rmac Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 This beautiful table appeared on the LumberJocks site just a little while ago. The writeup says that the top is made of solid beetle-kill pine, 2-1/2" thick. This looks like a disaster waiting to happen when the boards in the middle shrink while the three running perpendicular to them don't. Is there any way around this problem (other than a redesign)? Is this table doomed to self destruct? -- Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMadson Custom Wood Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 This may have been built like a cabinet door. There's a frame around the outside with a rail going across the middle. The smaller perpendicular pieces could be floating in a grove like a door panel, they just happen to be flush with the table top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Looks like a solid glue up in the pics. Top center should be veneer on ply or mdf to make a tight fit. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmac Posted January 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 FWIW, here's a picture from below. -- Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmac Posted January 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Looks like a solid glue up in the pics. Top center should be veneer on ply or mdf to make a tight fit. But there still would be a problem where the ends of the short boards meet the border, right? -- Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Looks like from the underside its already failing. If the whole top center was thin veneer on mdf or ply it would not be an issue. Really nothing more than edgebanded mdf. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morton Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 If it's solid wood, its doomed to at least have gaps between the boards. I did this when I was first getting started in woodworking - the piece is still awesome and works great (dining room table) - but does have gaps as large as 1/16" in some places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 If it's solid wood, its doomed to at least have gaps between the boards. I did this when I was first getting started in woodworking - the piece is still awesome and works great (dining room table) - but does have gaps as large as 1/16" in some places. That would be an integral crumb tray, Morton... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 I built my first project like that, at the time I didn't really know anything about this stuff. It was a jewelry box with a piece of curly maple in the center of the top with peruvian walnut and maple wrapping around it with miter joints, no splines, no biscuits, just miters. My sister didn't want me to take it back to fix it but I just couldn't leave it like that. Its still sitting in my house and I haven't gotten around to design or build a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morton Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 That would be an integral crumb tray, Morton... Except the cracks go through to the floor. So, it's the dog who really benefits 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Thats why woodworkers are a dogs best friend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmac Posted January 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Update: This morning the builder of the table posted this on LumberJocks: In Colorado there is no such thing as humidity, so expansion is not an issue. If I lived somewhere else, or was sending the table to another state, I would make the top completely different. I have used this miter method on other tables and haven’t had any problems. But you do have a good point, in areas where the humidity fluctuates it could expand and pop the joints. I guess the key is to live in a place with no humidity. I didn't know that Colorado qualified. -- Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CubsFan Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Yup, very low humidity here. I think technically a lot of the (non-mountain) areas are semi-arid. I still think I'd take humidity into account though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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