OK so a dew weeks ago I built my wife a new farmhouse table and used yellow pine. Now that the holiday rush is behind us, I went to go finish the table and noticed a big gap in between a board. I drilled another kreg pocket hole but it did not work to bring the board together. What are my options here. If I do decide to tear down and rebuild, how can I avoid this and what type of wood would be best to use for this. Also do you know of any sites or stores that sell decorative strapping to maybe hide it? Here is a picture of the gap
got an easy fix and looks cool. Get Bar top Epoxy resin and bar top the whole table top. That is what we did. Completely seals the whole top and waterproofs it also. We got our at Lowes $69 for a gallon. We did 2 coats. Also you will want to seal all gaps from underneath. We used painters tape and it still leaked some. On 2nd coat we sealed bottom with silicone that cost $5.
Epoxy is self leveling so make sure everything is level. Also watch youtube videos of how to do. Great ideas on there.
Good luck
If you have a router, set up a straight edge and run a 1/4" straight cut bit between the boards so the bit is cutting both boards. Then use glue and clamps and join the top together. Really the wood should have been straightened with a jointer before you put them together.
Do yourself a favor and put the kreg jig in storage. It really has no place in furniture construction despite how they advertise it.
I'm guessin' that you used construction grade lumber, possibly, from a box store. It was not fully dry when you assembled it and it shrank creating the gap(s). That's the most difficult wood you could have used on a project like this because it will shrink and cup and curve as it's drying. It would make an OK work bench, but not a very good dining table. You have much to learn about wood, the various types and how it moves in various environments. That is not a criticism, it's just that making wood projects is a complex series of issues beyond just screwing or nailing pieces together.
There are many threads on this site about building "farmhouse tables" you can go over them and benefit from what others have experienced, not always successfully. I'll just say that box store lumber is not straight, not flat and not dry enough and does not make for gapless joinery.
To make a gapless joint you'll need a jointer or a straight line jig on your table saw in order to get square and straight edges that will mate together in a seamless joint. If your design calls for a rustic look with some gaps allowed then you can possibly make do with construction grade lumber.
Yellow Pine for a picnic table
White Pine for kitchen table.
White Pine can look good when finished out but it's not good with children. (Too soft).
Most Pine tables are best when used in a rustic decor because they all go rustic pretty fast.
You don't need jointer to fix that, a glue line rip blade will do the trick, freud makes a good blade for that i'll post a link, or as Steve Neul said a router will work, i would just run the boards on a table with a router, just because i have one and it's fast.
Freud says optimum thickness is 1 inch max, but i've done 2 inches and it came out great.
that looks like big box store dimensional lumber - which as has been said above - warps moves twists bends goes crazy because it really is not even close to being stable 'off the shelf'
if you can disassemble to the point you can rip along the 'seam of departures' - then it's just gluing it back together.
however comma but and so on . . . you need to give it at least six months to settle down before you do that - otherwise it may simply 'do it again, Sam'
filling the gap with a resin is another viable / tried&true approach. I'd suggest letting it be for 6 - 12 months and then see what the best solution may be.
You have the 2 most common issues going on especially with beginners....MOISTURE and JOINERY.
As wooden things stated there are MANY threads on the 2 issues and both are usually in the same thread due to their relations in understanding building/furniture.
Understanding moisture is equal to understanding joinery...one without the other correctly will destroy the build.
TOO much to retype for it's complex and argued often.
It's kind of annoying that there a lot of blogs and what not that show tutorials using construction grade lumber. They also show improper techniques for joining table tops and breadboard ends. I followed some of those tutorials thinking that it was a proper technique for doing things. I'm still a new woodworker, but have been reading these forums everyday for 6 months learning and teaching myself the right way to do things.
It's kind of annoying that there a lot of blogs and what not that show tutorials using construction grade lumber. They also show improper techniques for joining table tops and breadboard ends. I followed some of those tutorials thinking that it was a proper technique for doing things. I'm still a new woodworker, but have been reading these forums everyday for 6 months learning and teaching myself the right way to do things.
That's why you shouldn't believe everything you see on the web....kinda same as everything anyone tells you ..... HINT: SHhhhhh BUT (low voice/whisper) Not everybody knows what they're talking about....even sometimes on here!!!! Just because they can log on and type don't mean their correct!!!
Does this blade tequre a straight line jig as well? Also do they work on compact table saws. Excuse my ignorance I am new to wood working. Thank you again.
I use a straight line rip jig with a regular ripping blade. It does the trick for me. When ripping long boards with any table saw you will need some kind of out feed support to make the cuts safely.
Hey guys so i have been trying to research based on the information provided by everyone . i am confused on attaching the bread board with m&t. How do i cut this into the vertical boards if they are already attached together? Ivam new to wood working and m&t looks very intimidating. Any other ideas on attaching the bread boards for a novice?
Too late now if already attached. Their purpose is to keep the planks flat ... if possible.Only the center tenon receives glue, at 3:30 into the video. The others have slots to allow for expansion and are NOT glued:
The tongues can be cut a bunch of different ways. The first three that come to mind, in no particular order:
1) Use a table saw with a dado stack to cut one full-width tongue, then use a handsaw (or jigsaw) to make them look like the ones in the video. If necessary, clean up with a file.
2) Use a router to cut the full width tongue, then use a handsaw, jigsaw, or router to make them look like the ones in the video.
3) Use a rabbet plane (Stanley #78 or equivalent) to cut the full width tongue, etc.
Short version, you want a tenon that's long in a few places and short everywhere else. Use some tool to cut it to the long length everywhere, then remove material between them. The mortise can be cut with a plow plane, a router, or a table saw. I tend towards hand tools where possible, so I'd go with a rabbet plane, handsaw, plow plane, and chisel for my toolset. That's not fastest way by any stretch (I'm pretty sure the router wins for speed), but I prefer the quiet.
The top is made from planks, laying horizontally. The tenons are cut or routed into the ends of the planks as shown in both videos. There are no vertical boards in a bread board end. Review the videos for a better idea of what's needed.
Ok so after doing my research I think a loose tenon is more to my skill setbusing the beadlock system. My question is, should I only use these for the bread boards or can i also use them for the vetical boards.
Ok so after doing my research I think a loose tenon is more to my skill set using the beadlock system. My question is, should I only use these for the bread boards or can i also use them for the vertical boards.
Joining boards that are parallel or at 90 degrees, it doesn't matter, where ever a mortise and tenon could be used. Breadboard end to the top, or skirts or aprons to the legs is fine.
The vertical boards I am referring to is on the table top. It's made of the long boards and the bread board ends, the long boards us what I am referring to. Is this the skirt? I am asking if the long boards need to just be glued or glued and screwed or have loose tenons and glue, which method?
This table has aprons to attach and support the top:
This table does not:
Your table top boards are horizontal. The aprons run vertically. You do not attach the aprons to the top with any mortises or tenons. The top must be floating to allow for the wood to expand and contract. It should be attached with Z clips or slotted holes out from the center to allow for it to move.
These are the aprons attached to the legs:
These are the Z clips used to attach the top:
They can be wood or metal:
They need a groove to ride in so they can move as shown above. The groove can be continuous or just where it's necessary as shown above.
John, when we built ours (90" long and 38" wide) we had supports roughly every 5 1/2 inches under the top. So every board we put in we glued to a support and slapped 2 brad nails in each support. When we got to the bread board we did same thing, glued and brad nails. After we used formsby tung oil (which lacks tung oil) we bar topped it to fill any small gaps between boards. The brad nails excuse the pun, NAILED it on helping it look rustic! FYI it was the first farm table I have made and the 2nd thing I really have ever made. First being my 1 year old granddaughter mini picnic table ( All Walnut on it).
You can see the brad nail in pic...I hope
Mike
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