duckkisser Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 i have the frame of a old table with no top it's a basic 4 legs and outside frame with no cross braces in the middle. i wanted to attach boards across the top leaving a slot between each board. the slots are for inserting clamp in to hold wood bending molds and pieces in place. i have never done anything like this so my question is how might you build a table top using mostly pine 10 by 8' boards. how should i build them so the boards wont warp or drop in the middle? should i place the boards going cross the top as well like a torsion boxed table? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splinna Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 If it was me, and this was just going to be some sort of assembly/build-up table, I would probably just use a 4x8 sheet of plywood (or two laminated together if the stiffness was needed) and then lay out where I needed slots, drilled out each end of the slot with whatever size hole saw or forstner bit needed, and then finish out the slot with a jigs saw... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 If it was me, and this was just going to be some sort of assembly/build-up table, I would probably just use a 4x8 sheet of plywood (or two laminated together if the stiffness was needed) and then lay out where I needed slots, drilled out each end of the slot with whatever size hole saw or forstner bit needed, and then finish out the slot with a jigs saw... wouldnt any ply sag in the middle? i would like to make a torsion top but wouldnt it be hard to make a clamping sloted surface? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 It would be easier to look at alternative clamps. Festool clamps fit in holes and would work well. Kreg has keyhole bench clamps that work very well. Leigh has bench dog hole clamps and keyhole clamps. With a little enginuity even regular clamps can be made to work in holes. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 hmmm i hadent even though of geting a different kind of clamp i was just going to use the basic clamps we have in the classroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splinna Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 How big is this table frame you are building on top of? Most dining tables aren't much wider than 42" and the frame beneath is narrower than that. I wouldn't think you would get too much sag in that span as long as it was attached well around the perimeter to the frame you have. two thickness of 3/4 ply glued together with a continuous coat of glue between them would make quite a sturdy top. As mentioned above, If you have the option of choosing what clamps you can use, than you could easilly get away with just drilling large holes in a grid rather than creating large slots... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 the table is 40 inches wide and 60 long Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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