Replies

1. 
   lamadriver | Feb 01, 2007 09:09am | #1

   The breadboard ends do keep the long boards flat, that's the purpose for the breadboard design but you don't want to glue entirely along the ends. A tight fit is good as they will shrink and move a little with weather. Glue maybe an 1 1/2" in from each edge and then use tight fit unglued dowels drilled clear through the mortises the rest of the distance between the edges. Trim and sand flush with the top and bottom and the top should give you good service for many years. You didn't say how thick the table top was, hope its at least 2 inches to give you some heft and stability.

   Hope this helps.

1. 
   jeff100 | Feb 01, 2007 09:19am | #2

   Thanks. Yes, it's just shy of 3" thick, maple & white oak top. Been working on this since last spring, although not full time. I had to take hunting season off to get the dog out of course. I'm very close to being done, started the glue up of the supporting structure last week. I'll post pics when I'm done. To clarify, I wasn't thinking of gluing the entire length, just the first 1-1/2" or so on one end only. Otherwise nothing could move....Edited 2/1/2007 1:22 am by jeff100

   Edited 2/1/2007 12:54 pm by jeff100

1. 
   lamadriver | Feb 05, 2007 08:33am | #5

   Glad you've choosen a good thick top as you'll appreciate it in the future. Here's a pic of the one I did a couple of years ago. I solved the top stability issue by using a discarded MDF door from a supermarket remodel. It was 2 1/2" thick with birch vineer [took three of us to load it]. I cut it down from 4' x 8' to 36" x 6' to cutaway the holes for the door mechanisms and then edged it with 3/8" x 2 1/2" oak. The structure is 4" x 4" corner posts and 2 x 4 rails. I wanted it heavy and boy is it, around 250 lbs. Needless to say it dosen't move around. Good luck with yours. Send Pics when finished.

   
2. 
   ring | Feb 01, 2007 01:35pm | #3

   Where you glue is dependent on how the piece is used. For tabletops, it's usually glued only in the center area, leaving expansion and contraction differentials equally towards both outer edges. If you have a clearcut "front" and "back", maybe you should only glue up a few inches from the front, and let all the movement happen at the back. How much you glue is a question of wood species, climate, etc. You didn't give us any specifics about the material, so I'm not even gonna hazard a guess. Either way, it's common practice to pin the unglued portions using an elongated hole in the tenon part. This is to allow for movement but to make sure the BB piece doesn't wander away from the main piece.

   David Ring

   http://www.touchwood.co.il/?id=1&lang=e

3. 
   mufti | Feb 01, 2007 01:53pm | #4

              As a consequence of limited space I use a carvers bench which has a slot running lengthwise down the middle, usefull for bar clamps etc. Now bb. ends on such could be glued at the corners allowing the slot to vary in width but making sure it never narrowed so that bars would not pass through. The ends on my cheap commercial bench are screwed.

   P.S. do not forget to allow for the end vice bars.

4. 
   BG | Feb 05, 2007 01:44pm | #6

   Jeff,

   Gluing the front of your breadboard end will help keep the breadboard flush with the front apron and therefore not cause problems with your vise operation...at least that is the theory.

   Also, this time of year(colder, dryer) your wood would be less wide then summer when there is more moisture in the air.