After careful jointing of the table top plank edges I was finally ready for the top glue-up. I used some pipe clamps I borrowed from my dad, and some other clamps I borrowed from Lowes (I took them back...they were in perfect condition). Beforehand, I bought a piece of 3/4" particle board; it was the flatest thing I could find. I needed a flat surface for the glue-up. It was nightmarish, per my expectations. In the end, I got a table top.
Next, I used a jigsaw to rough cut the ends to within about a 1/4" of the target final length. Just for fun I took one of the 2"-wide end strips I cut off and bent it with my foot until it broke.
My joints for the table top planks were simple butt joints with glue. I wanted to test the theory that simple glued butt joints were stronger than the wood itself. Sure enough, after several tests, the board always broke at the wood instead of the joint.
The surface will require lots of hand planing and sanding. Melissa offered to help, so I put her to work with the orbital palm sander and some 60 grit. Boring....
This will take a while.
1 comments:
Eric,
Just curious:
1) Why did you use the jigsaw rather than a circular saw to trim the ends?
2) How are you going to deal with the last quarter inch on the ends?
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