# How to join 4x4 posts to make thick table top?



## utadrian (Dec 6, 2016)

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum so apologies if this question has been asked elsewhere. I'd like to glue up several 4x4 hem fir posts (6' long) to make a tabletop. Yes, it's going to be heavy as heck, but I'm ok with that. I'd like the table to be perfectly flat, but the corners of each post are currently slightly rounded. Additionally, there are varying amounts of bowing in each post. What's the best way to join/square the faces of each post so they're flush when I glue and clamp? 

I have 10" table saw, 7.25" circular saw, and router. I don't have easy access to a bandsaw, joiner, or planer.

Thanks for any help!

Adrian


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The process is the same for 4x4's as 3/4". Probably what I would do is glue together as many 4x4's as the width will allow in your planer. Glue them up and surface them to a uniform thickness. Then straighten them out on a jointer and glue the sections together to make the top. Since it will be heavy and thick you might size the wood so when the top is glued together it is the correct size. Then put a piece of 3/4" stock on both sides to protect the edges from clamp marks.


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

Without the very least, a decent hand plane you're in for a tough time with this idea and without quite a bit of practice even then you're unlikely to get it true and flat. 
There is another option that might work for you, a router sled and a 1" flat bit.. 
First glue the edges, clamp and let dry then use the router to finish it up..
If I'm not mistaken there are a few threads here on making a router sled and you can acquire an inexpensive router at Harbor Freight if you don't already have a router.. 
Here's a google link to router sleds..
/search?q=router+sled&oq=router+s&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l3.7051j0j4&client=ms-android-hms-tmobile-us&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#xxri=0

Woops.. I guess the entire link would be more helpful..
https://www.google.com/search?q=rou...ms-tmobile-us&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

You first have to get square, flat surfaces to glue these posts together. That is going to be a problem without a jointer. You can do it by hand, but it will take time and a lot of practice first. 

After you do this you can start working on making the top flat. I think the router method will be best for that task.

George


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*use a different type of wood!*



utadrian said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I'm new to this forum so apologies if this question has been asked elsewhere. I'd like to glue up several 4x4 hem fir posts (6' long) to make a tabletop. Yes, it's going to be heavy as heck, but I'm ok with that. I'd like the table to be perfectly flat, but the corners of each post are currently slightly rounded. Additionally, there are varying amounts of bowing in each post. What's the best way to join/square the faces of each post so they're flush when I glue and clamp?
> 
> ...


4 X 4 post with rounded corners will cause you untold grief for this project. You don't have the proper machines to do this,.... a jointer and a thickness planer. You can't get there from here.

So, if you want a thick table there is another way. You can make it look thick by adding a piece of wood all around the edge of a thinner glue up, maybe 3/4" or 1 1/2" thick boards without the "rounded corners". You may as well use hardwood boards if you are going to all this work. The cost of the wood will be greater, but you will have a "cool" table afterwards. 











The other issue with 4 X 4's is that they always split! They are cut from the center of the log and shrink. Look and the end of a 4 X 4 and you'll see what I mean.


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## shoot summ (Feb 21, 2014)

woodnthings said:


> 4 X 4 post with rounded corners will cause you untold grief for this project. You don't have the proper machines to do this,.... a jointer and a thickness planer. You can't get there from here.
> 
> So, if you want a thick table there is another way. You can make it look thick by adding a piece of wood all around the edge of a thinner glue up, maybe 3/4" or 1 1/2" thick boards without the "rounded corners". You may as well use hardwood boards if you are going to all this work. The cost of the wood will be greater, but you will have a "cool" table afterwards.
> 
> ...


Outstanding advice, especially what I've highlighted in red. You will invest a tremendous amount of time joining the 4x4 posts. Then find out that you've chosen an extremely poor material for you project. Your next post here will be "why did my table split?".

Save the posts for the legs, use better wood for the top.

My Daughter and I built this table with a wide edge as woodnthings describes.


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## utadrian (Dec 6, 2016)

Thanks for the advice, everyone. The router sled is a good idea for making the tabletop flat after final glue-up. I've used that approach for an end-grain cutting board before, to varying success (the top came out flat, but I noticed router bit "trails" in the maple and walnut. That's a different post altogether).

Agreed with everyone that getting the 4x4 faces flat without a router or planer will be difficult, which is what prompted this post in the first place. I was wondering if there were any secret tricks to do this without said equipment, but it sounds like the answer is no.

woodnthings - thanks for the feedback on fir posts. I'll keep this in mind for future projects. Your table looks great! What kind of wood did you use?

Same comment for shoot summ - great looking piece. What kind of wood?

Thanks everyone!


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*not my table!*



utadrian said:


> .....
> 
> woodnthings - thanks for the feedback on fir posts. I'll keep this in mind for future projects. Your table looks great! What kind of wood did you use?
> 
> ...


Not my table, just an image I grabbed off the web. It does look nice though..... :wink2:


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## Swolyo (May 11, 2019)

I just stumbled upon this post but it sounded somewhat similar to my issue.
Are any of these steps like planing critical if I wanted to glue 4x4’s together for a bench seat to set within my outdoor concrete structure?
My plan was to of course glue,sand,stain,wearherize and use lag bolts toward the edges in intervals to hold the bench down to the concrete.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Swolyo said:


> I just stumbled upon this post but it sounded somewhat similar to my issue.
> Are any of these steps like planing critical if I wanted to glue 4x4â€™s together for a bench seat to set within my outdoor concrete structure?
> My plan was to of course glue,sand,stain,wearherize and use lag bolts toward the edges in intervals to hold the bench down to the concrete.


With any wood you have to be careful bolting it down. Wood will expand and contract with the weather and you need to fasten it down in a manor that will allow it to do that. If where you are bolting it down the mounting holes in the bench are elongated then that would be alright to use lag screws. You don't tighten them down hard, you just make it snug enough the wood doesn't rattle. Then if the wood shrinks it can do that. 

What happens if you fasten wood down so tight that it restricts movement is the outer edges are locked in place. Then when the wood shrinks it can't so the wood will often split to releave the pressure.


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## Shopi01 (Mar 2, 2021)

Just saw this post as I was baffled why my “farmhouse table” made with 4x4 that I ordered locally is warping so much, that one of the legs is off the ground by 1.5” after 3 weeks...

local woodworker said that this has never happened es before, and that he will be remaking it... any thoughts or advise here?


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

He couldn't have picked a worse material choice than 4 X 4 construction lumber to build a table from. The 4 X 4's are sawn from the heart of the logs and are prone to splitting and twisting. If you want a 4" thick top, well 3.5" actually, it would be better to use 2 x 4's and glue them together. If they started with rounded corners, then that would bring them down to 3" after milling off the corners. Not much can be done "after the fact" but if he will rebuild it, tell him to use different lumber .....
Lots of You Tubes on building bench or table tops from 2 X 4's:


https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=workbench+from+2+x+4%27s


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

That lumber would have to sit kiln dried and in an acclimated surroundings for atleast a year. Then at that point you can get boards from what is left.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Shopi01 said:


> Just saw this post as I was baffled why my “farmhouse table” made with 4x4 that I ordered locally is warping so much, that one of the legs is off the ground by 1.5” after 3 weeks...
> 
> local woodworker said that this has never happened es before, and that he will be remaking it... any thoughts or advise here?
> View attachment 424906
> ...


What you should have done was stack and sticker in a dry place and allow the moisture content to drop below 10 % before building. Then if you have a board with a tiny warp to it and you glue it to another board with a tiny warp you end up doubling the warp. If you then end up with 10 boards you have a problem. It would have been necessary to joint and straighten each board to where they fit together nicely without the help of clamps or a threaded rod. You still wouldn't be free of risk of it warping. It would have needed a piece of steel screwed to the underside for it to stay flat. Another note, any time you screw steel across the grain of the wood the mounting holes should be elongated to allow the wood to expand and contract.


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## Jim Frye (Aug 24, 2016)

Shopi01: Reminds me of the old joke.
Patient: Doctor, it hurts when I do this.
Doctor: Don't do that.

If the local woodworker repeats the new table with the same type of materials, I'd expect the same results over time.


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

Like everybody said, your "woodworker" chose poor materials and construction methods. He (or she) clearly has no idea what he (or she) is doing.

You can see the center of the tree in most of those 4x4's. That wood will never stay straight. Add on the fact that it's only held together with bolts and screws, no actual joints, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Frankly, I'm disgusted that somebody would call themselves a woodworker and take your money for that..☹


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Shopi01 said:


> .......................local woodworker said that this has never happened es before, and that he will be remaking it... any thoughts or


He is either lying ot this is the first table he ever made.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

I bought 4x4 western red cedar fence posts to make a heavy wood carving bench. Using Redi-Rod, I bolted it all together dry. No glue. Every couple of months I crank up the bolts as the posts shrink. The wood has finally quit moving after a couple of years. My thought was to power sand the mating surfaces, slap on some Titebond, bolt it all back together and call it quits. I can't bebothered. won't improve my carving skills.

I'd do a table the same. Dry-bolt the table top together in 3 or 4 pieces of several posts each. Let those settle down.
Then face the sides and do the glue-ups, keeping the rods in there as well.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

Tony B said:


> He is either lying ot this is the first table he ever made.


He could have got lucky before...


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## DrRobert (Apr 27, 2015)

@utradian — It is possible to joint using a router sled. That said, you‘ll be miles a head buying kiln dried 8/4 lumber. If that isn’t possible, then you will be faced with using construction lumber. IMO a top that thick looks like a workbench not a dining table.

My suggestion is you reconsider the design and the materials.

@Shopi01 — Wow, that’s a mess and there is no way to fix it will have to be torn apart. Not much “woodworking” there.

Let’s be kind & just say whoever built your table a) made a poor effort to joint or glue up the “posts” properly, and b) is either telling a big one or got away with a big mistake previously.

I’m afraid I think it’s the former.....Hopefully all works out and it’s a learning experience for all involved.


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

I make quit a bit of stuff with off the shelf 2x10s and 12s.. I cut away the leading rounded edge first them rip them all into usually 1" strips, sometimes smaller like 3/4", but almost always cut away the pith and use that for other projects like firewood or whatever. I glue them up and let it set up for a day or two and use culls if needed. I haven't had one warp apart yet' I have a planer so I know my stock of flat, but when I first started doing this I used a hand plane. Getting the edges nice and flat is a chore, but it can be done and your arms may or may not get bigger over time. Occasionally I'll rip away just the rough outer edges (less than 1/4"" to create a nice squared board then do the glueups..


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