oak kitchen worktop

[wallace]

Hi all, I've been doing my kitchen for what seems like ages and I think I have broken its back and am on the final furlong.
I have a question for the wise ones, I have to join a 3m section of worktop to a 2.5m section at a corner. The problem I have is the oak I have their are a couple of lengths that have a decent warp in so to get it flat I'm going to loose over 10mm off the 41mm thickness. Obviously if I cut the board up I wont loose as much thickness to achieve a flat surface.
I thought I could glue the boards on the 2.5m section side ways as apposed to lengthways, so the end grain is facing you. Does any of that make sense? Would that work? I'm putting a bull nose on the edge

 

[ED65]

I thought I could glue the boards on the 2.5m section side ways as apposed to lengthways, so the end grain is facing you.

This is effectively like the joint done on breadboard ends, where a long-grain surface meets the end grain of the tabletop, and you can't glue that sort of joint all the way across. It has to float somehow to allow for seasonal movement.

 

[AJB Temple]

In a kitchen, where it is all on show, thick worktops look luxurious and solid. For the cost of 40mm or 50mm true and level planed oak, I would just buy some more oak and use the other piece for something else. Don't spoil the job for a halfpenny of tar.

 

[Kev]

I agree with AJB. If they are that warped get new ones. I assume you cannot return them. Also have they been oiled. If not and cannot be returned it may be worth giving them a few coats on both sides as this may deal with some of the issue (although in no way a guarantee) making sure they are kept supported and flat when drying.

kev

 

[Just4Fun]

My oak counter tops appear to be 60mm thick. Actually they are 30mm thick but with double thickness for 75mm around all the edge. Could you do something similar to make up for the thickness you lose when eliminating the warp? Even if you have to buy some extra wood, you would only need to buy enough for a 75mm (or whatever) strip around all the visible edges.

 

[wallace]

Thanks for the reality check The oak is rough sawn I managed to get 37mm planed boards from 41mm, I'd best visit the sawmill and squeeze a couple of 2.5m boards in my yeti.
One more thing I already did a worktop 2.5m and 700mm wide using a max board width of 200mm. I have another worktop to do that's 600 wide and want to use two boards that are 300 is this pushing it, it would be a shame to cut them because I really like the look of the boards.

 

[custard]

I thought I could glue the boards on the 2.5m section side ways as apposed to lengthways, so the end grain is facing you.

It's your kitchen Wallace so you make the rules, but to my eye it would just look a bit weird.

On a more practical level you'd then have a 2.5m cross grain span, plus the 600mm or so of cross grain work surface that it's jointed to, so something in excess of 3m of cross grain timber to shrink and swell with the passing seasons. I've built big dining tables that are nearly 1.5m wide and even with quarter sawn, kilned timber they'll usually shrink by 6-8mm when first brought inside and then there's a regular seasonal movement of perhaps half that. And of course I'm not bonding that to a wall with a load of silicone fixative!

 

[wallace]

Thanks Custard, what about the 300mm boards yay or nay

 

[custard]

Personally I love furniture tops made from fewer but wider boards, it's one of those things that puts clear blue water between the individual craftsman and the high street mainstream.

The thing that might mitigate otherwise would be if the cupping was sufficiently bad that I'd have to plane too much out, for me I'd rather have a top made from wide boards than from thick boards, but that's just my opinion.

You've always got the option to rip wide boards that are excessively cupped, flatten them as narrow boards to preserve more of the thickness, then try to invisibly joint them back together. Some might conclude that's going a bit far for kitchen worktop, but as I said before, it's your kitchen so you make the rules!

 

[wallace]

The two boards in question I think should be pretty stable they came from a big board so I cut the pith out.

 

[Myfordman]

Novice suggestion/question. Does it help with cupping to cut 3/4 deep kerf cuts on the underside?

 

[Hot stuff]

I've done that to a couple of old farmhouse type table tops to get them to useable condition but it's a fair bit of work and it's also a gamble as to whether the whole lot will split when you're trying to straighten it.
That said, it's quite satisfying to turn something fit for the skip into a decent bit of furniture.