Last summer I built a trestle style table using some reclaimed Angelique for the base frame and some wide Mahogany for the top. Traditional bread board ends were tenoned to the main table top surface glued with walnut dowels added as fasteners. The three tenons were drilled and then the out side two holes were elongated so when the top moved it wouldn't split the wood. When elongating the holes I made a guess at how much the top surfaces width would fluctuate; seems my estimate was pretty accurate and thank goodness for that.
This shot was taken two days ago...
From last summers humidity to this winters dry stale air, the top shrank almost a full 1/4". This may surprise some people to see just how much solid wooden furniture can expand and contract. If all is right in the world the top surface will swell back to it's original size come the spring/summer and the breadboard ends will hold everything flat and true as they were designed...Stay tuned.Cheers!
Nice job estimating the fluctuation of the wood between seasons - I bet a lot of people will be surprised to see that much movement. Looking forward to an update :)
ReplyDeleteI built a shaker trestle table 2 years ago... which after 6 months the breadboards overhung by 4-6mm. Quite impressive. Structurally still sound, my biggest problem was not waiting long enough to use my air dried timber.
ReplyDeleteGreat work done here.This may surprise some people to see just how much solid wooden furniture can expand and contract.
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