Table Top Idea-Need help

[Andrew Rice]

Im toying with the idea of making a table top out of some walnut i have. The idea for the top is to take about 4" squares about 3/4" thick and make a checkerboard pattern out of them by alternating the grain direction. then around the edge of the table top i would have long boards mitered in the corners. So my question is do i need to worry about wood expansion for the checkerboard pattern? and how would i go about planning for that?

Thanks
Andrew

[Bill Jepson]

Im toying with the idea of making a table top out of some walnut i have. The idea for the top is to take about 4" squares about 3/4" thick and make a checkerboard pattern out of them by alternating the grain direction. then around the edge of the table top i would have long boards mitered in the corners. So my question is do i need to worry about wood expansion for the checkerboard pattern? and how would i go about planning for that?

Thanks
Andrew

Andrew,
Sounds like fun. On one of Norms shows he did a spindle table that had a nice layout very similar to your idea. He used a spline fit which seems perfect for you. The spline is a thin piece of hardwood, (around 1/4" or slightly less) A narrow slot is milled in the entire frame on the inside and the spline is mitered too leaving about 1/8" total clearance in the corner. The "checkerboard" gets a similar slot. You can do it on the table saw or use a router. Norm did the corners mitered with biscuits, but any corner style would work. The spline is around the entire frame and clearance is fairly minimal. There was no glue used on the spline. Good luck!

Bill J

[Sam Yerardi]

I was going to suggest almost the exact same thing but using a tongue & groove approach without glue.

[Matt Zettl]

Andrew,

I don't wish to sound like a pessimist, but I believe that this construction will ultimately fail. In creating a checkerboard pattern with squares that have alternating grain direction, you will have end grain-side grain joints. Since wood movement is always greater across the grain compared to with the grain, there will be movement along the joint lines, which will ultimately result in cracking and separation of the joints. The larger the pieces, the larger the cracks. This may not occur for quite some time, but eventually it will occur. In my opinion, the only way to create this pattern and have it remain tight would be with veneer.

-Matt