Panel/Worktop Making

[wobblydoggy]

I have some great oak coming out of my build in France and She who must be obeyed likes the idea of solid wood worktops from it.

I have no experience of joining such things apart from minor bits with biscuits.

I propose to do the following:

Please correct or criticize whatever I am cocking up, Ta

1. Cut and put through thicknesser for 35mm x 150mm finish (check square in layout)

2. T and G all joins on Kombi spindle moulder

3. Cut dominos at 200mm centers along joins starting at 50mm in.

4. Dry fit boards and check before glue

5. Glue up clamp at 200mm centers opposing clamps

6. Weight across board before tightening clamps to stop bow?


Any glue recommendations and length of time I should glue would also be gratefully received

Ta

 

[Woodmonkey]

The domino seems unnecessary - t&g joint on 35mm thick will be plenty strong enough

 

[marcros]

it would help alignment though, although probably not necessary with the T & G. I would skip that element myself. I would also alternate clamps top and bottom, rather than weight it down.

 

[Grahamshed]

The domino seems unnecessary - t&g joint on 35mm thick will be plenty strong enough

:lol: Don't tell him that. He has only just brought it. :lol:

 

[wobblydoggy]

The domino seems unnecessary - t&g joint on 35mm thick will be plenty strong enough

:lol: Don't tell him that. He has only just brought it. :lol:

Yeah! let me have some fun guys :lol:

 

[Newbie_Neil]

The glue needs to be waterproof. What about Cascamite?

Cascamite can be worked, IIRC, up to an hour and sets in 6-8 hours.

NB If you go down the Cascamite route and you have any left over, split it into glass jars that you fill right up to the top. If possible, do not leave any room for air. This will keep it in a usable state for well over a year.

Thanks,
Neil

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Aim to begin the glue-up last thing you do that day and leave it in the clamps overnight. I always try to time important glue-ups like that so they can cook for a good while. Where possible I'll leave them for 24 hours. You'll definitely be needing domino's \/

 

[custard]

Leave the wood to acclimatise for as long as possible, ideally in the final location. machine it down to 35mm thickness in stages, removing equal amounts from both sides of the board. Search out the straightest grained boards you can find, and as close to quarter sawn as possible. The reason I say all this is if 35mm stock wants to cup after it's installed there's not much you can do to hold it flat!

Dominos are only useful for location/registration, and won't add anything to the worktop strength. But if you're gluing up on your own you'll need all the help you can get, so dominos or biscuits make sense. Biscuits have the advantage of some built in slop, with dominos you'll need to select the "sloppy mortice" setting, remember you HAVE to make the mortice width change while the machine is running. I wouldn't bother gluing the dominos/biscuits or their mortices, they're only there for locating the workpieces and I'd rather invest the limited glue up time in tweaking the cramps to get the best/flattest results. Dominos or biscuits don't mix well with T&G, there's too much that can go wrong with the plunge depth (you can end up with the domino or biscuit actually holding the joint apart). They're all doing the same location job so choose one method and focus on getting that right.

Titebond III is water proof enough for kitchen work and can be removed from cramps after an hour, but full strength takes 24 hours. If you've shot the edges accurately then Titebond will give you the best glue lines, Cascamite/Ultramite/UL39 glue lines are in the middle, and epoxy glue lines are the worst.

You need a level area to lay out your sash cramps, check it is level, if not use bearers/packers to get it level. A dry glue up is always required, so well done for getting that into your plan. You will have to alternate sash cramps top and bottom or it'll all spring apart when the glue goes on! Do not allow the sash cramps to touch the oak, with all the water involved from both the glue and the clean up you'll get black stains on your oak wherever wet iron touches it.

Good luck!

 

[xy mosian]

Cascamite in glass jars. If you put a plastic bag in the jar first, and fill that. Then the spare can be twisted down and a twizzle used to fasten the top of the bag. Don't forget to write on the jar. Good idea to add the date.
T&G's don't half use a lot of wood, think 12mm per joint.
xy

 

[wobblydoggy]

Leave the wood to acclimatise for as long as possible, ideally in the final location. machine it down to 35mm thickness in stages, removing equal amounts from both sides of the board. Search out the straightest grained boards you can find, and as close to quarter sawn as possible. The reason I say all this is if 35mm stock wants to cup after it's installed there's not much you can do to hold it flat!

Dominos are only useful for location/registration, and won't add anything to the worktop strength. But if you're gluing up on your own you'll need all the help you can get, so dominos or biscuits make sense. Biscuits have the advantage of some built in slop, with dominos you'll need to select the "sloppy mortice" setting, remember you HAVE to make the mortice width change while the machine is running. I wouldn't bother gluing the dominos/biscuits or their mortices, they're only there for locating the workpieces and I'd rather invest the limited glue up time in tweaking the cramps to get the best/flattest results. Dominos or biscuits don't mix well with T&G, there's too much that can go wrong with the plunge depth (you can end up with the domino or biscuit actually holding the joint apart). They're all doing the same location job so choose one method and focus on getting that right.

Titebond III is water proof enough for kitchen work and can be removed from cramps after an hour, but full strength takes 24 hours. If you've shot the edges accurately then Titebond will give you the best glue lines, Cascamite/Ultramite/UL39 glue lines are in the middle, and epoxy glue lines are the worst.

You need a level area to lay out your sash cramps, check it is level, if not use bearers/packers to get it level. A dry glue up is always required, so well done for getting that into your plan. You will have to alternate sash cramps top and bottom or it'll all spring apart when the glue goes on! Do not allow the sash cramps to touch the oak, with all the water involved from both the glue and the clean up you'll get black stains on your oak wherever wet iron touches it.

Good luck!

Thanks Custard, some great info in there I would not have thought of



Just a couple of last questions.

Would it make sense to make these worktops in two glue ups (Quarters the halves etc)

Would drawing the top evenly down onto the units along its depth stop it cupping?

Last would making the tops thicker help prevent the cupping?

thanks

Wobblydoggy

Many thanks