What do you call this?

[Charlie Kocourek]

I am in the final stages of completing my workbench plans. The plans will show a solid wood workbench top that is attached to the legs with small wooden "clips" similar to those you would use to attach a table top. These hold the top securely in place, but still allow for wood movement. I have heard them referred to as "buttons" and I have also heard them referred to as "table clamps". My question is what do YOU call these?

Thanks, Charlie

[Mitchell Andrus]

Maybe a cleat.

[glenn bradley]

The metal ones are called 'table top mounting clamps' by those who sell them if that helps.

[Michael Schwartz]

Above posts are correct.

Traditionally called a tabletop button in a few books I have read, the tongue fits into a grove milled into a table apron, top of a web frame, side of a case piece etc... and then gets screwed to a table top to allow for wood movement.

Make sure to position them to allow for the wood to expand in terms of width. perpendicular to the grain.

Make sure not to glue the tongue into the grove since they need to float to do there job.

[Chip Lindley]

Quick search of old FWW articles, refers to them as *buttons*. *Cleat* is designated as a long strip which spans beneath several narrow boards of a glued-up panel to keep it flat.

[Stephen Edwards]

I've used similar blocks of wood, minus the rabbet, that screws into both the inside of the table apron and to the underside of the table top. When I use them I don't use glue (as someone already mentioned) and I make sure that the holes for the screws are considerably larger than the diameter of the screw. My preferred method is to use a round head screw with a washer, which allows for an even larger hole in the mounting block/button, whatever one calls it.