Replies

1. 
   Eef | Mar 09, 2010 03:59pm | #1

   hi curt,

   there's no problem gluing 7/8 thick boards to  make that 42" wide table.  how do you plan to flatten it after glue up?  in my neighborhood there's a 36" wide  sanding service, so i'd have to make my 42" in two parts.  you could start a fun thread by asking how does one flatten with hand planes.

   eef

2. 
   SteveSchoene | Mar 09, 2010 04:15pm | #2

   No sstructural problem in the glue up though you need to be aware of the grain direction since quartersawn will move  less with ,moisture changes than will flat sawn, so you want to match grains to avoid stresses that would want to warp your top. 

   Another thing to consider is that if you use quartersawn lumber, as os often done with mission style furniture, hiding the joint between top and bottome layers will be a bit difficult since those edges will have face grain that is harder to match up. 

   Also note, that it is not at all unknown to glue the extra thickness to edges, again keeping grain matched up, so as to reduce weight and to conserve wood.   

3. 
   JohnWW | Mar 09, 2010 07:46pm | #3

   I would recommend against gluing up two layers of stock to get the thickness you need for several reasons.:

   1.  You will see the two layers on the sides and ends of the the table, and it will make the piece look like low quality store bought furniture.  You can hide the edges and end with trim, but as already pointed out, if you are going to trim the edges, you don't have to make the top thick all the way across.  Even if you are careful in matching the upper and lower pieces to minimize the seam, it might still suddenly become much more prominent when you apply stain.

   2.  There is a fairly high risk that you will  get into wood movement problems that will lead to the upper and lower layers separating from each other.  I don't know of any way to choose the stock and orient the grain to reliably avoid this from happening.

   3.  It is a lot more work.

4. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Mar 10, 2010 10:04am | #4

   Obviously you have delegated some of those Israeli Recon boys to sneak around at my shop and observe... huh? Done that more than once and nobody has caught it yet to my knowledge. Well executed if is very difficult to tell... If it works.. it works! ha.. ha...

5. 
   joinerswork | Mar 10, 2010 10:07am | #5

   Hi David,

   My inclination would be to cut the ends and edges off, then drop and slide them under, rather than folding them under.

   On the ends, slip-matching the orientation of the growth rings will come near to matching up- making a better visual, and expansion/shrinkage match- than a book-matched join.

   Ray

1. 
   ring | Mar 10, 2010 10:50am | #6

   Ray,

   Yes, I've done it that way too, depending on the grain it can sometimes look better.  If there's some color change through the board it seems better to flip them over.  On nice QS stock it's better to slip them under.  Once the principle is established there are various ways to improve any given job.  BTW, I've done several countertops using 3/4" material and tripling the thickness this way.  If they are done carefully they look quite good.  In actual practice our shop does the long edges by ripping a miter joint, but the ends are slipped (or flipped) and glued.

   Sarge,

   I keep one of those unmanned drones on the lookout for anything that might arouse suspicion in the Deep South...

   regards,