# Forgot to elongate holes for pins in breadboard end



## Greenlaker (Mar 20, 2018)

Hi All,

I'm building a dining table.

48" wide
Quartersawn Oak (top is just under 1" thick)
Dry I think
Now in garage, temp 66, humidity 30
We're in Wisconsin, kitchen summer probably around 75 degrees and 55 humidity?

Yesterday I attached one of the breadboard ends and forgot to elongate the dowel holes through the tenons. (I used 3/8" oak dowel pins, 5 of them). Also, my breadboard is non-standard. It is really a skirt and breadboard in one (so it is 1.25" horizontal x 5.25" high (thick if you will)). I can try to send/post pictures if needed-this is my first post so please forgive any errors/omissions/style faux pas I might be making.

It would be a lot of work to cut the breadboard end off and re-do, and, I'm already a couple inches shorter than wife wants table in the first place.

Am I crazy to leave it as is and "give it a try"?

Thanks so much, in advance, for any advice!

Greenlaker


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

If you didn't use any glue, you could try and drill out the dowels with a slightly undersized bit, disassemble, and elongate the holes where needed.

So the BB end spans 48"?

The shrinkulator shows about 3/8" of an inch expansion which probably would cause some cracking.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

+1 for drilling out the dowels, if possible.

Quarter sawn will move less than flat sawn, but you would probably still run into problems on a top that wide.


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## gargey (Apr 11, 2016)

You'll be fine as is if you're OK with it exploding later on.


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## Greenlaker (Mar 20, 2018)

Yes, span is about 48" (about 46" actually)

Unfortunately, I did glue the center 6" or so-so I don't think drilling out the pins will help as I don't think the BB will come off…..



> If you didn t use any glue, you could try and drill out the dowels with a slightly undersized bit, disassemble, and elongate the holes where needed.
> 
> So the BB end spans 48"?
> 
> ...





> If you didn t use any glue, you could try and drill out the dowels with a slightly undersized bit, disassemble, and elongate the holes where needed.
> 
> So the BB end spans 48"?
> 
> ...


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

Ok, so it is attached. You can still drill out the dowels where there is no glue to relieve any stress from wood movement. If the center glue area keeps the BB end satisfactorally tight to the table top, replace the dowels with short stubs (that don't touch the internal tenon) and call it a day.

If the BB end bows away, you can add long screws that penetrate the end grain of the tabletop. Drill a pilot hole the full depth, then wallow out the hole through the BB by drilling a hole to each side of the pilot hole (clean out with a narrow chisel). The head of the screw needs to be recesses into the BB by enough so you can hide the wallowed out hole with a square plug (all typical of Greene & Greene BB top construction).


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## Greenlaker (Mar 20, 2018)

WOW, what a fantastic idea…...THANKS THANKS THANKS



> Ok, so it is attached. You can still drill out the dowels where there is no glue to relieve any stress from wood movement. If the center glue area keeps the BB end satisfactorally tight to the table top, replace the dowels with short stubs (that don t touch the internal tenon) and call it a day.
> 
> If the BB end bows away, you can add long screws that penetrate the end grain of the tabletop. Drill a pilot hole the full depth, then wallow out the hole through the BB by drilling a hole to each side of the pilot hole (clean out with a narrow chisel). The head of the screw needs to be recesses into the BB by enough so you can hide the wallowed out hole with a square plug (all typical of Greene & Greene BB top construction).
> 
> - splintergroup


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## Greenlaker (Mar 20, 2018)

Thanks to gargey and JayT too!


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