walnut table top input

[pmaczik]

I need some input for this project.  I am making the wife a walnut shaker style dining table.  The ruff sawn 4/4 walnut is all hart wood.  It has been store in a barn for about 7 plus years.  My shop will be climate controlled during fabrication.  I sort of think this table top as stiles and rails with in diagonals.  The diagonals will be tongue and groove at ends and edges glued.  I think this will control cupping.  My concern is on the stiles (short side of top) having too much stress and cause buckling.  There is suppose to be a picture attachment along with this.
Thanks for your time,
Pete[attachment=1390]

[robmaz]

my concern would be with seasonal expansion and contraction. Being solid wood held within a channel, there needs to be room to expand. if all the pieces are edge glued together, you must leave room for them to expand or it will blow your frame apart. Otherwise, don't glue them tighter, the tongue and groove's purpose is to allow for expansion and contraction so don't glue the boards together. And if you really want Shaker, the top should be just plain pieces edge glued together. That way, you can allow the top to expand and contract across the frame of the base using slots and buttons or any number of other methods. Not a criticism, just my observations. You can taper the legs on two sides each for style but the Shakers weren't much for ornamentation. They liked simple.  Just my thoughts

[pmaczik]

Rob,
         Thanks for the input.  That is my same thinking too.  I guess I will use long glued up boards.  I have enough material to keep the same size table.  Most of my boards are 6 to 8 inches wide ruff cut.  The wife wants full walnut boards.  I bought a Laguna 14 Bx Bandsaw that will be here in mid March.  Wonder if I would buy 3/4 cabinet grade plywood and resawed same pattern making Veneer.  Would I still have the same issue with expansion?  I am now thinking after the dinning table making end tables and bedroom set.

Pete

[robmaz]

If you wanted to stick with the herring bone top, veneer is a good way to go. much more stable on a stable substrate like plywood. MDF core ply is even more stable and less likely for any small defects to telegraph through thin veneer. Good luck  ROB

[Bill Holt]

Pete, I really like your design!  I do agree with Rob on both points, it isn't Shaker and veneer is the best way to accomplish your design.

[Paul K. Murphy]

I think you have three possible paths.
1: Accomplish this with veneer. This is what veneer excels at. This is what veneer is for, and it's my recommendation.
2: Look at country French examples of this kind of construction. Typically, they are rough. I think that they are probably a zillion times rougher than you might think. That's your standard. Accept the roughness, it comes with the territory.
3: Locate Franz Karg's book. Read it. Burn it in letters of fire on your DNA. Whatever you do, don't buy it, it costs a King's ransom. Get it through an interlibrary loan. Then, prepare to transform yourself into a better woodworker than you ever believed you were. Manufacture the table in the manner of Franz Karg. (I don't recommend this option.)
Veneer this construction.

[Paul K. Murphy]

https://www.amazon.com/Solid-Wood-Cabine...0942391977
Last time this book was beacoup bucks.
Maybe you can buy a copy, I dunno.

[pmaczik]

Thanks for all the input!  I have enough material to pick and choose grain patterns.  I decided to just use long matching boards glued up.  The wife didn’t like the idea of veneer, she wanted solid.  This will be a lot easier.  All the work will be in the finishing.

Pete

[Kansas City Fireslayer]

Shop sawn veneers. Wrap it in hardwood. She would never know the difference unless you tell her.

[pmaczik]

Gee, it would give me a reason to use my new Laguna 14 Bx.  Never worked on veneer.  How thick could I get before expansion problems?