17 months ago i built a pine table for my employer, the top is 2 1/2″ thick , 48″ inch wide, 96″ long . the joinery as such was 3/4 inch plywood splines running length wise, and bread board ends and all were sparingly glued throughout( maybe not enough sparing) and length wise there are rosewood butterflies randomly throughout they are 1/2″ thick they were place over the joints of the board and some random cracks . the people left it unfinshed for the 17 months to accelerate the “aging process”(not my idea). the table was done for a rather large kitchen in a large 40,000 sq. foot estate house. and through out the year they have several gala’s and i slapped together a melamine cover that would cover the table when the caterers use the kitchen , it completely covers the top and sides . when lifted up this passed week there was ahuge crack running the full length smack dab in the middle of a board , no joints , no existing cracks. there was a over the table top aroud a heavy 5/16 shrinkage that showed up on the ends of the bread boards ends. and were less in the summer, i understand those reasons pretty much. now they would like to fix it …… i first thought was to celebrate the crack instaed of a patch job that would never be properly part of the table.fill the crack with epoxy tinted the same color of rosewood butterflies after a prelimanary finish. then with a random placement of more butterflies on the length of the cracks. i know my table would never make the gallery in FWW, but i got paid for it and not a bad price. they a pretty discerning set of eyes. you folks here are avery talented bunch, and there is a vast wealth of experiance ,and talent. and thought you could help me understand or maybe affirm my suspicions of what happened, and bestow some techniques to fix this problem . i believe because of the girth and the design of the piece clamping it . is out …. i found out about this 3 pm friday afternoon and was headed out fot the weekend. and made know attempt to do so . but that little voice kicked in and i’ll try with some full length cauls. but the bread board ends are the fly in the ointment . thank you much for any help at all… slainte’ al
there are some small files of a before and after look , i tried larger ones but there were errors after a handful of tries. so perhaps a little more help in my dilemma.
….
…” Wisdom has taught us to be calm and meek,To take one blow, and turn the other cheek…… to hell with that, keep your hands to yourself “
Edited 8/6/2005 12:20 pm ET by Alias
Replies
The first question would be what caused the crack?
I would suspect that the breadboard ends are the source of your trouble, since you seem to be saying that they are glued on. A top that size will shrink and expand over an inch in width between summer and winter in many areas, if the ends don't let the top move freely eventually something will crack.
If the ends aren't properly attached, to allow a sliding fit, then the only fix will be to rebuild the table with properly fitted breadboards, otherwise more cracks will form somewhere else if you just fix the existing crack.
John W.
john- this was the procedure i used for the bread board ends. i divided the thickness into thirds and the tongue was 4 " long secured with dowels with elongated hole in the tongue ( double the width of the dowel left 1/2" overall expansion room on the ends ( the mortise's) . i ade them a pretty tight fit but something a rap with a rubber mallet could send home .there were four glue point around 1 1/4 " wide on the tongue two on the ends and two in the middle of two more boards. they were 1/2 dowels used wit a spot of glue used and rosewood plugs cover them..... thankyou for the reply........slainte' ..
I basically have the same question/comment as John. How were the breadboard ends attached? They seem to be rigidly fixed but I can't tell for sure from the photos.
Also, how are the legs attached? Are there cross grain boards across the bottom? Are they attached so the top can freely expand and contract?
Also, was the pine fully dried?
If there are engineering issues, they need to be addressed before you deal with the split.
the base was attached at the corners wth two 1 3/4" fine thread brass screws. and the moisture content howie, was up and down . the facility is not heated and has sweeping moisture issues but i built the table then left in the house for a few weeks then attached it. there are definitely shrinkage issues, i'm trying to stay away from having to build another top. but...... the more i chew on this the red flags are all there..... thanks for your time..." Wisdom has taught us to be calm and meek,To take one blow, and turn the other cheek...... to hell with that, keep your hands to yourself "
I don't think that the melamine had anything to do with this, unless it delayed it a little. The MC of many grades of pine is normally 20%. If you did not test it before starting, this was probably your problem.If you can not bang or drill out the pins in the bread-board ends, you will need to just saw them near the end of the tenon, and pry the rest off, and re-make the ends, after you rip down the glue-line on each side of the split board, which it sounds like you have no choice but to replace.I did not follow how you attached the top to the aprons, but I like to rout T-slots into the bottom of tops like this and oil and wax them before gluing the top together with them in there guiding the parts into alignment while clamping. They can then be fastened tight to the aprons, and fastened up from the bottom into the middle of the top, which allows plenty of room to move, while controlling cupping etc. the slot of course needs to be longer than the T rail to avoid this problem also. You can still inlay your butterflies for looks, although as long as those are, and as much shrinkage as you had, I am a little surprised that they didn't cause some small cracks around them.Good luck on your fix. I'll bet you learned some lessons here that will not be forgotten anytime soon. Keith
There are two problems as I see it.
>> there were four glue point around 1 1/4 " wide on the tongue two on the ends and two in the middle of two more boards.
The two glue points on the end are the main culprit. The ends must be unglued so the field of the table can expand outward. In times of high humidity, the field will expand past the ends of the breadboard and you must not do anything to hinder that. Other than the center pin, the holes in the tongue must be slotted so the field can expand/contract. You have effectively prevented this natural expansion by your construction technique.
>> base was attached at the corners wth two 1 3/4" fine thread brass screws
There's the second problem. Again, the screws should have been in slotted holes so they can move when the top expands/contracts. Even better, you could have used hardwood buttons or Z clips that fit into a slot in the skirt. These buttons secure the top but still allow the top to expand and contract.
The only good way to fix the first problem is to cut off the breadboard, machine an new tongue, put a new groove in the breadboard and attach the breadboards properly. It will make you table a couple of inches shorter but no one but you will know of the repair.
After the breadboards are off, you can work some adhesive into the crack and pull it closed with clamps. Slightly thin some PVA adhesive with water and put a bead down the crack. Use compressed air to blow the adhesive down into the crack. Done carefully, only you will see the repair. You can add some decorative bow tie reinforcement if you want.Howie.........
yep howie hit the nail on the head with his explanation of a bread board end. slotted screws, a shorter tenon then the mortise and no glue maybe for the first 2" on one side if it makes you feel better. <G> that crack is a faliure in the wood not the breadboard joint. if anything a tight bread board would PREVENT that sort of thing from happening. it would act like a clamp on across the grain. preventing that sort of split. if it a was a tight breadboard then when the wood expanded it would destroy the breadboard. that wood shrank very fast at some point. if not that it expanded even faster then shrank very fast or the outside of the wood had less of a moisture content then the inside...
i would bet that if is pine then the wood was not dried properly. 9 times out of 10 pine is cured properly for furniture making. i forget the temp off hand but it needs to kiln dried at levels far above most woods just to permanantly solidify the sap. the kild dried stuff is also prone to case hardning. all in all for cheap wood i guess it is hard to dry the stuff right. i have heard many bad stories about pine.
Hi LeeO. I am guessing that the wood contracted and was restricted at the ends therefore letting go in the middle. Peter
thanks very much everyone, after 6 days digesting this i have decided to to scrap the top and build a new one .this was a bit of a kick in the groin , meaning when things are looking up and we are swimming right along . murphy law moves in ...but the learning experiance in the long run will be more valuable .... well maybe...than the 800 dollars spent on wood clear 12/4 x 10" x 10' . get it over ..move on... thanks very much to all stay safe..... alias" Wisdom has taught us to be calm and meek,To take one blow, and turn the other cheek...... to hell with that, keep your hands to yourself "
Edited 8/10/2005 6:29 pm ET by alias
I must be missing something. 12/4 by 48" by 10' is about 150 bd ft, if you paid $800 for that it works out to over $5/bd ft... for pine???"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." A. Einstein
http://www.albionworks.net
48 " ?? that might be the overall length , the components were again 12/4 x 10"x10' undressed after they were dressed there were five boards the width measurements elude me dressed when put together. are you talking about the overall dimensions when finished?? al" Wisdom has taught us to be calm and meek,To take one blow, and turn the other cheek...... to hell with that, keep your hands to yourself "
I'm having trouble understanding you, so forgive me if I've made an incorrect assumption. I thought you said the top was 48" wide and 8' long. I assumed therefore that you used 5 of those boards, 12/4 x 10" x 10' to make the top. That's about 150 board feet. Maybe the $800 included the rest of the lumber used for structure, but you don't have to rebuild that.I'm not even convinced you really need to build a new top. Why not take the existing top, cut off the breadboards. Rip out the cracked part and replace with a new piece. Mill new tenons on the ends, and rout out new mortises in the old breadboards (no need to make new ones). Attach the breadboards, following the advice from Howie et al. Then, apply finish!! Leaving pine furniture unfinished is just asking for trouble."Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." A. Einstein
http://www.albionworks.net
YA said it all.. I agree for what that is worth..Why scrap the whole thing...???
please forgive me for any snippiness that might have came across here. that being said, i understand what you were trying to convey to me now. crossed lines on my behalf. and the advice you have given me, sounds more palatable then a slab of wood in the corner of the shop. passed off as ####work table.. thanks again albie...... .." Wisdom has taught us to be calm and meek,To take one blow, and turn the other cheek...... to hell with that, keep your hands to yourself "
Edited 8/12/2005 4:42 pm ET by alias
Just me.. I have payed that for really clear pine with a nice grain.. Well, I never bought it but has seen that and MORE costly!
Clear white pine, here in New England known as "Sugar Pine" in 8/4 stock, isn't cheap. I just bought about $2k worth at $7/bf.
Wow!! That's close to what I'd pay for Cherry out here. Guess clear pine is a lot pricier than I thought. I never work with the stuff myself.I'm surprised customers will pay hardwood prices for pine."Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." A. Einstein
http://www.albionworks.net
bread board ends and all were sparingly glued throughout..
As the others stated probably gluing the bread board BUT...
You stated a cover made of melamine that covered the top and sides..
How long was it there? Is it near the kitchen where the underside could have gotten ALOT of moisture... How about if something really hot was placed on it like those serving trays with burners??
Just stupid old me but it could be that the cover caused/helped the problem... I would think the moisture difference would be extreme if the bottom is open to the air which I assume it is...(Even if finished which I assume it is).. The reason I think it may be related to the covering is it appears you have two separate cracks... If it was just stressed wood I would wonder why you have two cracks and not just the longer one or the shorter one? Both split at the same time?
I would not think so...
I have made many doors with pretty hefty slabs of wood and I have had two or three 'blow' up for no apparent reason... I just bit the bullet and repaired them free of charge.. (No apparent damage caused by the owner).
And then again it could be just a 'stressed stick' that finally gave up on holding together..
Wood is a wonderful thing but also like a human... Blow up on you for 'no good reason!'
Geeee. I hope everything works out.. I would assume again the top will come off the aprons so maybe you could glue a new slab in there and make some new 'breadbords'.. Now how to you work around them 'bowties'?
Judging from where the crack is and the breadboard spline vis a vis the butterflies, it looks like the cracked board was pulled apart by contraction of the wood that coudnt move on the breadboard ends. My guess is the fix is on the breadboard splines- take it apart, make them slide-able and replace the wood board in the middle. Its a beautiful piece though and my experience has been that these things are easiest to do when you select a good course and then just go through it. Finish on the wood is an all important factor to minimize the extremes that play on it also. aloha, mike
thanks mike for your reply.... i'd wish you a good day but living paradise that would be redundant.... slainte'" Wisdom has taught us to be calm and meek,To take one blow, and turn the other cheek...... to hell with that, keep your hands to yourself "
Edited 8/7/2005 7:46 am ET by Alias
Breadboards aside, I canna help wondering if there isn't something else going on here; the damage indicates that the same prob is in effect at both ends of the top... what chance is there of excess glue in both breadboards..??
I've a hunch that it's related to how the top is secured to the aprons; the same rules that dictate breadboard construction are in play here too i.e. the fixings securing the top must permit the free expansion and contraction of the top over the base...
just my tuppence worth
Mike Wallace
Stay safe....Have fun
I didn't notice if anyone else mentioned but was the lumber from a reputable source? Have you had any problems with lumber from your source before? Was it properly kiln dried? Was the lumber properly acclimated to your shop before assembly?
I'm in total agreement with the previous posts that it sounds as though the ends got too much glue or are somehow restricting movement.
Z
It makes no difference if the pine was kiln dried, or what type of finish it had on it. Wood, irregardless of all these factors will always expand and contract and occasionally twist, cup, and bow. There are several things that can make it worse, but even perfect boards, expertly handled, will change in dimension regularly with changes in humidity.
If the ends were glued on, or if the wood twisted or cupped so that it jammed in the slots in the breadboard ends, or if the table's aprons restricted the top's movement, enough stress could easily be created to cause the top to crack. Unequal drying because of the melamine top could have added to the problem but it unlikely to have been the primary cause, which was something restricting the top's movement.
A quick solution to jammed breadboard ends would be to simply eliminate them, they are generally more trouble than they are worth, as your experience is proving.
John W.
Edited 8/8/2005 12:55 pm ET by JohnW
"It makes no difference if the pine was kiln dried"
John, You know that is not entirely true. Case hardened lumber can do all kinds of crazy stuff. Imaging building a table out of cheep pine (white wood) 2x4's
I have seen a lot of contraction splits, but never one that looks like that. Did yall notice that the split looked like a giant check (stress fracture). The contraction splits I've seen are a lot cleaner than that.
Who knows?
Mikeplease excuse my spelling.
Mike,
I was mainly referring to the common belief that kiln drying creates wood that is permanently stable. Kiln drying does affect numerous quality of the stock, but it doesn't alter the basic fact that the wood will expand and contract with humidity swings.
The split does look like the honeycombing failure of case hardened oak, but I've never seen honeycombing occur in white pine. Most construction lumber is Douglas fir or southern yellow pine which will occasionally check like in the photo, from poor kiln drying, or reaction wood.
Also, honeycombing is usually fairly obvious, even if the cracks have closed up. I can't believe it wouldn't have been noticed early on in the constuction of the table. In any case a honeycomb failure doesn't suddenly gap like this unless some other stress is pulling the board apart, such as the restriction created by the table ends.
Without seeing the table, you are right in saying "who knows", we can only take educated guesses.
John W.
john if you'd like i could e-mail you higher resolute picture . i'll need the address . i had the cover off in november and there was a noticable shrinkage t hat was on the planks going into the bread board. other than that there was no noticable cracks...... al" Wisdom has taught us to be calm and meek,To take one blow, and turn the other cheek...... to hell with that, keep your hands to yourself "Edited 8/8/2005 8:57 pm ET by AliasEdited 8/8/2005 8:57 pm ET by Alias
Edited 8/8/2005 8:59 pm ET by Alias
Alias,
A higher resolution picture isn't likely to give much more information. Looking closer at the photo with the split, while it does look something like a honeycomb failure, the pattern isn't an exact match and that kind of split can also occur during a simple stress failure.
I just ran through the numbers for shrinkage of a panel the size of your table. For a 10% change in moisture content between summer and winter, which would be the norm here in New England, if not more, a top that size will shrink 1 1/4 inches in width. If your breadboard ends wouldn't allow that much free movement and some room to spare, then something would have to give, and a crack down the middle is the most likely result.
I'm curious, where are you located? Usually shrinkage cracks appear in the driest time of the year, wintertime here in the Northeast. Do you know when the top split and if it was after a spell of weather with low humidity?
John W.
John,
I never realised that anyone thought that kiln drying lumber made it "stable". Thats nuts.
I think that it very well could be a combination of shrinkage stress and reaction/ bad kilning. He still hasn't told us where he got the lumber. Was it Home Depot?
Mikeplease excuse my spelling.
Alias,
Bite the bullet. I feel the top will have to be re-made, because you need to abandon the idea of bread board ends-apart from other considerations , the steps on each end due to movement are going to be unsightly. I wouldn't even think of re-using the timber because it will be too short (minus the b'bords) and there is something amiss for that sort of crack to arise. I also think that trying to glue and clamp that cracked board closed will be unsatisfactory.
Get replacement timber which you have checked for correct moisture content, let it acclimatise in your shop for a bit, and re-do the bloody thing. Also, the top should attached with buttons or Z clips, which will take care of movement.
Your reputation is at stake, so don't be shy. Tell customer you are "happy" to refund the money until the new top is ready.He will probably be "pleased" to let you go ahead without taking any money back.
P.S-if you get replacement lumber from the same source as before, in addition to moisture checking, you should get a couple of boards ripped in two, to see if they behave i.e don't turn into propellors etc.
Edited 8/10/2005 3:10 am ET by Philip Marcou
Alias,
you did not say how the wood was cut. I don’t think the breadboard ends where the fault for the split.
They must have worked or you would not see the 516 shrinkage as you said it happened.
You said the top shrunk not expanded. (Put together in the summer and check in the wintertime) That was the way I read it.
Now if the wood was flitch cut from one tree did, you by chance chose the center plank from the tree also as the center plank for the table?
If so, I think that these are the reason for the split. A plank cut from the center of a tree will most of the time split down the middle as the table shows. Kiln dried or not.
As for the repair, with a router, rout down the breadboard from both sides till you hit the tong. I presume the tongue goes in the to the breadboard. Cut out the center plank, insert a new one make new bread boards and the table will keep the same length.
Hilmar
Hilmar,
You may have a valid point there about the centre board- I had also thought about it when I said "something amiss about the timber" but dismissed the idea as from what I can see from the picture that centre board does not have the expected grain pattern- It would be good if Alias could tell us.
As for the 5/16 shrinkage-maybe this was all the bread board ends could allow and it may not have been enough-certainly not enough if we accept John's shrinkage figures.
Anyway he's probably tired of all this now ....Philip Marcou
actually philip i am not bored at all there are times to paticipate and times to shut up and listen and learn. i believe this is one of those times, to shut up. thank you for your time...........a" Wisdom has taught us to be calm and meek,To take one blow, and turn the other cheek...... to hell with that, keep your hands to yourself "
Alias, There is no reason to scrap the whole thing, you can replace that center board easier than starting over, and the best reason for not starting over, is that the new wood that you will start over with, will have the same problem as what this had. At least if you re-use the good parts, you will know that the shrinkage has already occurred in it.Have you checked with your supplier to inquire what the starting MC was supposed to be?As Hilmar and Mook pointed out, the close proximity of the pith is something to be avoided. The little pin knot about 6" from the close end lends credibility to their assessment. If you want to earn any credits for the lesson that life has handed you here, you need to carefully inspect every detail as you work backwards through your repair.
I don't recall if I read any remarks referring to the little square plugs through the BB ends, if the screws under them are passing through slots in the tenon.If you can not find new wood that is as dry as you need, try to use quarter cut / edge-grain. At least the shrinkage will be cut in half.
Just as I finished the post above, the easiest fix occurred to me.With a router, remove the top 1/4 to 1/2" of wood off of the center plank, and glue on a new piece. I would use Epoxy as the adhesive, since you will need a glue with good bridging / gap-filling capacity for this, and it does not contain any moisture which would have to be absorbed into the wood to cure.I hope you know that the new patch needs to be at EMC to match the rest of the top, if it has reached EMC. If it has not, then the shrinkage is not finished, and may continue. You can clamp a straight edge to each side of the center board to guide the router right down each glue-line. Then all you will have to do is rout out and replace the butterflies. I hope this helps. KeithPS If you don't have a moisture meter, need I say, it is past due.
keith another great alternative fix, what should moisture content be to minimize movement ....7%-10%??? thouht that would be a reasonable target. just bought a vega duplicator ssssooo the moisture meter might have to wait a couple months.. thanks again.....al" Wisdom has taught us to be calm and meek,To take one blow, and turn the other cheek...... to hell with that, keep your hands to yourself "
Keith, I thought about that too, but couldn't figure out what might happen when the humidity goes back up and that crack tries to close. Seems to me the cause of the cracking has to be identified and fixed or else it will just happen again somewhere. But you're right, that would be a quick fix, essentially inlaying a cover strip."Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." A. Einstein
http://www.albionworks.net
I don't have any doubt that there was too much moisture in the wood to begin with, and I would not worry about it getting back up to where it was. Whenever it gets down to EMC, and it may not be there yet. I don't think there is anything to worry about if it gains a point or two.I can not say what EMC is for where alias is, I don't even know who he is. If I made the assumption that he was in London, but he was in Death Valley, I would be wasting my time trying to answer that question for him.Alias, If you choose to use the method that I mentioned above, don't create another monster to rear up and bite your butt by using a water-base glue. If you are not up on using epoxy, just say so. Anybody that can make coffee, can mix epoxy, but there are lots and lots of them and things that can be added to make them better for one purpose or another. I will be happy to advise you on that if you need my help, all you have to do is ask. K
Keith- my name is kent and i live in long island, new york. i'm 48 yrs. old and am a third generation carpenter, second generation historical restoration carpenter. i revitalized a 48,000 sq ft mansion on the north shore of long island. i make the doors, windows, cabinets, mantels, milling of moldings and installation . i also have a spray booth in one of the empty houses that i use a devillbis conversion gun with a five horse/30gallon compressor. i spray mostly oil based products but with the regulation comin down latex is on the horizon . have fumed several pieces with good results. any how the results are professional non- the less. i am very well versed in west systems , abatron products. i'm pretty obssessed by what i do and "it keeps me i n fire wood" sort a speak . i can do my own structual welding and also have a commercial art degree from arizona state university( yeah thats what i say no big deal that and a buck fifty will a cup of joe). i 've built a boat with my grandfather in 1973 that still is in my families possession . i took a certain stance in my "plea"to the folks here to try to understand or correctly affirm what i did wrong and what would be which i thought would be many ways to approach fixing this major blunders. this a first in a while frankly , i understand the concepts of a moisture meter because at the farm group ( 12 buildings main barn , milking barn, stables , tack rooms , 3 caretakers cottages, ice house ,silo) that we are restoring the plank sheathing white oak rough sawn,we recieve from a near by mill full 5/4 x 10"x 16' we recieve 2500 lf every 6 months . and we have it dried in the mill for six months and recieve it 15-20% ( i understand the tangential shrinkage concept) then we store in the loft for another 2-3 months which dries it out another few more points. we have an ongoing contract with mill and expect to be there another 3 years). although this could smack of being defensive, i wanted to convey to you that i'm not a head scratching newbie . although after the table top i had my doubts, right now we building our own 60 foot trusses full 8"x14 " doug fir free of heart ,and plan for installation of those within the week.
there is little bio on me , again i donot want to sound defensive but there was a hat in hand presentation that i believe needed to be done because to ask advice and guidance in such matters. was the recoginition of a major mistake .... thank you again.... kent.." Wisdom has taught us to be calm and meek,To take one blow, and turn the other cheek...... to hell with that, keep your hands to yourself "Edited 8/14/2005 4:31 pm ET by alias
Edited 8/14/2005 6:27 pm ET by alias
Hey Kent, good to virtually meet you. It sounds like you have a good thing going there. I did not intend to provoke you, although I think I may have found your string, and pulled it a little too hard. HaThe EMC for your location should be 7 - 8% for your table top in a controlled atmosphere, however the wood in your out-buildings probably hover around 14%.Well good luck with your fix. I'm sure that when you are finished, nobody will know, but you will be wiser for having had this experience.
LOL.... well i recoiled the string, which was fully out ........ LOL........ mea culpa ...... thanks keith ... and to all thanks very much ... keep the advice coming." Wisdom has taught us to be calm and meek,To take one blow, and turn the other cheek...... to hell with that, keep your hands to yourself "
Folks,
Kent/Alias has just provided a prime example of what I have bleated about on some other occasions: namely that it would be very helpful if people would provide some salient details on their profile. This would enable us to tailor replies to suit and we wouldn't be teaching Grandma (pa) to suck eggs. On the other hand , if we have a96year old veteran of the Chippendale wars,and he tells us something ludicrous, then we will not delay in calling in an air srike and indulging in some levity.
Seriously, if this subject has been thrashed to death previously and there are good reasons why folk are reticent re their profiles, then apologies are tendered and I will not be raising this again.Philip Marcou
Edited 8/14/2005 9:23 pm ET by philip
i now realize your point, philip" Wisdom has taught us to be calm and meek,To take one blow, and turn the other cheek...... to hell with that, keep your hands to yourself "
Edited 8/14/2005 9:39 pm ET by alias
Keith,
If Kent changes his mind and decides not to scrap the top,your idea has a variation that may be easier to do and will not look like a fix, especially when one looks under the table.('Spose it depends upon how much the customer drinks, but I digress):-
Fat router in hand , fitted with a long straight cutter of at least 1/2" diam., running against suitable guide, cut out that centre board completely- careful not to overrun into the bb. Some chisel work will be required at the corners.Providing the router, bit and fence are up to specs the edges will be straight and smooth.
Next, fat router is fitted with a bearing guided rebate cutter, preferably one that cuts a 1/2" x as deep as possible rebate, and the long edges are rebated-again some hand work to finish the corners.
A decent board is now prepared and rebated to suit, and glued in place, using epoxy so that clamping is not an issue, and just some weighting down will suffice.
I don't want to make this a marathon post, so won't go into why I favour this solution over yours, or why I still advocate re-doing the top from scratch, but if there is interest I will respond.Philip Marcou
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