Design help

[John Mihich]

The woodworker living here made this table several years and didn't believe wood movement was meant for him. So now this ww needs to remake the top. As you can see the top has a gap. I'm going to remake the top but this time with MDF as the base. Should I use 4 pieces like it is now or 8. I don't care either ways. And should I have the grain running like it is now or should I make it go towards the center? Also - I could edge band it with banding or maybe an inch of solid wood.

I'm open to suggestions. Throwing the table out is not an option.

[DaveR1]

How about using quarter sawn oak for the top?

What is the diameter of the top? Are you planning to use veneered MDF or put the veneer on yourself? If the latter, make the top of one piece if you can.

[overland]

Sometimes we have to overlook the gaps. I have friends who bought a big table with a thick hickory top made of just two wide boards in the middle. The problem is that the builder put a mitered 6 inch border around them. And of course gaps appear in winter. But the table is still gorgeous, and I've made my piece with this flaw. I'm not saying you should, just suggesting that it's a possibility.

[John Mihich]

I have some oak veneer and MDF so I'm doing the top myself in one piece.

I made 3 of these tables but the other two have marble tops so there was not an issue with them. I did this one because I had the materials left over. I didn't have the veneer at the time and didn't want to spend the $. Did a job and I have enough materials left over to do this for "free".

Not sure if I'm going to keep the through tenons or not. The middle was not a through tenon. Not really hard to do so I'll probably keep them.

[DaveR1]

Keying off what overland said, what about revising the top you have? Cut the quarters apart and trim them so there's maybe 1/4 in. between them and then put a spline of contrasting wood between them. I could make a sketch for you when I get home to show you what I'm thinking for the holes around the legs if you want to keep them.

[Bibliophile 13]

I really like the four pieces myself.

[jteneyck]

Make the top with Baltic birch plywood or MDF and veneer it in any pattern you like. Be sure to put some veneer on the back side, too, for balance. What happened to the last one won't with the next.

John