ok, starting to get a clearer picture on how to proceed......

the battens were necessary as i couldnt even flip the table top over on the workbench without them - again,. i was overthinking and designing this table to double as a tornado and bomb shelter.

so for the next one, i have a new source for reclaimed flooring that appears to be much straighter, so i think i can avoid the reason i felt i needed all the pocket screws in the first one where i added one plank at a time and screwed them up (no pun intended) while pressed together with bar clamps nto take the warps out. perhaps i can clamp them all together at once (but not too tightly) , then add battens with elongated holes, then the breadboards with the 3-pin method as shown in the link in the first post. this way the boards should be fairly snug with room to move, i just have to be very strict on using only the straightest boards....


however, i am going to watch this table through the year and see, there is a chance nothing will happen, and if it does, i can see it beeing so catastrophic as to not be easily fixed by doing what is recommended above - i.e. removing battens, pocket screws if necessary, elongating holes, and then i can replace any badly split board or perhaps just repair with glue. i have a few things going for me - such as made in higher humidity time of year, pine isnt as big of a mover as other woods, screws in center of planks, etc. thanks again to ALL for your input!