# Bread board ends



## joedain (Jan 19, 2015)

I was wondering if it is or is not a good practice to attach a bread board end with dowels.

The wood is pine that is about 70 years old and about 2.5 inches thick. I want to put about 3/4 inch dowels to hold the breadboard end on.

Is this an OK idea, and how far into the actual table and end should they go?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

You can use dowels to attach the breadboard end but you should elongate the hole through the tenon. Otherwise with shrinkage the top may split.


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## Masterjer (Nov 6, 2012)

Steve, I think the OP is thinking of using dowels in the traditional doweling sense of spanning across a butt joint between the table top and the breadboard ends. 

To the OP, Steve was assuming the you would be cutting a lengthy mortise in the end and a tenon on the table top to fit into the mortise. The usual way of using dowels in this sense is to then drill a hole from the top of the breadboard end, down through the tenon and then use a dowel to pin the mortise and tenon joint together. 

The thing to be careful of is that since wood moves primarily across the grain, you will need a joint that allows the table top to move seasonally without constricting it with the breadboard end.


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## joedain (Jan 19, 2015)

*Dowel Join*

I was thinking of something like this image in the link below.

http://www.dowelmax.com/images/referencing-system4-large.jpg

Would that joint be OK? 

Do you think the wood would expand/contract that much since its so old?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

joedain said:


> I was thinking of something like this image in the link below.
> 
> http://www.dowelmax.com/images/referencing-system4-large.jpg
> 
> ...


No, you can't do that. I assumed you meant using the dowels to pin the tenons in a mortice and tennon joint. It doesn't matter how old the wood is, it will expand and contract with the changing weather. 

When you put a piece of wood across the end of another with the grain running in a perpendicular direction it doesn't allow the main part of the panel to shrink. By doweling like you have shown when the top shrinks it will crack in multiple places. Even with a mortise and tenon joint you only glue the middle and let the rest float.

The breadboard should be made like this illustration.


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## wericha (Apr 29, 2012)

joedain said:


> I was thinking of something like this image in the link below.
> 
> http://www.dowelmax.com/images/referencing-system4-large.jpg
> 
> ...


Wood that old has "stabilized" to some degree, but is still subject to expansion and contraction. Temperature and humidity changes are the culprit, not the age of the wood.


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## joedain (Jan 19, 2015)

*Ends*

Thanks for the tips. I have read lots about it, but I dont have the tools to make a correct tenon like you have shown.

I will have to figure something else out.

Thanks,

Joe


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## joedain (Jan 19, 2015)

*Needed or not needed*

Do you guys think that bread board ends would be needed in my case?

Im just thinking about the age of the wood.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

joedain said:


> Do you guys think that bread board ends would be needed in my case?
> 
> Im just thinking about the age of the wood.


Usually a breadboard end is more decorative than functional. In the event the wood in the table would cup warp the breadboard end would help prevent it. If you mount the top with sufficient table top clips that should be sufficient. http://www.rockler.com/table-top-fasteners You just run a dado in the table skirt or cut slots with a biscuit cutter to insert the clips.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

bread board ends are a cross grain situation. any changes in climate will manifest in the bread board ends not aligning with the table edge. wood that old is more stable, however it can still move.

not a fan. imho.


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## Develin (Oct 1, 2012)

I use the same method as steve showed in the illustration. While it is decorative the breadboard end can also serve to pin laminated table tops together increasing the the life of the table. Unless it is for a breadboard or chopping board I would drawbore the m&t.


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