# ? A glue up question



## JerryLH (Oct 23, 2014)

I'm about to make a 10' by 42" table top - appx. I'll be using three wide pieces of larch. One of the pieces was closer to the bark than the other two and this piece has steep edge angles. In order to get the max width from this piece I plan to cut straight parallel lines on the edge - but not back to the depth of the radius along the edges. I want to cut the straight lines along both edges where I end up with only about 3/4" right angle edge (to the top of the board). Then I want to cut a rabbet along both edges that will reach the full depth of the bottom edge angle. Then I want to glue in a piece(s), full length of the edges, which will fill the rabbet (plus just a little, which I plan to plane smooth to the larch board. That's my 'plan' (at this moment) - any help on how I can be successful at this I would appreciate it - also, what type of wood would you suggest as the filler boards? Thanks, I always appreciate the feedback. I'm posting this on two different forums if you happen to see this there.


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## JerryLH (Oct 23, 2014)

I tend to put too many words into what I'm trying to say. Maybe this image would help.


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## RRBOU (Feb 15, 2012)

I think I understand what you are asking, but I personally would get another piece of Larch and rip the live edges off then make 1edge joint instead of two with something else. I am sure Larch is attainable in your area.


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

I've added filler material like that before. Some times I just too damned cheap! 8^)


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## JerryLH (Oct 23, 2014)

> I ve added filler material like that before. Some times I just too damned cheap! 8^)
> 
> - splintergroup


I'm very often cheap myself - having said that, in this case - the log was whole from the seller, it was apx 20". It was pressure kiln dried and fumigated at the same time. When the chemical in the fumigant reaches the heartwood - the heartwood turns this chocolate brown while the sap wood remains a creamy white color. I want to keep the pieces (3 which are left) together as matching grain & color & I need max width I can get from each board no matter the trouble. I'm retired and though I don't have a lot left - I have more time than money. Thanks for the feedback. When I get the table put together I'll post it. Hopefully it turns out worth posting. Thanks , again.


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## JackDuren (Oct 10, 2015)

I don't know if I'm reading this right. You are trying to save the width but aren't interested in keeping the bark edges?


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## JerryLH (Oct 23, 2014)

> I don t know if I m reading this right. You are trying to save the width but aren t interested in keeping the bark edges?
> 
> - JackDuren


I have 3 boards, center board will get straight edged on both sides (like the sketch above), the 2 exterior boards will get only one straight edge per board (to abut the center board). The center board is represented by the sketch-the two exterior boards will get one rabbit and filler board each on their interior edge. Once the four rabbits get a filler board glued in I'll plane the filler board to match the larch board - then glue the three boards together. Both exterior boards (of the table top) will sport a live edge.


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

I'm confused about what the corners blocks are for.
But I'm not confused about clamping pressure. You'll need lots of clamps across the whole length of the table.If your table has a oddly shaped edge then find some foam or something that will compress.
Another option is to clamp boards top and bottom both side with c clamps. These will extend out past your natural edge to get you a temporary edge.
How far off am I 

Good Luck


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## JerryLH (Oct 23, 2014)

Thanks for the feedback - I 'always' appreciate those who reach out to help. Thanks.


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## CplSteel (Jun 22, 2012)

That is a good fix, I wouldn't have thought of it. 
I wonder if movement is going to twist your tabletop with the back cuts acting as…. Unsure of the term of art…. Back cuts that would make it more likely to cup.

I would fill with a quality clear hardwood and run the grain against the tabletop as much as possible. This may be overkill but, as I understand your design, the cupping scares me, but a cross grain spline (if that is what we may call the filler 2×2.5s) may fix everything, but a softwood may not protect from cupping.

I would fill each cut side (the four of them) with a clear, straightgrained, hardwood spline just proud and then joint the splines along with the tabletop edge at the same time. Just make sure the grain runs perpendicular to the tabletop as much as possible.

Hope that made sense.


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## JerryLH (Oct 23, 2014)

> That is a good fix, I wouldn t have thought of it.
> I wonder if movement is going to twist your tabletop with the back cuts acting as…. Unsure of the term of art…. Back cuts that would make it more likely to cup.
> 
> I would fill with a quality clear hardwood and run the grain against the tabletop as much as possible. This may be overkill but, as I understand your design, the cupping scares me, but a cross grain spline (if that is what we may call the filler 2×2.5s) may fix everything, but a softwood may not protect from cupping.
> ...


Thanks muchly - makes sense. I'll post pics when accomplished. Thanks Again.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

I think you are asking for trouble. Imbedding a different piece of wood with a different grain orientation or even species could create some stress as seasonal moisture changes occur. Based upon the shape, I assume that this is mostly sap wood which will have more tendency to move and with the growth rings curving upwards could cup, especially after removing some wood near the edges. Personally, I would square up the board and find another piece of larch of the same thickness with similar grain and color to make up the extra width needed.


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## JerryLH (Oct 23, 2014)

> I think you are asking for trouble. Imbedding a different piece of wood with a different grain orientation or even species could create some stress as seasonal moisture changes occur. Based upon the shape, I assume that this is mostly sap wood which will have more tendency to move and with the growth rings curving upwards could cup, especially after removing some wood near the edges. Personally, I would square up the board and find another piece of larch of the same thickness with similar grain and color to make up the extra width needed.
> 
> - Lazyman


Thanks for the input - I appreciate it. Larch, being a conifer, it shouldn't be difficult to find some nice straight grained pine. The more I think about this the less of a mystery it becomes to me. 1. straight line the edges on the four interior edges (the two outside edges will become the live edge), 2. cut a rabbit into the four interior edges, 3. Slightly overfill the rabbit with straight grain pine of similar grain structure, 4. square edges with track saw 5. ready for glue up. The stacked boards show the top board sled planed, the 2nd board started flattening & the 3rd pic has not been planed. In the top pic all three boards have been sled flattened.


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## avsmusic1 (Jul 10, 2016)

Not sure if you're layout in that 1st picture in the above post is the order you're envisioning but i'd be inclined to have the right most slab in the center to balance out the sapwood from the other two on either side

Also, are you running the rabbit full length? The end grain ends may look a little odd with an alternative wood used to fill them.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

That larch has some beautiful heartwood. It is going to make a really nice looking table.

One question…The middle piece appears to have a slightly hourglass shape to it. Does that mean that it is a little thinner in the middle lengthwise? After straightening out the right edge on the near end at least, you may not need any infill?


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## JerryLH (Oct 23, 2014)

Here's the three boards after I straight lined them. You can see the valley(s) on the bottom side of the boards which will get the rabbit & eliminate the voids created by the live edge. You can also see the uneven(s) edge (I marked it in red). I don't think Larch normally has this color heartwood. This was achieved when the pressurized fumigant (chemical - ammonia something or the other) reachs the heartwood and reacts only to the heartwood.


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## JerryLH (Oct 23, 2014)

> Not sure if you re layout in that 1st picture in the above post is the order you re envisioning but i d be inclined to have the right most slab in the center to balance out the sapwood from the other two on either side
> 
> Also, are you running the rabbit full length? The end grain ends may look a little odd with an alternative wood used to fill them.
> 
> - avsmusic1


My answer to the ends is - 1. once I distressed the ends ever so lightly, combined with the finish I don't think the average bear would ever see the filler board as not being part of the board. 2. I'm pretty sure I'm going to put breadboard ends on which will inclue a little of the heartwood and the creamy sapwood.


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## JerryLH (Oct 23, 2014)

Got the rabbits cut today.

















!https://storage.googleapis.com/aws-s3-lumberjocks-com/q09ebsf.jp


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

Nice! Getting closer to done 8^)


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## JackDuren (Oct 10, 2015)

I do a lot of these tops and have never used fillers to build width. Hope it works out…


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## JerryLH (Oct 23, 2014)

> I do a lot of these tops and have never used fillers to build width. Hope it works out…
> 
> 
> 
> ...


First - that's a beautiful top you've put together.
As to the fillers, I'm pretty sure it's going to work. I'll fill each rabbit, plane and square up the filler & then glue the three boards together as if they'd always been that way. My confidence comes in the strength of the glue - with everything cut square & properly filled,-well, if we can edge glue boards with success - we can use a filler to better utilize those boards nearer the outside of the tree, IMO. Most suggested I just get another piece of larch - larch is not available here (without shipping it in) - then there's the color match - - Even if I had another larch board of same color - to get that 4th board in the layout I would had to have cut out all the sapwood leaving me with another dark tabletop. I wanted the sap wood in order to delineate the light & dark. Finally there would have been another couple hundred dollars added for the extra board-- and I would 'Not' have achieved my desired results. I picked up the filler wood yesterday - I'll have them in shortly & I'll post some pics along the way. Thanks for your thoughts.


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## JackDuren (Oct 10, 2015)

My concern was too many pieces with too much glue and movement between seasons.

Now sometimes when poring epoxy the voids can just be filled in to square it up…depending on how large.


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## JerryLH (Oct 23, 2014)

You can now see the four rabbets with filler glued in. The width of the filler strips is what I would have lost in width had I simply squared back to the deepest live edge intrusion. They're now ready for glue up. I plan on putting on bread board ends.


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