# When making a table top should I........



## rvicelli (Jan 12, 2011)

I am in need of a little advice. I am building a kitchen table 38×60 with 1 12" leaf. The top is hard maple with a finished thickness of 1 1/8" and the boards run the length of the table and each board will be about 5 7/16 wide. So when getting ready for glue up should I glue them up at full length cut the pieces using a circular saw followed by a trimming up on the table saw OR cut each piece slightly oversize, number their location and glue up?
Just thinking about handling the weight of the full size top to cut it in half and cut the leaf out can be very daunting.


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## Bobmedic (Sep 24, 2010)

I would glue them up full length then cut out the center leaf and trim the ends to final length. You can do it all with a good circular saw and a straight edge.


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## Nomad62 (Apr 20, 2010)

I agree with Bob, glue it as 1 big piece then slice to make the leaf. It may be a stretch, but if you cut them they may move a bit whereas a glued edge will tend to hold them in place if stress is there.


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## Mosquito (Feb 15, 2012)

Another vote for glue then cut, you'll get a perfect fit that way too


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

I agree with the others. Glue it up then cut it. 
Sounds like a nice project, can you give us some progress photos as you work on it? I'm contemplating my next project being a dining room table.


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## rvicelli (Jan 12, 2011)

Makes sense, Glue up then cut. Thank you for the help. Here are some photos of what I have done so far. I will take more photos from this point forward.
Started with Gluing up blocks for the legs, After realizing I could not taper them on my jointer I had to whip up a taper jig. Found some Ideas I like and combined what I liked for this jig - Worked well.









Then got this results









Then made up the aprons and using the Jessem Doweling jig 









then a dry fit









More to come…..


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## tenontim (Feb 24, 2008)

Rob, if I might make a suggestion. You should make some diagonal braces, that go from on apron to the other, for the corners. Glue and screw them to the aprons. Make a flat area at the top of each leg for the brace to mate with, and put a lag screw through the brace into the leg. I think the dowel joints are going to give you grief later, if you don't strengthen the up, since there is no other support for the legs. Photo below is larger, rougher, version of what I'm talking about.


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## rvicelli (Jan 12, 2011)

TenonTim: Thanks for the tip, I neglected to say that I have some metal ones I purchase from Rockler that are not installed yet, Though I like the idea of the wood ones- Thought I would put them in when the top was drying.


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