Coffee table, and a question

[Willyou]

The current thought is to run stretchers inside the frame across the individual planks and individually screw them in from the bottom. This way I could give them a little space and they would be largely secure in both directions. Kind of a bummer as I was hoping to limit the fasteners, and I'd have to use pocket screws to hold the new stretchers in. Oh well, nobody else will notice it on the underside.

Don't do this. It will severely limit expansion/contraction and will likely result in your table top splitting. The only way to successfully do this is to make the holes in the battens elongated in the expansion/contraction direction so that the screws can slide with the movement of the top.

Looks like I need to get the bandsaw tuned up to slice the top apart.

Don't be too hasty. Follow the guidance provided above and let it flatten out on it's own. Then fasten it down and finish it. There is no guarantee that this will work, but it is better than starting over. Cutting it up and re-gluing probably won't keep it from cupping again either.

In the future, if you use this lumber to make another top, sort through it to find pieces that are quarter sawn and/or rift sawn. Depending on where a plank was in the tree, you may find flat sawn pieces that have either quarter sawn or rift sawn along the edges. If so, cut out the middle and use the edges. Gluing all of these pieces together for a top will result in a more stable top.

   

[Yetloh]

Lots of good sense here and I agree with the idea of giving it time to acclimatise to its ultimate environment.  What baffles me is whyno one has mentioned securing the table top with buttons as explained  here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny53AyB1a6g  . The traditional and to my mind, still the best way to secure a table top.

Jim
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny53AyB1a6g][/url]

[Willyou]

My problem is the top. I expected some movement, but apparently when I built this over this past winter, in my unconditioned garage, there was significantly more humidity than there is now. I made sure it was dead flat when I glued it all up. Since then, the whole top has cupped upwards about 0.75 inch on either side. When it's raining, it flattens back out, but cups again later. I've since moved it into the house where it will be to see if acclimating it to its final resting place would be enough to flatten out. After a couple days, it's much less, but not flat yet.

A thought occurred to me following my previous post. It is not clear from your OP or your pictures if the top is bowed evenly all the way across or if the bow is concentrated in one or two places. It is possible that only one or two boards in your glue-up is causing the problem or the majority of it. You can check this with a straight edge no longer than 12". Move it across the table top perpendicular to the grain and see if there is a single place or two. If you find that this is the case, it may be worth your while to cut this board out and replace it.

[fredhargis]

Kmucha, you have a wide variety of opinions here...have you come up with a plan?

[Kmucha16]

Kmucha, you have a wide variety of opinions here...have you come up with a plan?

Hey all, thanks for the advice. I've spent the last three days with a bunch of 5th graders at science camp. Boy was that a hoot.

The table top has mostly flattened on its own in the two weeks its been in the house. Only about a 1/8 inch on either end lifted now. Should be easy enough to anchor it down. I just need to find the time to stain and finish it. But we're going on spring break vacation this weekend for a week, so that won't happen soon. I'm much less worried about it now. Just hoping the hot summers here don't dry it out too much and cause it to damage something later. Guess I'll deal with that if it ever comes up.

Thanks
Kevin

[zapdafish]

whats in the barrel, you make your own wine or whiskey? 

[Kmucha16]

whats in the barrel, you make your own wine or whiskey? 

Check out my other post about wine barrel projects. I've made a few things with plans for more, when I find the time. I do make my own beer, but the barrels aren't part of that.

Kevin

[Kmucha16]

So, I finished the table a few months ago and finally got some pictures and thought I'd update the post here.

I ended up just letting the table sit in the room where it was going to be used for awhile until the top flattened out, which it did. I attached the top with z-clips in a groove around the rails to pull it down the last little bit. It's nice and flat now and solid as a rock. Wife was happy with her Christmas present that was finally finished in May. 


Finish was ebony stain (wife wanted it as dark as I could get it) and 4 coats of poly.

   

   

Thanks for looking
Kevin

[Yetloh]

So, I finished the table a few months ago and finally got some pictures and thought I'd update the post here.

I ended up just letting the table sit in the room where it was going to be used for awhile until the top flattened out, which it did. I attached the top with z-clips in a groove around the rails to pull it down the last little bit. It's nice and flat now and solid as a rock. Wife was happy with her Christmas present that was finally finished in May. 


Finish was ebony stain (wife wanted it as dark as I could get it) and 4 coats of poly.





Thanks for looking
Kevin

Looks great, Kevin, and well worth the effort.  It's always worth allowing time for a piece to settle in to its final environment before taking more radical action to resolve problems of this sort.

Jim