Attaching solid cherry top to plywood case, help needed

Hey John,

I’m just a rookie around. You’ll probably get better responses from the pros. Be that as it may, I’d glue down. I’d use some slow set glue so you can tweak it a little then clamp it down tight over night.

It’s really looking good!

-- Learning is like a door. Open it and there are hundreds more on the other side. Thanks for all the lessons!

Slot screwholes in the plywood (front to back), screw directly into the wood top. The slots in the plywood will accommodate the expansion and contraction of the wood top.

-- He who dies with the most tools... dies with the emptiest wallet.

Here is a good short article in Fine Woodworking. You do not want to glue or screw a large solid top on all sides to a case – whether ply or solid wood.

You can secure one edge and leave the other to accommodate the expansion, but do NOT plan to secure all edges or you will, someday, have splitting.

Anyway, there are a lot of approaches so pick the one that matches your skills and project the best. I have used both the s-clips and the wood blocks. PittsburghTim is using figure 8 fasteners here – he could probably give you some guidance if you PM him.

-- Kay - Just a girl who loves wood.

Gorgeous cherry top.

-- In the end, when your life flashes before your eyes, will you like what you see?

Thanks Kookaburra for the information, but I don’t see how to do those attachments as my cabinet is already built and slotting etc. is not possible now. Nitewalker, any suggestions on how I would slot a hole front to back and not run the risk of making it oblong? The depth needs to be very controlled or the screw might pierce the top. Are there fixtures for this. I want the screw heads to be countersunk so you can’t see them.
Thanks for your patience as I am new at this (obviously)!
John

just an observation…screws through plywood top into that NICE top…who is going to see them? Wood will want to move along the width of the board, very little (if any) along the length. “Norm” would suggest an elongated hole it the plywood front to back as noted above (essentially “rocking” the drill bit back and forth). Personally I would opt for a bigger hole in the ply and use a “wafer head” screw sized to not pierce the top. No countersinking but actually a very finished look for anybody nosy enough to see them.

Elongated mortised slot maybe?

+1 on the slotted holes and screws in the plywood. The solid wood top will move. You can use a fixed hole in the front to keep it aligned and use a slotted hole in the back so the movement will not be noticeable.

Nice piece!

-- John

Thanks guys for all your suggestions. I think I’ll use a forsner bit to give me a counter bore, then drill a slotted hole as suggested. The forsner but will allow me to use a wafer head screw so I don’t poke a hole by tightening too tight.
Thanks for the complements too; The top appears darker than it is, but the curl is much more pronounced than in the photo. I can’t wait to finish it.
Thanks again.
John

What waho6o9 post #7 said

-- It is always the right time, to do the right thing. Lovinghandsmemoryboxs.com

That is a gorgeous top. Ive heard about figure 8 fasteners that they typically use for a wood counter top. Same purpose as the mortised hole i guess. Leaving it room to wiggle. Mmmm curly cherry.

-- "there aren’t many hand tools as awe-inspiring as the #8 jointer. I mean, it just reeks of cast iron heft and hubris" - Smitty