I have made a coffee table made from off fall from our woodshop (pictured here). I want to make a larger version for a dining table and was wondering if I should have any issues with expansion and contraction and also sagging. I was planning on making the top 1.25"-1.5" thick and just laminating a whole bunch of scrap on edge....for the coffee table I used tightbond 3 and just glued and clamped the pieces to a curved jig and will probably do the same for the large table. Is there anything I need to worry about? The table will be tapered and curved just a little and overall dimensions would be roughly 38"w x 96"l....are those good proportions? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.
From contributor Da
The only thing I would do is reconsider the glue. TB3 will allow some creep over time, and I think you would do better with a rigid glue line. Plastic resin would be best. The drawback is that it must be 70 degrees or better to set.
Good idea by the way - a great use of the material.
From contributor ma
I did a bar top like this about five years ago; Tightbond II. It's still looking good. I like the workability of that glue, and the invisible line. I suppose that I rationalized that there were so many laminates (66 each section, in my case), that creep was unlikely. Unfortunately, it didn't have any exposed ends like your table, so no way to check that theory. Sanding can be a bit tricky, as different species sand at a different rate. This might become more evident in a larger piece. Speaking of large, that's a big table: a 10 seater, as long as there are a couple of kids. For more inspiration along these lines, check out the work of a few folks in Brooklyn: Scrapile; it's good stuff.
From contributor Br
what do you guys mean by creep?
From contributor Da
I would define creep as the tendency for a glued wood joint under stress to move at the glue line as a result of that stress. The plies in the table shown are under stress but held by the glue in a cold bent lamination. If the glue allows any creep, the ends may not stay perfectly flush. We are talking fractional, minimal movement - not inches.
I suggest you search glue creep here on Woodweb, and you should find several relevant dialogues. Glues can be thought of and separated into two camps - rigid and non-rigid glue lines.
From contributor ma
Yup, the glue slips a bit in sheer only but doesn't fail. The end result in this case would be that as you run your finger along the end grain edge of the table, you would feel slight steps formed by the laminates. Also, less detectably, the radius of the arc would get larger.
From contributor Br
I did notice on my coffee table that there is a little creep if you feel the ends but not really visible to the eye. My last few questions are: (1) do I have to worry about the slab sagging if I make it 1 1/4" thick, no apron or skirt (i don't know what you call it) but just legs like in the coffee table picture with a cross brace between the legs about 12" off the ground. I would use the festool domino for gluing the legs to the top and for the cross brace. (2) I don't do finishing myself but we have a good finisher that would use a solvent based finish (mac lac)...will that work? (3) what are some standard size dining tables to hold 6 to 8 people? (4) this table would be curved and a little tapered (does it function as a dining table or maybe a conference table)? Is this just a stupid idea? I was planning on taking it to a gallery and put it on consignment.....Thanks again.
From contributor ma
1. Yes.
2. Not very well.
3. Standard tables don't resemble this. What are you concerned about standard for? Just do what's comfortable; mock it up if you have to.
4.a. Sure, it could function just fine. The concave side is the limiting factor. For example, 3 folks: good feng shui even with lots of curve, 6-8: probably won't get any general conversation even with moderate curve.
4.b. Figure it out and build it; it's never stupid to learn about something you're interested in.
4.c. Consignment! Now that's stupid.
From contributor Ta
I did a similar looking table top last year and i agree with Mark. The Tight bond would be the best thing to fix that. Also you may look for expert suggestions from the experts in the outdoor furnishing like the one that my friend did for her Patio collection from everything outdoor furniture. So you may have a look at that for more assistance.
