QS Oak Raised Panels for Roll-Top Desk

In Texas, the breadboard ends of my red oak table top moved almost 1/4” throughout the year on each side. Sometimes they looked like a Greene & Greene, and sometimes like I shorted the length (we only have dinner parties during the few months they’re even). This is only true across the grain. Along the grain, red oak is very stable. Keep in mind that the 1/2” was across a 30” wide tabletop, so that’s only 1.67% expansion across the grain. On the flip side, you don’t want your panels falling out of their dado. I would make the dados 5/16” deep, make the tenon 1/4” long, prestain the panels (so that the panels don’t show raw wood due to shrinkage as they might if they’re stained after glue). That gives you 1/8” slop. I’d also glue the very center of the panels to the middle of their respective rails. That way they expand on either side evenly.

-- You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails

Here’s a chart to let you figure it out.

SPECIES QUARTERSAWN FLATSAWN
ALDER (RED) 0.0015 0.0026
ASH (WHITE) 0.0017 0.0027
ASPEN (QUAKING) 0.0012 0.0023
BASSWOOD 0.0023 0.0033
BEECH 0.19 0.0043
BIRCH (YELLOW) 0.0026 0.0034
BUTTERNUT 0.0012 0.0022
CHERRY (BLACK) 0.0013 0.0025
FIR (BALSAM) 0.0001 0.0024
MAHOGANY 0.0017 0.0024
MAPLE (RED) 0.0014 0.0029
MAPLE (SUGAR) 0.0017 0.0035
OAK (RED) 0.0016 0.0037
OAK (WHITE) 0.00018 0.0037
PINE (EAST WHITE) 0.0007 0.0021
PINE (LONGLEAF) 0.0018 0.0026
PINE (PONDEROSA) 0.0013 0.0022
POPLAR (YELLOW) 0.0016 0.0029
SWEETGUM 0.0018 0.0037
SYCAMORE 0.0017 0.003
TEAK 0.001 0.0019
WALNUT (BLACK) 0.0019 0.0027

Movement Value x Board Width x Worst Case M.C. Increase (10%)

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

Skully, Tim,

Thank you for your posts to my question. I was simply guessing .125” clearance in September. The widest rasised panel is 7.75” So Tim, if I am correct it would be 0.0016×7.75 +10%= .014??? Is this correct?

Thanks again!

-- Shane, Askov, Minnesota

Sorry I haven’t checked back on this thread. 0.0016×7.75×10 = .124. Almost 1/8”

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com