# Table tops



## Nomes (Jan 4, 2017)

I'm going to joining boards to gather for a table top.
What I want to use is a router and bits to join them.

What would be the best bit set to get for this?


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## bbasiaga (Dec 8, 2012)

For edge jointing, you could clamp the show faces of the two adjacent boards together, then clamp a straight edge guide to that. Using any straight route bit long enough to fully cut both boards would work. Just set your straight edge guide up so that the router only takes off a 16th or 32nd.

Brian


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

I guess I'm not following this. You don't have a jointer, and want to straighten your boards with a router? Is the router mounted in a router table? If not, there's not much chance of success.

OK, so assuming it's in a router table and you have a fence, like Brian said, use a straight bit with a cutting edge that can cut the entire thickness. Setup will be tricky, so plan to make lots of test cuts. Basically, what you want to do is have the outfeed side of the fence perfectly aligned with the bit. The infeed side would be set back to whatever amount you want to take off in a single pass.

We really need to know more to give you a good answer. Is the router mounted in a table. Does it have a fence? Do you have a table saw?


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## cathode (May 18, 2014)

I think he means end-joining boards together (to make them longer). You would need a finger-joint or box-joint router bit for that.

Here's a questionable-quality brand one on amazon (but it's cheap!)


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## Nomes (Jan 4, 2017)

I was thinking more of joining board edges using some thing like this or is there a better set of them.
http://www.rockler.com/rockler-wedge-tongue-and-groove-bit
I have a 6" jointer but getting the board edges to mate as flush as I can with a minimum of sanding.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

That changes everything. The finger joint bit you are looking at is used mostly to join boards end-to-end, just as William mentioned. You could use them for glue-ups to make a wide table top, but it's more common to use dowels, biscuits, or simply glue them. I understand your desire for minimum sanding. I glue up boards for door panels all the time, and unless you have a ton of clamps and cauls, getting them flush on the surface is challenging.

My favorite way now is with dowels using the JessEm 08350 doweling jig. It differs from other jigs in that, instead of centering the dowels, it references to one face of the boards. The result is a near perfect flush face for your table top. Naturally, if the boards are planed to the same thickness, the back of the face will be flush too. It has saved me literally hours of sanding.

Others will recommend biscuits. I used them for years and they work great too. I just find the dowels to be more precise, especially with that jig. It is what converted me from biscuits. I don't even care about getting glue on the dowels - they are for alignment. The long grain glue-up is strong enough on its own.

Glue joints along the grain are generally as strong, or stronger, than the wood itself. The reason for the finger joint bit for end-to-end glue-ups is that the strength of end grain gluing is very weak, and that sort of joint makes it much stronger, since it is exposing long grain surfaces of the wood.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

I'll echo what Brian & Rich said re: simple butt gluing. This is the way I do 90% of edge glueing. Very

The bit you are looking at will work, but not necessary IMO. (BTW I don't think this is for end grain. A finger joint bit is usually used to join endgrain edges). Rather than buy a specialty bit like this, I would just buy a slot cutter and either do biscuits or a spline if desired.

Panel glue ups can be a very frustrating task especially when using final dimension lumber the alignment has to be near perfect. Important to have (and enough) good clamps. Another consideration is use of cauls.

Sometimes there is some bowing to deal with which can complicate butt edge gluing.

What helps me is gluing my panels up thick to leave room for final dimensioning. I use hand planes to flatten and true up the top. Therefore whenever possible I use 5/4 material.


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## Nomes (Jan 4, 2017)

I've used dowels and biscuits and just butt and glue and haven't had as good of a fit as I would like.
First I also plane my boards.
I just never seem to get a good fit. I've used pipe clamps, bar clamps I also use 2-2×4x48" clamps with a bolt thew ends to clamp flat (1 every 16").
Just thinking that there might be a better way.


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## Nomes (Jan 4, 2017)

I have a Freud biscuit jointer and looking at it I found out that the blade is 29/32" 73.8mm for wood biscuit joints all the biscuits that I have are 25/32 Looked all over the I have a Freud biscuit jointer and looking at it I found out that the blade is 29/32" 73.8mm for wood biscuit joints all the biscuits that I have are 25/32 Looked all over the net for biscuits that are that size and can't find them.
So I guess that is the trouble I have had with the boards not fitting together.
Where can I get the rite sized biscuits?


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

Amazon likely has whatever size biscuits you need. If not, search for Freud biscuits. It's a popular brand so I'm sure there are sites that carry them.

BTW, RWE is correct about the router bit not being one for end grain joining. In one of my all-to-common senior moments, I had the bit William posted a link to in mind when I wrote that.


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## cathode (May 18, 2014)

I like the fingerjoint bits with the bearing better than the T&G glue joint bit that was linked to, though. The bearing ensures that your profile is consistent always, the other one requires a router table with a fence, or some other more complicated setup.

Lee - just checking but… have you verified that your edges are perfectly 90 degrees to the faces? It's possible that if you're having issues edge-gluing the boards together for the tabletop it's because the edges aren't perpendicular to the top, and when you clamp, the whole top could cup one way or the other due to this.

Another "solution" might be to buy a jointer plane and just put some elbow grease into it until it's flat enough to your liking.

A third solution is to take the top somewhere to a local commercial shop and either rent time on a wide belt sander, or pay them to run it through for you.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

I agree with William about the bits. I have a stackable Amana finger joint bit that works for a wide range of wood thickness. I paid $50 for it and it's already saved me almost $20 in moulding. Hopefully, I'll live long enough to break even 

As far as having the edges 90º to the face, I alternate my boards on the jointer when I'm doing a panel. I lay them out the way I want them for the panel, draw a carpenter's triangle and then label the joining edges F and B, a reminder to me that the F edge is jointed with the face against the fence, and B edges are jointed with the back against the fence. This way, any error in the angle of the fence is canceled out when you glue up. For example, say the fence is a degree off, one edge will be 89º and the other will be 91º, and the result is a straight, flat surface when they are glued.


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## Nomes (Jan 4, 2017)

Thanks for the replies There is a few things I'll try and see how it works out.
Thanks 
Lee


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