# Table tops



## jimmyjamonit (Mar 2, 2009)

I have been designing and building small tables for a while now. The photos show the type of stuff that I'm into. I've been using reclaimed wood (pre-laminated pieces that is) for the tops - sometimes i cut the size I need from an old junk table or dresser, chest, etc. Sometimes I have a local cabinet maker glue me a top together. It's not always easy trying to find a piece of wood that will meet my needs, and all the pre-laminated wood I find at Lowes or home depot is junk. I want to learn how to join edges so that I can start making my own tops. Is this best accomplished with a tongue and groove type joint, and then just gluing and clamping them down? I do have a small hand router.


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## Wood4Fun (Aug 29, 2008)

you don't need to do t&g to do a table top. If you google how to create a cutting board, you will find a LOT of web sites showing you the steps for gluing up the strips. The same exact concept is used for a table top, just a larger scale.
There are some that use biscuits when doing something on the scale of a table, but it is not needed for the strength of the joint... it is more of a convenience for keeping the boards lined up well during the glue up process.
When you glue up two boards running along the grain, the glue joint will be stronger than the wood itself and you don't need joinery.


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## Tom5151 (Nov 21, 2008)

Wood4Fun said:


> you don't need to do t&g to do a table top. If you google how to create a cutting board, you will find a LOT of web sites showing you the steps for gluing up the strips. The same exact concept is used for a table top, just a larger scale.
> There are some that use biscuits when doing something on the scale of a table, but it is not needed for the strength of the joint... it is more of a convenience for keeping the boards lined up well during the glue up process.
> When you glue up two boards running along the grain, the glue joint will be stronger than the wood itself and you don't need joinery.


I would agree......once you have your individual boards thicknessed, planed and square you can butt the edges running with the grain, glue and clamp. (it's a bit tricky but very doable). I have made several table tops this way and they work out well. The key is making sure your boards are square, flat and parallel first.


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## bzbatl (Feb 10, 2009)

Plate (biscuit) joiner FTW. Makes clamping a breeze, far less planing/sanding work. It also corrects any bowing. Cupping and twisting a different story, though.

A nice 6" jointer is your friend when making tops.

Edit: oh, and don't forget clamps. Lots and lots and lots of clamps every 6-8 inches.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

As Tom suggested, if the series of boards are dimensioned and machined properly, they can be just edge glued and clamped. You could get good rips from the table saw, or from a jointer for the mating edges. I use a block sander and give the mating edges a quick swipe before glue up just to get a smooth clean edge.

I don't use biscuits as IMO, they don't insure alignment. There is enough spacing to allow the biscuit to slide in, and there is room for glue. That minimal gap can allow for movement while gluing and clamping. If anything I may use a spline.

What will insure alignment is the use of cauls. They are strips of wood with a straight edge that get clamped on edge across the series of boards, top and bottom, that are being glued up. What the process will look like is clamps across the boards, and clamps on the cauls. This keeps everything flat and tight.

What helps in getting even cross clamping is to alternate which side the clamps are on. IOW, you don't want all the cross clamps on top of the boards.


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## firefighteremt153 (Jan 25, 2008)

Don't forget to make sure your work table or whatever you're gluing up the boards on is Flat.


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