I was gifted a 24.5" X 66" piece of butcher block. It is rock maple (supposedly), edge-grained (not end-grained), and is a little under 2" thick. Each slat is about an inch wide. I would like to turn this into the top for a WIP kitchen island for the SWMBO. The final dimensions would be 24.5" X 48", plus or minus. My question: should I pop a breadboard onto each end to prevent warpage? I really like the look of tables finished that way, especially if the spline/tenon/T&G is visible from the side. If so, I was hoping to make the BBoard out of a similarly-sized (8/4 square) piece of walnut, fashioning it as an through M&T joint, with little walnut wedges tapped in about 1/2" in from the shoulders of the maple tenon. (This would, of course, not leave me with an exposed spline, but that's OK.) Now, knowing very little about maple and even less about it's seasonal movement, am I making a mistake by using wedges to hold the breadboard tight? It seems like I haven't really allowed for any movement in my little plan. Thanks in advance. Walt.
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