to use breadboard ends or not??

[mound]

I'm building a trestle table out of solid African Mahogany (6'x3')

I had planned from the start to do curved breadboard ends (like in my top drawing).

I first built the base as seen in the middle picture. (The trestle piece itself is still oversized, I'm going to settle on final shape/curve once I see it with the top on.) The cleats (which will get a similar taper to the feet) are going to attach to the underside with long tapered sliding dovetails and be pegged to the legs so as to make the top removable.)

I then got to resawing and milling my rough 8/4 African mahogany stock for the top (it was so rough you really had no idea what the grain looked like until it was worked down.)
 
As I played around with grain orientations, I stumbled upon this layout with the cool sapwood streak down the middle which I had never anticipated as I didn't realize my rough stock contained such beauty! (bottom pic is the unshaped top slathered in mineral spirits)

Now I can't decide if those curved breadboard ends make sense visually anymore but I was really looking forward to making them..  Thoughts??

[joe1086]

Do you still have enough length on the tabletop without the breadboard edges? 

I'd vote for leaving them off, but still radius the the ends. 

That'll be a nice looking table BTW.

[mound]

Do you still have enough length on the tabletop without the breadboard edges? 

I'd vote for leaving them off, but still radius the the ends. 

That'll be a nice looking table BTW.

Yes if I radiused the ends, I could just hit 6'..  That's where I'm leaning... Thinking also of doing a very subtle curve along the long edges too. Thanks for the feedback!

[Splinter Puller]

The piece would look unfinished without the breadboard ends.  The top might warp at the ends also.  Do the traditional floating tenon breadboard ends. 

If the inside of the breadboard end is to be curved then you will see gaps as the top expands and contracts.  Consider having the inside edge straight.

[mound]

The piece would look unfinished without the breadboard ends.  The top might warp at the ends also.  Do the traditional floating tenon breadboard ends. 

If the inside of the breadboard end is to be curved then you will see gaps as the top expands and contracts.  Consider having the inside edge straight.

Good call on the inside of the breadboard ends, I'd been trying to visualize what expansion and contraction would do to such a design.

[Phil S.]

I'd be inclined to put a chamfer on the edge of the bread board and the rest of the table where they meet.  Not really sure why, but it seems it would look better than having a smooth transition between the pale stripe and (I'm assuming) the dark breadboard.

[Splinter Puller]

Good call on the inside of the breadboard ends, I'd been trying to visualize what expansion and contraction would do to such a design.

Expansion and contraction of the top would cause slight changes in the overall radius.  You might get away with it if the end breadboard was fairly narrow and able to bend.  The tenon pegs would have to be made much larger to handle the tension.  A narrow "springy" end would look odd in my opinion though.

[mound]

Yup was planning to do so either way - create a subtle v-groove between the top and breadboards. Saw an example of that somewhere recently and liked it

[jteneyck]

If you do use breadboard ends the inside edge needs to be straight, as Splinter said.  I like breadboard ends but the transition to the field is always problematic.  The V-groove takes care of one issue, but the other issue is the expansion/contraction of the field; the field will only be the same width as the ends twice a year, at other times it will be wider or narrower.  Either way looks poor to me; the field being wider being the worst IMO.  No breakboards = no such issues.

Thinking about it more, with respect to your question about the sapwood running into the breadboard ends, I wouldn't use them.  I'd put a curve on the ends of the table and another very gentle one on the sides as you suggested.  

John

[mound]

thanks so far for the feedback!

I found a piece of thin scrap from the same stock close to the width of the breadboard (I'd go a bit wider) and just sat it on top, lathered it up with mineral spirits and looked at it to try to visualize it better. see attached pic.  I think now I'm leaning toward the "doesn't look complete without" opinion.. given the color match to the rest of the top I don't think the sapwood ending at a breadboard would look bad at all.