Replies

1. 
   mrossk | Mar 05, 2022 12:33pm | #1

   veneer a top. also eliminates the need for the sliding dovetail batten.
   Or, see Mario Rodriguez's coffee table in issue #291. Similar design. He attaches the batten to the top using figure 8 fasteners rather than the sliding dovetail.

2. 
   jim_hall | Mar 06, 2022 11:26am | #2

   How about if you glued up the top as a solid piece, eliminated the dovetail key, changed the grain direction of the batten to match the top, and glued the batten directly to the top? Would that work? The batten is 14 1/8" long so probably would require gluing two pieces together to get that length.

3. 
   _mj_ | Mar 06, 2022 01:00pm | #3

   Build the table with the legs through the battens but not through the top, then fasten the solid top with screws up through the battens.

4. 
   daverichards | Mar 06, 2022 05:46pm | #4

   _MJ_'s suggestion seems the most straightforward. Just elongate the holes towards the ends of the battens to allow the top to expand and contract seasonally.

1. 
   jim_hall | Mar 06, 2022 06:20pm | #5

   Sounds like it. Thanks.

1. 
   daverichards | Mar 06, 2022 06:58pm | #6

   FWIW, if you are concerned about the thickness of the batten you could make it as show but with vertical sides instead of the dovetail so it's like a large but short tenon. Make the mortise in the top long enough to allow for seasonal movement.

   As I think about it, though, the dovetail makes some good sense. Not much thickness left for screws if you do the mortise I described. You could glue the top trapping the battens. Glue only at the centerline and make the dovetail sockets long enough to allow the top to move.

5. 
   gulfstar | Mar 06, 2022 07:40pm | #7

   Instead of placing the expansion joint in the top, put it in the sliding dovetail batten and build the top as one single piece. In other words, cut the batten so the legs can move in and out as top expands or contract .