# More advice on end table



## jemangin (Oct 23, 2013)

The top of this table is 11 " wide by 20 " long. The grain is arranged in both the top and under shelf to expand or contract along the width of the table(11"). I plan on using loose tenons on the legs which will go into mortises on the top undersurface and leg. The undershelf will press fit into the four slots in the legs. I have thought of two options for dealing with wood movement:

1. Oversize the top mortise, glue the tenon into the leg and the undershelf into the slot. Legs and undershelf will move together.

2. Glue tenon into top and leg then cut slot for undershelf a bit big and let it slide in and out with movement of the top and shelf.

3. Do I even need to worry about table movement with an 11" wide top and 9" wide under shelf?

Here is a picture of my mock up and thinking. Ignore the extra slot for the under shelf. 

The thick rosewood and maple veneer/laminated table tops turned out pretty good. Fingers crossed it doesn't delaminate. Made the most out of the rosewood as well.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Well, supposedly if you use wood from the same general area the table would stay in, there is less movement. Or so I've been told.

I have a small shelf, about 2'x2'x12" of solid cherry, held together with pegs and glue. The pieces are about 3/4" thick. I made that in the 10th grade shop class. That would be 1954/55. I made it in MI, and eventually it wound up with me in NC. Just as solid as when it was made, with no sign of wood movement. I don't know if that is usual, not usual, or it was from using cherry. 

I read of a custom kitchen table made in New England, from local woods. Eventually the owner moved to one of the southwest states. In New England, the table was totally stable. In the southwest, half of the year, no issues. The other half of the year it gets a 1/2" wide in the top. I'm thinking a small table like you are making will have no issues, however, you'd have to make one to be 100% sure. -


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

In my opinion, Jamie, if the top and shelf are similar woods, with the grain in the same direction, they should move together. So any movement shouldn't matter. They should move together. Usually you need to worry about movement when you have grain running in opposing directions because wood moves mainly across the grain but not with it (boards get fatter but not longer). So if you have rails underneath which run across the grain of the top, then you need to allow for movement. I'm not sure what you veneered the rosewood onto. Plywood doesn't move appreciably because it has grain in both directions. I believe it was Stick that had a chart of how much different types of wood move.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I agree with Paul. There might be a small difference because of difference widths but the legs are free to splay in or out with that possible tiny difference. If you were to put the top on an apron that is a whole different story. In that case I use mechanical fasteners to attach the top as that has to be free to move separately.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

On a project that small ,I wouldn't even worry about wood movement, if all the wood is dry and stays in the same climate as it was built.

The only time I ever had a problem is a 46"X84"X 1" clear pine dining room table top I made for my son here in WA and shipped it to him in AZ, it split right down the middle lengthwise.
Herb


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

Herb Stoops said:


> On a project that small ,I wouldn't even worry about wood movement, if all the wood is dry and stays in the same climate as it was built.
> 
> The only time I ever had a problem is a 46"X84"X 1" clear pine dining room table top I made for my son here in WA and shipped it to him in AZ, it split right down the middle lengthwise.
> Herb


Well Herb finish the story. What happened next? Did you fix it, burn it, or what?


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

hawkeye10 said:


> Well Herb finish the story. What happened next? Did you fix it, burn it, or what?


It was a trestle table and had 2X6 cross tops on the top of the 2 leg stands. So it was stable. The top was made from 4/4 2X6 clear pine glued together on the edges. I put a bread board cross pieces on the ends so the end grain didn't show.
The crack didn't follow a glue line ,it went from one center board to the next one and wasn't continuously hooked together. So it wasn't one continuous crack from one end to the other. My son loved it, it matched the pine lintels over the doors and windows that were stained the same color. The air is so dry there that the wood cracks in all directions. 
His wife uses table cloths so it never shows at meal time. It was like this one in the picture except it had 2 parallel spreaders between the leg stands.
Herb


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## jemangin (Oct 23, 2013)

Great advice as always. I am going to glue it up solid.


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