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Thread: Slab table jointing help

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
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    Perth, Australia
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    9,467
    Hi Prashun

    What a beautiful tabletop that is going to make!

    I can only echo the advice so far. The gap looks larger than it is simply because it is doubled when you slide the two pieces together. Obviously the ends of the boards need to be taken down first, before one long, full shaving is taken from the length. Check this with a straight edge.

    The hard bit is determing where you start/end the end cuts. I would mark the carefully, not plane in the general area. Take a very fine shaving when doing this - better that you take more shavings to get to the desired level than drop further than you wanted.

    Don't you wish you had my 36" jointer now! You are welcome to come over and borrow it!

    The thickness of the timber is my concern. It will move if not dry. The joint may open. I would be ensuring that the support for the top allows movement from the centre to the sides. What plans have you made?

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Gibsons British Columbia Canada ( near Vancouver )
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    693
    Prashun: I am in the process of making a new workbench - a process I started over 2 years ago ( I had a mysterious virus that floored me for about 2 years, but back to about 90% ). Before I got sick, I had a couple of slabs of nice alder that I let acclimate in my shop for a couple years. They were 11.5'' x 80'' x 16/4. I had jointed them with my LN 7-1/4 and they were by far the largest thing I ever tackled. My SIL helped in the final fit ( lifting / flipping etc - they are heavy enough ) , but I had about a 1/16' gap in the centre when I was done - I did a dry clamp ( Besseys and cauls ) and the spring joint was perfect, so I glued them up, let it cure for a couple weeks, smoothed the bottom then the top. It has sat in my shop on its side for 2 years now, but it is ready to proceed. My point is, I don't know why you can't do a spring joint on your table top - isn't a properly executed spring joint a good thing? Just my 2 cents - Good luck in whatever you do - beautiful wood and job so far, by the way - - - - - Dave B
    Last edited by Dave Beauchesne; 11-16-2014 at 10:46 AM.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    N. Idaho
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    1,621
    Thinking outside the box here, is there any reason to try an maintain a perfectly straight joint?

    As long as the edges remain at 90 deg to the top to maintain glue surface, why not plane the right side to match the left (for instance). Mark the fat sides on the right with a pencil, plane, test, repeat. This may be easier across the long distance than trying for two perfectly straight lines. Krenov describes a similar, much more curved joint in the top of a writing desk in one of his books but don't recall which one.

    Regardless, looking great and looking forward to seeing the outcome.

    Cheers,
    C
    "You can observe a lot just by watching."
    --Yogi Berra

  4. #19
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    So Cal
    Posts
    866
    I had to do something similar when I was building my table top. Long story… What I did was to use a track saw (in my case Festool) and then clean up using a jointer plane. After the track saw really did not need much of a clean up, but the Veritas BU Jointer made it perfect. Did not take much time at all.
    Last edited by Frank Martin; 11-16-2014 at 1:15 PM.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    New Jersey
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    13,721
    Thanks for all the advice so far. My neighbor wants them glued, so glued they shall be. Brian, FWIW, I like your idea and were this my own table, I'd do it that way.

    Also, Derek, the pedestal legs will be steel. I purchased them from a fabricator.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
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    Just adding to what others said, I would dovetail key the joint in at least three places to keep it from splitting with age. Make the dovetails contrasting rather than trying to hide them.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Yorktown, VA
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    2,754
    Would this work? Clamp a straight edge on top, separate the pieces by +/- 1/2" with bottom tacked cleats and then run a top bearing router trim bit between them?

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Pennington, NJ 08534
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    Others with much more experience and knowledge than me, but I recall seeing a video (can't find it or I would have provided the link) where someone used a track saw to edge joint two boards. If I recall, they put the two boards next to each other just as they would be when finished. Then, they used the track saw to cut both pieces at once. Since it was a single kerf, the two edges had to match.

    Steve

    Edit to add:

    Found the link to the tracksaw edge jointing technique.

    http://legacy.woodshopdemos.com/fes-53.htm
    Last edited by Steve Friedman; 11-16-2014 at 5:54 PM. Reason: Found the link

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ted Calver View Post
    Would this work? Clamp a straight edge on top, separate the pieces by +/- 1/2" with bottom tacked cleats and then run a top bearing router trim bit between them?
    That is what I was going to suggest - run a router down that joint, cleaning up both sides at the same time. Get them aligned and clamped and go for it.
    When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.

  10. #25
    I do a lot of work with slabs. I usually just use a jack plane to get it close then finish with a #8 jointer. I've built tables from two pieces both ways, glued and with a gap. I like the gap. It emphasizes the fact the table is just two boards and I think that's special. It also let's me route a sliding dovetail cleat and slide the two halves onto the base that way. Keeps it flat over time and allows for wood movement. I just finished a slab table.
    Last edited by Prashun Patel; 11-18-2014 at 11:59 AM.

  11. #26
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    Princeton, NJ
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    Nice work Daniel! I am glad to see someone else crazy enough to use sliding dovetail battens.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    USA
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    Quote Originally Posted by Prashun Patel View Post
    Thanks, Sean. These are about 1 3/4" thick. I doubt I'll be able to spring that joint into submission.
    Even if you did those would come apart the first chance they got due to expansion / contraction. I like the router idea but I would suggest that you do what yo tell others to do in these situations. Find someone with an industrial edge jointer - a monster big one - and have them clean up these two edges for you. They'll get it done right with minimum material loss. It would be a shame to lose that pretty grain match with the creep up planing approach IMO.

  13. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by Pat Barry View Post
    Find someone with an industrial edge jointer - a monster big one - and have them clean up these two edges for you. They'll get it done right with minimum material loss. It would be a shame to lose that pretty grain match with the creep up planing approach IMO.
    If you get the sense that using a power jointer would remove less wood than planing this to a flush fit, you probably should save your suggestions for the power tool section.

  14. #29
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    Aug 2010
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    USA
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    Quote Originally Posted by David Weaver View Post
    If you get the sense that using a power jointer would remove less wood than planing this to a flush fit, you probably should save your suggestions for the power tool section.
    The question he asked was: "What is the best method for removing this gap? I was planning to make a series of strokes from each end of one board, making them increasingly longer until I reach the middle. Test. Repeat.

    How would you do it? I'm nervous about messing up the whole edge and then having to re-rip and risk losing more width..."

    Why don't you just let it be?

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Riviera Beach, Florida
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    4
    IMG_0457.jpgI think Ted Calver has an easy fix if you dont have a large joiner. I use 2x3 aluminum square tubing for jobs like this. I use a bearing bit, measure from bit to edge of router plate, set your "straight" fence, and route away. I'd do in a few passes so not to bite off to much and chatter. Breathe, and stay steady, let tool do work. Ive had awesome results with domino 700, and I use the west systems adhesive epoxy in a tube, does mixing for you in nozzle, love it. I did a rosewood headboard like this, will add pic.
    Last edited by Wilson Williams II; 11-17-2014 at 12:34 PM.

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