# laminating MDF and Beech butcher block for bench top



## naterajj (Nov 19, 2009)

I am building a small workbench with a 24"x48" top.

I glued two pieces of 3/4" thick MDF with contact cement, this gives me a 1 1/2" thick top, now I want to glue a 1 1/8" thick beech butcher block on top of that to give me a nice looking, 2 5/8" thick top

What would be the best glue for this use?

Does this sound like a good idea in general?


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## Julian (Sep 30, 2008)

I would have used titebond 2 to glue the two pieces of mdf together, as well as the butcher block top.


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## Ger21 (Oct 29, 2009)

You might just want to screw it down from the bottom. Use oversize holes and washers to allow any movement that might occur. Gluing it might lead to warping.


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## griph0n (Mar 31, 2009)

I put my ikea birch top on a piece of fir plywood with oversized holes and lag bollts. The top moved at least an 1/8 maybe a 1/4. Had to redrill the dog holes in the plywwod. Hate to think what would have happened if I had glued it.


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## naterajj (Nov 19, 2009)

Thanks for your suggestions.

Could you elaborate a bit on the over-sized holes and washers idea? how big should the holes be in relation to the bolts?

I can see how if would be a problem with the dog holes in the MDF getting unaligned with the top's, maybe those should be over-sized as well?

I am getting my top from Ikea as well, $39 is a steal


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## naterajj (Nov 19, 2009)

And by "those" I mean the dog holes in the MDF only.


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

Wood will move with humidity changes, MDF will not (it might swell in thickness). Think of wood as a bunch of straws bound together, because this is what the original tree used it for. These straws will fill with moisture and expand/contract. They will not grow in length. A rough distance is 1/8 inch per foot to be safe. This will only occur in width, not length.

So screw the top to the MDF with slightly oversized holes. You will need washers to keep the screws from digging into to MDF.

You very well might have to eventually re-drill the dog holes through the MDF. I would wait until it became a problem. Check the holes in the summer and the winter. If they don't line up, just spin a drill bit using the top as a guide. They should not be a problem after that.

Steve


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## griph0n (Mar 31, 2009)

Check out the ikea top bench here:
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/15875


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## naterajj (Nov 19, 2009)

Thanks everybody for their insight, I will definitely use the bolts in oversized holes route.


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