How do I fix glass to wood ?

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Cordy

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Started to make the frame for this table -Redwood 38 mm square - and 400 mm by 250 mm
Glass to be 600 by 400 mm
with a view to an Oak version later if it comes out OK

I only have the one picture of table
y0FvmlOh.jpg


Not sure how to fix the wood to proposed 6 or 8 mm toughened glass
Any suggestions much appreciated
 
That table has flat circular inserts which are common to a lot of glass top furniture.They sometimes have a very slight concentric ring ribbing on the surface.

I believe to glue the metal to the glass, a very thin layer of a strong silicone is used.

I suspect those little rings retain some of the silicone and stop it spreading too far.

E6000 is available (for a small tube) including P&P for about £2 on ebay.

I think you would need practice to get it perfectly clear without bubbles etc.
 
Why not just rest the glass on rubber inserts in the wood? Does it have to be fixed? Fixing it will make transporting it a nightmare. Also if the glass gets chipped it would be easier to replace it.
 
rob.":96nobff4 said:
Why not just rest the glass on rubber inserts in the wood? Does it have to be fixed? Fixing it will make transporting it a nightmare. Also if the glass gets chipped it would be easier to replace it.

Good point.

The glass furniture which my mother has, the metal discs have threaded rod on the back and the legs screw onto that.
 
Go to your local glass shop / cutter. They will have some options for you as they sell ancillary pieces as well.
 
I wouldn't advise toughened glass for a table top, whatever the thickness.
T. glass is ok for bending loads (as those on a table top), as long as the surface remains intact. But it is prone to "explode" (indeed it will, in thousands of small bits) if the surface is nicked by any hard object with sharp edges falling on it - like some big jars for.

If this wasn't a low table, a plain, thicker glass plate, say 10mm thick, would be safer. For 23 years my dinner table had such a top, 1200x800mm, mostly unsupported. I no longer have it only because I gave it away when we moved 20 years ago.

But for a low table with as little support as the one in the picture, there is at least the risk of a child sitting on it. I have seen it happen, with nasty results. In this case the safest solution would be, I think, a glass laminate, better yet a laminate with tempered glass.
Pretty expensive though, and more prone to show any waving of the glass due to the tempering process. Also, due to the process requirements, it is impossible to get a perfect, clean edge with this solution.

Incidentally, I worked for many years in the glass industry as technical manager of a number of different processing facilities.
 
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