# Solid Wood Glue Up



## EdsCustomWoodCrafts (Sep 21, 2014)

So I'm making a kitchen Island on wheels and it's frame and panel construction, but I want to make a solid wood panel for the top

I'll be using 2×4 as cost is an issue for the client .. but I have never made a solid wood glue up before and not sure how to go about it.

I'm going to use my biscuit jointer and glue..

Does anyone have tips or best practices on doing this

It will be 48" wide by about 24" deep


----------



## Loren (May 30, 2008)

You'll spend plenty of time planing and sanding
such a glue-up to flat. If you want to do it for
the experience, fine. But if you value your
time very much such an endeavor is only going
to save your client money at the expense of you
working super cheap. The price of 24" wide
wood countertops from sources like IKEA are
pretty low and the top you buy will have the 
industrialized flatness your handmade top will
not.


----------



## papadan (Mar 6, 2009)

Ed, if you have a jointer or planer it would be best to joint the edges of your stock before glue up. On softer wood like pine, put your bisquits as deep as you can so they don't swell and push up spots along the joints. You really don't need the bisquits if you have a good level area to assemble the panel on. Tightbond 3 would be a good glue for this project because of the moisture in a kitchen.


----------



## EdsCustomWoodCrafts (Sep 21, 2014)

> Ed, if you have a jointer or planer it would be best to joint the edges of your stock before glue up. On softer wood like pine, put your bisquits as deep as you can so they don t swell and push up spots along the joints. You really don t need the bisquits if you have a good level area to assemble the panel on. Tightbond 3 would be a good glue for this project because of the moisture in a kitchen.
> 
> - papadan


Thanks papadan unfortunately I don't have a jointer planer it's on the shopping list for next year ..I was going to use Titebond II ..


----------



## EdsCustomWoodCrafts (Sep 21, 2014)

> You ll spend plenty of time planing and sanding
> such a glue-up to flat. If you want to do it for
> the experience, fine. But if you value your
> time very much such an endeavor is only going
> ...


Thanks Lauren it's a bit of both experience and budget constraints


----------



## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

What tools do you have? (hopefully and joint and planer) Are you using 2×4, from Home Depot? Is this top supposed to be a nice flat top with edged well fitted together or are we going rustic.

Tell us all the information you can think of. Good information get better answers.


----------



## Andybb (Sep 30, 2016)

A few projects similar to yours.

As someone else said, flattening a top that big from scratch is a LOT of work.

My concern would be that 2×4's are usually fir and might be too soft to use as an ideal counter surface. If cost is an issue….is there a reclaimed building materials place in your town? You can often find reclaimed butcher block or bowling alley lumber that make nice counters and are already glued up and can be sanded to a nice surface.


----------



## EdsCustomWoodCrafts (Sep 21, 2014)

> What tools do you have? (hopefully and joint and planer) Are you using 2×4, from Home Depot? Is this top supposed to be a nice flat top with edged well fitted together or are we going rustic.
> 
> Tell us all the information you can think of. Good information get better answers.
> 
> - AlaskaGuy


Hello ..
I don't have a jointer planer.. I wasn't going for a rustic look.. in fact I was thinking of at least using my router around the edges maybe a round over or chamfer profile..

I have parallel clamps and yes i am using 2×4 from Home Depot…

In fact I might be overly ambitious and doing a inlay of some kind to fancy the top up…

I have very limited flattening tools.. I don't have hand planer.. but I do have orbital sander and a 11" belt sander


----------



## EdsCustomWoodCrafts (Sep 21, 2014)

> A few projects similar to yours.
> 
> As someone else said, flattening a top that big from scratch is a LOT of work.
> 
> ...


Thanks

To be honest I've seen countless projects where 2×4 boards have been used in table top construction in applications such as butcherbkock style and traditional woodworking bench to name but a few so that's where I got the idea …

I agree that the 2×4 isn't the best wood to do this but these are the cards I have been dealt and I'm trying to coke up with the best solution..

Thanks shain


----------



## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Some woodworkers have done without a 
jointer by using a router table or table saw
set up as a jointing jig.

You won't get a nice result just gluing 48" 
lengths of 2×4 together. The boards won't
be straight enough to make clean glue lines.

A router can also be rigged up to joint stock
up to about 2" wide, but you'll need to spend
time making a router table, an adjustable 
2-part fence for it, and buy a 2" long straight
bit.

Woodworking can be really frustrating just 
starting out without many tools. I've been there.


----------



## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

Without a jointer and planer, you are going to spend a ton of time getting the boards flat and straight so if you charge them for your time to get it perfect enough for a counter top, you are going to easily justify the cost of buying a ready made top. For example, at just $20 per hour, you could buy this 48x30 $150 maple top for just 7.5 hours of labor without even considering the cost of the lumber.


----------



## EdsCustomWoodCrafts (Sep 21, 2014)

> Some woodworkers have done without a
> jointer by using a router table or table saw
> set up as a jointing jig.
> 
> ...


Hi Loren,
I just realised I do have a Kreg router table and fence and the fence can be used for jointing operations.. the fence came with jointing rods and the fence can be used to joint 1/16" or 1/32" on each pass.. so I guess that's what I will be practicing on tomorrow

Thansk very very much, in fact thanks everyone that commented

I know it's a cheap version and yet again not having all the tools I need I had to come up with another solution

But that's awesome I like to problem solve and come up with a solution


----------



## Loren (May 30, 2008)

That is indeed a lucky break.

Making your own might have been more of
a pita than you wanted.


----------



## EdsCustomWoodCrafts (Sep 21, 2014)

> That is indeed a lucky break.
> 
> Making your own might have been more of
> a pita than you wanted.
> ...


I made this in the spring but forgot that the Kreg fence had jointing rods

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/309282


----------



## EdsCustomWoodCrafts (Sep 21, 2014)

> That is indeed a lucky break.
> 
> Making your own might have been more of
> a pita than you wanted.
> ...


----------

