# bread board ends for "work bench"



## JayTay (Mar 4, 2014)

OK so im attempting to build a "saw bench on steriods". some thing like this: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/102857

im using 4×4s for the work top. they look like this:










now if i put a bread board ends on it will it cause problems because the top will grow radially? or is this just doomed for the beginning? also would a sliding dovetail be best or just look better than a dado cut one?

thanks for the help!


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

4X4s would certainly add mass. Would bench dogs and holdfasts need to be purpose built for such a thick benchtop?

I don't know if breadboarding this slab would keep it from cupping anyway as I suspect you are right about the radial nature of any expansion of the 4x's.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Well, you can't just glue them, but if you allow for movement
you can put them on if you want… they will conceal or
prevent end checking.


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## giser3546 (May 15, 2014)

Breadboards are a mystery to me. The are directly flying in the face of how to accommodate for woods tendency to expand and contract perpendicular to the grain direction. I'm sure they can be done correctly but the expansion has cause problems for some. With this being a workbench made from such beefy stock I would think the benefits of bread board ends wouldn't be needed. Love him or hate him the Wood Whisperer had a segment recently on wood movement and specific issues with bread boards. 
http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/does-wood-really-move/

I would suggest leaving off the bread board ends and just let it do what it will. With you keeping it dry I wouldn't think any issues you would have would be detrimental to the function of the bench, just how it looks.


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## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

> Breadboards are a mystery to me. The are directly flying in the face of how to accommodate for woods tendency to expand and contract perpendicular to the grain direction. I m sure they can be done correctly but the expansion has cause problems for some.
> 
> - giser3546


While I agree that it's probably not needed for a workbench, they do not contradict wood movement. The center peg is fixed/glued. The pegs outboard of that ride in slots rather than just matched holes to allow for movement, and it's not glued anywhere but the center.


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## giser3546 (May 15, 2014)

Sorry, I misspoke. I only mean to say that the concept seems counter intuitive to me. I know they can work and have for several people. I live in Alabama where 95% humidity is the norm and so is wood movement, so even if the bread board is glued only in the center the difference will be quite obvious on the edges.


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