joining walnut 2" thick X 6-8" wide boards
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I prefer Titebond III for that kind of assembly. Using it will allow you extra time for getting everything clamped up. And it will help prolong the longevity of the piece since it will create a waterproof set of joints in case it has to survive a flood someday.
For extra help in getting the board assembly alignments set out, splines, dowels or bisquits could be helpful but won't add any substantial structural strength.
If you are really after a challenge, a sliding dovetail joint between boards could join them without much of anything other than a hard tap on each end of each board.
It sounds like a great project. Post pictures as you build it!
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Glue is all you need to join the boards if you have strait flat edges. If you don't want to spend a lot time and effort flattening the finished top after the glue up, then use all of your clamps (borrow your friend’s clamps too) along with several cauls to help align the boards in the middle where clamps won’t reach.
If you can add biscuits, dowels, splines, or an other insert then alignment of the boards will be easier. (Maybe you won’t need your friends clamps either) I was given a biscuit cutter so that’s what I normally use for larger panels. For smaller panels I usually just use glue and clamps.
If you can add biscuits, dowels, splines, or an other insert then alignment of the boards will be easier. (Maybe you won’t need your friends clamps either) I was given a biscuit cutter so that’s what I normally use for larger panels. For smaller panels I usually just use glue and clamps.
Two boards edge glued together is the simplest of woodworking joints and one of the strongest when well done. That doesn't say doing it well is easy. The edges need to be straight, smooth, of equal porosity, and clamped with adequate force. It's good practice to cut the pieces roughly a bit oversized and then let them acclimate. Newly cut end grain in particular will shrink or swell in response to humidity. Let it do this before you try to make precision straight edges. You can get good edges with a table saw and carbide rip blade, a jointer, or a long hand plane with practice; but the movement of the wood past the cutting edge has to be smooth, with even speed, and closely controlled for best results. For 50psi (less than 1/3 the pressure recommended by glue manufacturers), a joint 2" wide and 72" long requires 7,000 lbs. of force. You will need some heavy clamps. Let the glue cure for a couple of days before you smooth the surfaces. Water based glues need some time to dissipate or you will end up with shrunken glue joints.
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Good point about waiting for glue to dry before sanding. I had a panel shrink where the biscuits were placed. Unfortunately I had already sanded. It was not terribly noticeable and we had a TV on it so it wasn’t a redo. With thick boards it may not be an issue but with 1” boards it was.
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keep the 2" thick boards in the shop for minimum 9 months.
regardless of how you join them, if they warp twist curl cup misbehave after glue up - you'll have an expensive potentially non-fixable problem.
one totally dry/stable - 4 square the boards. I'd do biscuits, but that's just me.
regardless of how you join them, if they warp twist curl cup misbehave after glue up - you'll have an expensive potentially non-fixable problem.
one totally dry/stable - 4 square the boards. I'd do biscuits, but that's just me.
kiln dried For 9 months?
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what post are you reading?
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I'm a biscuit guy for table tops. I like the sanding motion you're able to do when gluing, as opposed to dowels or F'inoes..
One inch stuff just T&G it on a table router.
One inch stuff just T&G it on a table router.
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Assuming you have a jointer and can machine good joints I would lay out the radius on the boards as they lay dry fitted. Then well within the radius I would dado the boards and insert a spline in the joint. A round top you could never reglue if one of the joints were to fail. A spline would secure the joint better than anything you could do. If you ran the splines within the radius nobody would ever know they were there.
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