape or form plywood.
Interesting set of responses so far. Thanks.
I'm not so much interested in the oft stated and not without merit "just buy the best" approach (lumber, tools, etc--- as if looking for cost-effective options is somehow beneath us), but rather the experience and approaches to the technical issues which some have you have addressed in response to my question.
I constructed the tops for my 4" thick split top Roubo bench from face glued ash (in fact, in order to use available narrower rip cutoffs, a couple of the laminates were first edge glued to accomplish the 4" thickness, and then face glued), and it is 4-square to within better than 1/32" tolerance across its 4 x 24 x 84" dimensions. It remains true after four seasons of use.
However, the thought of approaching a walnut tabletop in this manner seems a different kettle of fish, so I appreciate the variety of points and counterpoints.
TBoneTim, when you are gluing up the slices to a workbench (all boards standing on edge) I've always heard it called laminating. The laminated top is very stable as your benchtop shows. What I've been assuming is that you are gluing wide boards face-to-face to add thickness, and then edge-gluing the 2-layer-laminated results to make your tabletop. If you are building your tabletop like your benchtop, in effect making a 1.5" thick "butcherblock" laminated top I'm sure it will be as stable as your roubo.
MJ,
What I am proposing for comment and critique is not in the butcher block orientation, but rather edge gluing boards as usual for a tabletop, however with the "boards" being the result of face gluing two thinner boards to get my desired thickness.
As Muskokalayne points out Garrett does use a brickwork layering of 1" material on his latest bench. A workbench is not a table so I guess we would have to know a little more to give better answers.
Short answer is yes, you can do that. Longer answer will vary depending on what your expectations are.
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