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My friend cut down a Walnut tree and sawed up into boards.
He built this table that has boards biscuited together for a top.
At the ends of the table he the top is glued to an end board.
One day in the sun and the splits started opening up in the top.
I bought him a copy of "Understanding Wood".
Now we need to cut the top off, and re attach to the frame in a more floating way.
How can we cut it off?
TIA
Clark
If you can remove the legs from the table top try a jig saw or skill saw. If the bulk & weight isn't to great perhaps on a table saw with adequate support on the infeed/outfeed ends and the side.
Track/plunge saw to cut the end boards off?
I might try a good old fashioned pry bar assuming its nailed to the frame. Else I might very well cut them off with a Sawzall.
A circular saw would do it, but you'll never get that kerf perfect and you'll be doing a lot of touch up work IMHO. Maybe if you're very careful it will come out OK. You could also attack it with heat and humidity and just try to separate the glue, assuming he's used something like Titebond. That will be VERY slow going but you'll be able to pop it off a little at a time.
Personally, I would simply cut the top with a circular saw (and a track or straightedge) set to make a cut the width of the frame, i.e. just cut right through the top and cut out a smaller rectangle just inside the skirts. Be sure to support it when you do this or it will make an awful mess when you start cutting the fourth side. This will leave you with a slightly smaller top that you'll probably need to put on the table saw to clean up and square. Then I'd chop up the frame and take several inches out of the center of each skirt. Take out enough so the table overhangs a bit. I'd rejoin it with a reinforced butt joint, and if you want to be fancy you can disguise the joint with a inlay of something. Screw on the top and you're done. You don't even have to separate the old top from the frame. Just put the new top right on it. It'll be a little taller and a little smaller than it was, but it'll also be easy. If you leave the piece of old top on, you can fill in the kerf with another little piece of wood. Again, it'll look like a planned inlay. LOL.
Almost forgot...
You could just take it inside for a couple of days and see if the splits close up. If it does, I'd ignore it until I had a reason not to.
what if you were to take a slot cutting router bit (something like this, say 1/8" thick so you don't waste too much wood)....
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/pag...168,46176&ap=1
and ride the router on the table top and have the bit cut just below the table top to separate it from the base. this does assume that there are no metal fasteners that would get in the way.
might work?
michael
Just keep in mind that as you go around, the top will start to sag into the slot left my the router. As you get to the third and forth side, you'll need good, solid support to keep the top from dropping onto the slot cutter and making a big mess. :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by michael craigdallie
:D
that is a very good point....and something i would have figured out on about the third side. :D
I doubt the cracks will close up again.
how about using a Japanese flush cut saw with kerf all to one side? Maybe a little slow, but would do minimal damage.
James