Should I brace my table top?

UKworkshop.co.uk

Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Goteammango

New member
Joined
21 Feb 2021
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Location
Northamptonshire
Hi
First of all, I'm a novice so apologies if some terminology is wrong!
I would like some advice please about whether I need to brace a table top.
I see that it is common to fit a C channel underneath some tables to avoid warping but so far I've not been able to understand when this is/isn't necessary.
The table top I'm buying is
- 1500mm long
- 915mm wide
- 40mm thick
It is made of oak, does not have live edges and appears to be made up from 11 x 1500mm long pieces/planks/strips (so each piece would be 1500x83x40mm).
Here's some pictures
Screenshot_20210221_115738.jpg

Screenshot_20210221_115101.jpg

Screenshot_20210221_115034.jpg

I will also be fitting one of these near each end (the larger one with the 580mm plate, in case this influences whether a brace is required)
Screenshot_20210221_120219.jpg

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope I can learn from people's expertise
 
40mm is quite thick and it’s only 1500mm long so I would suggest you won’t need to brace that. I suspect others may disagree as there are some purists here who would prefer to see more traditional table construction methods being used.
 
The metal plates at the top of the legsets screwed to the underside of the panel should be all that's required to prevent cross-grain cupping, assuming that's what you're concerned about. Just make sure you put the screws through at the mid-point of the slots provided to accommodate the wood's cross-grain expansion. Also use roundhead screws rather than countersunk, and you might also find an appropriately sized washer under each screw head might be a good idea; a washer might be needed if the slot is very sloppy around the screw's shank. Slainte.
 
the steel tops are drawn as slotted, but the ones that I have seen online are only drilled. Slotting is important, so you may need to find a way of doing it (eg round file).
 
Thanks for the advice. I'm happy it doesn't look like I'll need a brace - it saves me having to buy a router 😁.
I'll make sure to make use of the slotted holes on the leg plates and will likely use threaded inserts
 
There isn't a good reason to use threaded inserts. Just use wood screws driven directly into the wood, after you've bored a pilot hole, of course. Slainte.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top