Replies

1. 
   Petey | Jan 12, 2003 01:37am | #1

   Jim, its hard without a visual but it sounds like you will have to live with the butt-joints unless you can get plywood that big. You can glue up some solid stock, sometimes I feel that making plywood look like solid stock takes so much time that I would have been better off using the solid. What about veneer?  Petey

1. 
   PlaneWood | Jan 12, 2003 07:18am | #2

   I used to hide butt joints on long credenzas by routing a shallow groove centered over the joint, then filling the groove with a thin piece of hardwood.  I always used a 3/4" router bit then trimmed a thin strip off the edge of a piece of hardwood.  I would put masking tape down where the edge of the bit travelled so as not to get tear out.  Or, CAREFULLY score with an exacto knife.

   PlaneWood by Mike_in_KatyPlaneWood

2. 
   crt2cu2 | Jan 13, 2003 09:56am | #3

   Jim

   If I understand your request correctly- you ask how to firmly join butt jointed table tops together- maybe try barrel bolts or other similar mechanical fasteners often used by kitchen countertop guys.  These fasteners should be available at the lumber yard. These fasteners require routing matching mortises in the underside of the tops and it is a good idea to have some sort of structural brace underneath the joint to keep the tops level; kinda like any carpentry where studs are placed on center.

   I've used barrel bolts several times on long shelves, countertops, and tabletops that require installation on site.  The bolts hold pretty tight.  On a few small jobs I made my own fasteners simply out of off the shelf bolts, nuts and washers let in to carefully sized and matched mortises.

   sawick