My Table is Separating

Balakay | Posted in General Discussion on April 11, 2022 09:01am

I had two beautiful tables made. I absolutely love them. I had them made by someone who I thought knew woodworking. The boards are now separating. I bought the wood myself, and I know they were seasoned. I think I know the answer to the next part of this question, but does it absolutely need to be fixed. Is there anything I can do to fix it. There is two of them, and they are sooo big. I ordered new legs and everything for them. This is an owner’s worst nightmare. What do I do?

Replies

_mj_ | Apr 11, 2022 09:14am | #1
Post photos of the tables, and closeups of the cracks. Until we see it we are guessing.
jharveyb | Apr 11, 2022 10:46am | #2
Also photos of how the tops are connected to the bases. (Underside of table photos.)
FWW Editor

ben_strano | Apr 11, 2022 11:01am | #3
Pictures are needed.

That said... I'm in the same boat. Dining room tabletop is coming apart. I think it was some bad hide glue here. I have mulled over a lot of fixes, but it's hard to know what to recommend for you without more info.
DRBWWing | Apr 11, 2022 02:52pm | #4
Its a failed glue joint, maybe a glue starved joint. I've heard of people pushing glue in the crack, using a vaccum on the other side to draw it in.

Sometimes the only way to fix is to rip it apart and start over with freshly jointed edges and
_mj_ | Apr 11, 2022 03:51pm | #5
I just noticed the word "seasoned" as opposed to "dry". Under what conditions were the boards stored up to when you had the tops made? It may be that the wood is just completing the drying process now that you have it in the house.
pantalones868 | Apr 11, 2022 04:21pm | #6
Alot of maybes here. Maybe the wood wasn't as dry as you though. Maybe it was improper type of glue. Maybe the glue was old. I like to buy my glue from someplace that moves a lot of glue so its fresh. The stuff you get at your local store could have been on the shelf for a year and a half before you picked it up. I date mine, keep it in a cool place out of harsh light and toss it if its a year old.. Maybe bad jointery,maybe you park your table by a window that gets full sun, maybe poor clamping. Maybe the substructure doesn't permit expansion or contraction of the top.
Regardless of the reason most likely you'll need to tear it down and start over. You can try working some glue into the spots where it's failing and clamp it but it might just continue failing somewhere else.
john_c2 | Apr 11, 2022 07:17pm | #7
And, you bought legs, rather than have them built with the table? I'm betting the top was attached to the base wrong.
elmaduro | Apr 11, 2022 09:12pm | #8
Have you engaged the table builder, and if so, what was his response?