I have a project that a neighbor has asked me to build for him and I am starting to run into some challenges that I would like to ask your advise on. The project is a 8' x 3' dining room table for his ranch house. He wants it to attach to the wall and fold up when not in use. The frame is made of angle iron and my part is to build the boards inside of the frame. The boards will run across the 3' part of the table and not the 8' part. They will be various widths to help with the rustic look of the table. I have the table top built and here is where my question comes in. The wood is spalted pecan and I know it is going to move across it's width (which in this case will be across the 8' part) How would be the best way to attach the wood to the frame and allow for the wood to move? As mentioned before, the metal is angle iron so I dimensioned the boards for the table top to be flush with the top of the angle iron on the eating surface side. On the underside (which you will see when the table is folded and against the wall) is the flat part of the angle iron and I could attach screws there but I am afraid the wood is going to move too much and split the wood out. I am trying to make the top to where there won't be too many places to catch crumbs but I don't see any way around leaving about a 1/2" at each end to allow for the wood to move. This will cause a pretty big crumb catching area at each end not to mention how it will look. I have thought about asking the metal artist to add a small strip of metal at each end to create kind of a breadboard end so that it will at least cover the gaps but I will still have the problem of how to attach it.
I hope I have explained well enough for you guys to get the picture but if I have not then please feel free to ask me questions. This is my second question to post and my first real project so I am certainly not a veteran at this. Any help would be greatly appreciated and I thank you in advance for any replies.
Shane
I hope I have explained well enough for you guys to get the picture but if I have not then please feel free to ask me questions. This is my second question to post and my first real project so I am certainly not a veteran at this. Any help would be greatly appreciated and I thank you in advance for any replies.
Shane