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Gluing up a table top. Can anybody please advise?
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From: "David F. Eisan" <dfei...@home.com>
Newsgroups: rec.woodworking
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Subject: Re: Gluing up a table top. Can anybody please advise?
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Date: Fri, 01 Jun 2001 02:28:09 GMT
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Dear All,
Somebody asked in another forum how I did panel glueups, and since I think
I managed to write it down with some coherence this time, I thought I would
share it with the group here.
I don't use biscuits, the alignement is never perfect, cauls work better.
David's totally AR panel glue up technique:
Prep stock,
- If I am starting with boards wider than 8", rip in half with band saw so
they will fit on my DJ-20.
- Flatten all boards on my jointer.
- Thickness plane until all milling marks are gone from rough stock, leave
at max yieldable (is that a word?) thickness.
- Edge joint, then rip to max yieldable (there is that word again...) width.
You need some psudocauls,
- Get some 2x6's, cut them to about 15", face joint one side flat, edge
joint both edges (they don't need to be parallel, just strait).
- Put clear packing tape on one edge of the caul.
Make sub panels,
- Since my DeWALT planer is only 12½ inches wide, make sub panels no bigger
than will fit through planer.
The Glue Up, (this is the AR part on how to get perfect panels)
- Lay your boards on the cauls (I use three sets most times for table top
glueups), on top of the edge with the packing tape.
- Look for nice grain matches, check that grain is running in same direction
on all boards as you will be running this through your planer and don't want
tearout from opposing grain directions.
- Glue each edge, lay on cauls.
- DO NOT ALLOW BOARDS TO TOUCH! Keep them about ¼" apart.
- Place top cauls on top of boards being glued up, in line with lower cauls.
- Use F-clamps, two per caul, one for each end of a pair of cauls. Snug
these clamps down, don't reef on them, just moderate pressure. (Crappy
Tire's F-clamps are a great deal when they are on sale, I use the 18" model)
- You now have your boards all in the same plane, this is good. Had you
touched the glued edges together before the cauls were in place it would be
almost impossible to get them inline.
- Use pipe clamps to pull the boards together, start from the centre,
alternate top and bottom.
- Once all of your pipe clamps are on, now you reef on the F-clamps, this
keeps everything flat.
- Since you put packing tape on your cauls, the boards will slide together
under pipe clamp pressure. The tape also prevents them from being glued down
to the panel.
- Don't worry about mashing glue into panel, this is no big deal, you will
be planing to final thickness and that will remove any ugly finish blocking
glue marks.
- Leave in clamps for 30 min, remove clamps.
- Use a cabinet scraper (not paint scraper) to remove any glue squeeze out
(Lee Valley sells cabinet scrapers). The glue is rubbery at this point and
will remove easily without ripping out wood like it would if you removed it
after it dried.
- Let 12" panel(s) sit for a day.
- Plane down to final desired thickness. I usually take a 1/64 at a time off
at this point, turning the board over after every pass to even things out.
- Edge joint and rip to max yieldable width.
Need more psudocauls,
- This time cut them just a bit wider than the panel size.
- Check the layout of how your 12" subpanels will be glued up, note where
the glue lines will be, mark these points on the cauls.
- Use a 1" forstner bit to drill a half circle out at each of these points.
This will provide a place for glue squeeze out to go, you cannot simply mash
it into the panel this time as there will be minimal sanding or planing.
- Again, cover one edge with packing tape, form it to fit into the half
circles.
- For table tops, I use one caul about 6" in from each edge an one in the
centre.
Final main panel glue up,
(similar procedure to subpanel glueup)
- Lay boards on bottom cauls, arrange for best grain layout, reversing grain
is less important this time, go for what is prettiest.
- Make sure the half circle cut outs in your cauls are where the glue lines
will be.
- Glue each edge, again, MAKE SURE EDGES DO NOT TOUCH! Keep boards about ¼"
apart.
- Place top caul on, hold it in place with an F-clamp at each end. Snug
F-clamps.
- Use pipe clamps to pull boards together, again they will slip on the
packing tape.
- Once boards are fully clamped with alternating pipe clamps, fully tighten
down the F-clamps.
- After 30 minutes, remove from clamps and remove squeeze out with a cabinet
scraper.
- Leave panel for a day.
Final clean up of panel,
- I have a wonderful Stanley #5½ type 9 large jack plane that I like to use
to level out any minor imperfections in panels. I usually then finish plane
with my little Stanley #3 type 12 smoother. A Lee Valley #4½ would do both
jobs nicely, but I don't have one yet.
- For those of you who don't own any good hand planes, use a random orbital
sander with some ~60 grit paper to level out any problem areas. Don't use a
belt sander, they are dangerous to your panel and will ruin a panel very
fast if you screw up. I can tell a panel flattened with a hand held belt
sander from across the room, most people are not very good at it.
I also usually rejoint one edge and then rip to final width.
I have a panel cutting sled I built that I used to cross cut large panels to
length.
Call your significant other and show him/her/it just how wonderful your
glueup turned out. You will marvel at your work, and they will give you that
blank look of, "huh, it's just a big board?".
I hopes this helps a few people. My first glueup was a total disaster, I
vowed to find a way to due the perfect glueup and I think I have come close.
Even though this sounds complicated and like a lot of work, try it once and
you will do it every time. Especially for you folks who are new at this, it
really is easy and it works wonderfully.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask,
Thanks,
David.
May you live in Interesting Times - Ancient Chinese Curse.
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