# Joining Threshing Board - Harvest Table



## Slidr (Jan 13, 2013)

Hi everyone,

This is our first attempt at building a Dining (Harvest) Table and we were hoping to get some advice from you all. As you can see from the pictures we are using three boards for this table; the middle piece is 14" wide and the outside boards are aprox 12" wide each (total width of table will be just over 37") with a total length of 10'.

The questions that we have are:
1) will just carpenters glue work here?
2) how many clamps should we use for this table?
3) how long should it cure for?
4) will the table warp? if so, should we use metal braces underneath?
5) Anything else we should be aware of?

Thank you all for your help!


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## SeniorSitizen (May 2, 2012)

Slidr said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> This is our first attempt at building a Dining (Harvest) Table and we were hoping to get some advice from you all. As you can see from the pictures we are using three boards for this table; the middle piece is 14" wide and the outside boards are aprox 12" wide each (total width of table will be just over 37") with a total length of 10'.
> 
> ...


1) sure, I prefer Elmer's glue all. Haven't had it fail in 60 years.
2) 5
3) 12 hrs. minimum 
4) no more than they are warped now. No
5) yes. Joint preparation is everything. Dry fit 2 pieces with clamps applying light ( subjective ) pressure. Reference those 2 pieces for future assembly. Hold a light underneath to inspect joint fit. Remove any high spots. Remove dust with a damp cloth. Apply glue liberally to both surfaces and clamp until some ( again subjective ) oozes out. Wipe ooze out with a damp cloth. After 12 hrs. add the third board. A common mistake is a poor joint fit resulting in excess pressure to obtain ooze out.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Any carpenters glue should work for an interior table top. I would use 5 or 6 clamps to glue it and let it dry overnight. The top may or may not warp at all if you did nothing extra. If you can it might be helpful to put a piece of wood or meta screwed to the underneath side. What ever finish you put on the top you should do on the underneath side also. The only thing that concerns me is the cracks two of the boards have. You might install some bowties on the underside just in case or rip the affected area out and add some more wood. Make sure all the joints fit well because any force you use forcing the joint together is force trying to pull it apart later.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

About your glue up. You should first do a dry fit to see how the mating edges look. If they were jointed and fit without any gaps, you can proceed to the glue up.

Have all your parts, glue and clamps all ready, and laid out. You don't want to be hunting for something at the last minute. It seems at this point it's a simple matter of applying glue and just setting the clamps and cauls and tightening them up. 

Well, what can go wrong? Clamps, like pipe clamps for instance have a closing pressure from the clamp ends that can exert more pressure on an upper or lower edge of the board other than the center, if not positioned properly. Many of those clamps the ends do not close under pressure absolutely parallel to each other.

When tightening one of those its a good idea to see how the mating edges are reacting as the clamp gets tight. Alternating the clamps position on top of the boards and the bottom of the boards help in creating a straight line of pressure to bring the boards together.

As an example of an improper clamp attachment, lets assume that there is slightly more pressure along the top portion of the edges versus the bottom. As the clamps tighten, the pull can make the combination of boards bow, or curve into a "U" shape. This would be indicative of all the board edges (that may be flat to each other) and the faces take a shape other than horizontal. The other side...meanwhile...will show that the glued edges are not tight but slightly separated allowing the board to tip away from its mating board. Over clamping (too much pressure) can do this.

The whole point to this drawn out description is when setting clamps to the outer edges of a group of boards, insure that they are set to exert centered pressure to the boards.













 







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## Slidr (Jan 13, 2013)

What a great forum! Thank you very much for all of the input everyone. We should be putting the table together over the next week or so. I will reply to this post with the outcome.

All the best!


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## Bonka (Mar 24, 2011)

*Clamps*

I always use cauls on these types of clamp ups. They have been a God send to me.
Google Mike Henderson. He has directions, pics, etc., to guide you along. The best part they are inexpesive to make and do not take too long to do.


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## afx (Feb 5, 2010)

Slidr said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> 
> The questions that we have are:
> ...


That is some nice looking wood you've got there, it looks like the table I made for our kitchen, I think it would look fantastic if you put a slight chamfer on the top edges to make them more visible then did some scraping to make it look even more worn. Any who, my take on your questions.

1. I use biscuits in my table but that was more for alignment, you've got plenty of jointing surface area.
2. If the boards are 10 feet I would put 2 on the end alternating clamping sides then go down about 2 feet and do it again. If you have parallel clamps you can just clamp every 2 feet IMO. The extra clamps aren't necessarily for strength but alignment and flatness.
3. Depends on the weather, I would go 12 hours minimum but if its colder it will take longer (looks like you're gluing up in a dining room?)
4. If you alternate the growth rings you'll be fine.
5. Be prepared for squeezeout, it looks like you have some nice flooring and I wouldn't want it being messed up with a bunch of glue dripping on it. Also I would recommend wood glue for dark woods to hide any glue lines.


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## Slidr (Jan 13, 2013)

Thanks for all of your tips/suggestions. The table is coming along nicely. I added some pics below of our progress...

Any suggestions as to what legs would work best with this type of table? We are leaning towards three pedestal type legs with a foot rest that runs the length of the table (the table is 10' x 3') through the legs... however, I just want to make sure we get the greatest stability and strength from them.

Thanks again


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## whatalesyou1 (Mar 18, 2011)

Great project! I eagerly await an update. I am starting to think about a table like this.


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## Midlandbob (Sep 5, 2011)

Re the number of clamps: the rule of 45 was not mentioned. Clamps exert their forces laterally to an approximate lateral angle of 45 degrees. Lines of 45 degrees from the clamps help let you know how many are needed. Using cauls extends the forces of the clamps if the clamps are a type that has enough power.
The newer TB II and III are a bit better as they don't have the creep. 
Two of your boards seem to have a the centre of the tree or close to it. The tighter the growth rings the more tendency to warp. Softwood moves less than hardwoods.
The table can be stabilized from below in the usual manner with a system that allows for the movement at the sides.
It look like a promising table.


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## Slidr (Jan 13, 2013)

Well everyone, it didn't take me this long to finish the table just havent had a chance to reply... here's the final product.
Thanks again for all of the help and suggestions!


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## Develin (Oct 1, 2012)

Looks really nice!


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## whatalesyou1 (Mar 18, 2011)

Nice work!!!

How about some details on the base?


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