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I lucked in to some walnut boards and am making a wash stand with a solid 30" X 16" X 3/4" top. Now, what should I do for the edges? I am tempted to let the end grain alone; but how could I add (say a 3/4" X 3/4") pieces around the edges and allow for wood movement on the end grain?
They'll necessarily be larger than ¾ x ¾ but you could utilize breadboard ends.
Sounds like you want a molded edge to the top....
Best way I've seen is to screw a sliding dovetail (male) runner to the edges of the top. The end grain runners are cut up into smaller segments so that movement in the top doesn't stress the screwed joint. The long grain runner can be glue or screwed, since it is parallel to top's grain.
Then mill the molding profile you want and miter the front corners. Finally, cut a dovetail 'dado' (female) into the back of the moldings. Slide them onto the runners with glue only on the miter joint. Sorry no pics.
If it's three sided (one plain side to the wall) you can create edge molding for the ends and "float them", where they are fastened security at the miters with the front profile, but use hidden mechanical fasteners along the length so that it floats as the top of the unit expands and contracts across the grain seasonally. This is a classic technique used with many types of furniture where moldings need to be wrapped front to back.