Posted By roger lance

Date Sunday, 13 February 2022, at 4:18 p.m.

roger lance
The subject will be a dining room table top.....QSWO.....about 1 1/4" thick.....about 42" x 72".

As Warren has stated most amateurs/hobbyist are uneducated and inexperienced about furniture making......that's me.....guilty......no training......no mentor......no one really local to talk with about the proper way to make such a table top. So.....

First question area is breadboard ends......I'm convinced they are necessary to keep the top flat.....I'll pin them from below.....glue only the center 2" - 3" of the breadboard......make the breadboard length proud of the tabletop width (we're in the dry season)......allow for expansion/contraction on the outside pins and make sure I do not glue them to the tabletop tenons. Any comments about breadboard ends would be greatly appreciated.

Second, the actual glue-up of the top. Splines?......biscuits?......etc. Your thoughts please.

Third, I'm thinking of attaching to the bottom of the top a couple of substantial maple beams (2" x 3" or so) running across the top's width......attached with screws......and perhaps left on the top's bottom permanently after being shortened in length to fit between the base's aprons (these braces will never be seen by anyone using the table). Thoughts please......

Obviously, I'm concerned with keeping the table top flat.....or as flat as such measures will aid in this flattening......why?.....because I built a top without these precautions and I'm not happy with the result. All is not lost.....I'll be able to cut that old top up on the glue lines and will be able to use those boards for other things. It is an experience I'd like not to have a second time.

Any and all thoughts welcome.....I need that education and insight so that my next experience will remain a positive one.

 

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