# Glueing 4"x12" beams for an 11' table



## APWood (Oct 26, 2016)

I am making a 11' x 5' table top out of 5 beams that measure 11'x4"x12". These are HEAVY beams. they are not perfectly jointed or sanded. Much of the seams make decent contact but there are portions where there is an 1/8" gap. Is there a best glue to use for this? I will obviously clamp them but trying to clamp and move a 12" x 4" beam across the 12" side won't move it much. 

Someone said polyurethane based glue would be good as it expands to fill the gaps. But should I worry about it affecting the staining? Would normal wood glue struggle to bond with the 1/8" gaps and the fact that the edges are somewhat rough and not smooth?

Would a good construction adhesive make more sense? I used Liquid Nails Fuze It on a project lately where I glued a 2x4 to another 2x4. I then realized I had to remove it. After a minute of trying to hammer a chisel in between the two pieces to remove the one, I gave up. 

I also need to make sure that I'm able to stain the table top afterwards and don't have glue marks that don't take the stain. So let me know if a glue suggestion is one where I need to make sure not to let it seep out to the edges.

Lastly, what do people suggest for filling the 1/8" gaps in areas? Maybe some of the glues would fill? Or should I use a wood filler? Do I need to worry about the wood filler chipping out over time?

I tried to attache some pics but not sure if they uploaded. Here is a link to view them. 
https://www.evernote.com/l/AI6kBRfY0RlD3YidCKz1_pERy_SHo56qrrY

Anyone have any advice?


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*very impressive and ambitious!*

If you can glue them together, then what? How will you move them around to assemble it. You better have the table structure ready to hoist them onto before hand AND in the location where it will remain OR have about 4 WWW 300 lb guys to move it! 

If it were me, and I'm glad it's not, here's what I would do. I would use a construction adhesive, not a glue unless I could reduce the gaps, but that will be a tough job. Without specialized equipment, I would rent, buy or borrow the 16" Makita landscape/timber circular saw and butt two beams together and run the saw down the gap using a straight edge. This will make the gap parallel on both edges. You should be able to butt them together again and check the gap.

You HAVE to send pictures of this project in the build stage! :wink2:


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

There is no substitute for a good joint. You might as well fill the gap with plaster as use construction adhesive or polyurethane glue. Since the beams are too heavy to joint straight on a jointer you might use a hand plane to work down the high places. If you want it to stay together the wood needs to fit tightly together. 

Like woodenthings said I'm wondering how you will move the table when you are done. I think if it were me I would find a way to make the top hollow so it would be lighter.


----------



## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

Get the pieces milled in half to 2x12's. 
You can make two tops for the price of one. 
You can properly square the edges.
It will weigh half as much.
The bottom side can also be planed to allow for better table leg attachment.

On the other hand, if you glue them together as is, the glue joints will show ... and could add a bit of color to the finished product.


----------



## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

You need to have smooth flat surfaces prior to glue up. I would never glue-up a table top with construction adhesive. 
To glue up a table with gaps is just a no no. There's rustic construction and then there's just plain sloppy. 
I agree with the previous post; take the material in and have it joined and surfaced for good joints. 
A 4" top is too much IMO. I would not want more than 2 1/2". 
11' is too much length except for a large conference table or a dining table in a castle. 
If you build the table as stated in your first post, you could not get it into most homes and the weight of such a table would be several hundred pounds. 
I think you need to rethink your original plan.


----------



## jeremymcon (Oct 16, 2014)

I know this is an old thread now, but why do you want to glue them together? Why not just leave a small gap between them, sort of like a picnic table? If you can't find a way to joint the edges no adhesive is going to glue them properly, and anything that fills the gap is just going to look nasty. 

And I'm with the others - have those beams milled to 2" thick and make a more reasonable sized table that won't require you to find some more beams to shore up your kitchen floor. If you mill them to 2" it'd be that much easier to joint them too if you absolutely have to have a glued panel for the top.


----------



## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Another one post and gone poster.

George


----------



## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

GeorgeC said:


> Another one post and gone poster.
> 
> George


Maybe we gave too much negative feed-back for his first post, but I still say his plan wasn't thought through.


----------



## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

GeorgeC said:


> Another one post and gone poster.
> 
> George


Thats not entirely fair, he could just be stuck under one of those beams he was working on


----------



## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Toolman50 said:


> Maybe we gave too much negative feed-back for his first post, but I still say his plan wasn't thought through.


When a person asks for advise you owe him your honest advise. Whether or not he likes it.

George


----------



## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

epicfail48 said:


> Thats not entirely fair, he could just be stuck under one of those beams he was working on


LOL. Now that is funny.

George


----------



## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Several years back, some guy on here made a table of similar dimensions and it weighed 450 lbs. As far as I am concerned, that is plain insanity. I see no point in it. You can make the edge 4" thick if you like that 'look', but not necessary to do that in the rest of the table. The dimensional stability of the timbers will affect how tight the joints will remain and this itself can be less than ideal for food service and could pose a health risk. 

Unless you are using timber and post construction, this could also be a major safety hazard. Thicker is not always stronger. Structures can collapse under their own weight if not well thought out.


----------



## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

APWood said:


> I am making a 11' x 5' table top out of 5 beams that measure 11'x4"x12". These are HEAVY beams. they are not perfectly jointed or sanded. Much of the seams make decent contact but there are portions where there is an 1/8" gap. Is there a best glue to use for this? I will obviously clamp them but trying to clamp and move a 12" x 4" beam across the 12" side won't move it much.
> 
> Someone said polyurethane based glue would be good as it expands to fill the gaps. But should I worry about it affecting the staining? Would normal wood glue struggle to bond with the 1/8" gaps and the fact that the edges are somewhat rough and not smooth?
> 
> ...


Do the best you can with the joints. If there is to big a gap try a belt sander, This will help close up the joints. We use a hand planer but you may not have access to one. We use Titebond II...good luck on the glue up...


----------



## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

These are made for the restaurant BurgerFi...


----------

