Solid slab for table top...

[Ruhi Arslan]

I came across a solid 6/4 22" wide slab of mahogany (two of them) which I could use one for a wall/hall table and the other for study desk/table. They are pretty flat right now but would they cup or split if I were to use them as is instead of splitting into strips and gluing again? What would be the fair bdft price for 6/4 22' slab?
Thanks.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi, if you take a single large board and rip it into strips and glue it up without changing the orientation of the strips, it will change dimension exactly as the solid piece would.

The method of cutting into strips is often used to take the cup out of a wide board because you re-work the edges to make the board flat. (Imagine taking a wooden barrel apart, jointing all the edges square and glueing it up as a flat board).

If your slab is flat enough, when acclimated to the environment you're going to put the furniture in, leave the board in one piece.

If it has a pronounced cup that makes it unusable in the final moisture content, rip it in half and reglue it, it will still look very good.

Rip it into a stack of strips and re-glue it and it will look like Wall Mart stuff.

I cut small mortises in the aprons of my tables, and use wood blocks with a tennon on them, screwed to the table top to hold the table top in place and let it expand and contract. These blocks hold the top relatively flat and secure, yet allow for seasonal movement.

The center blocks/mortise on the apron that goes across the grain is a tight fit, it keeps the top centered and secured so you can't feel any shift when moving the table.

The other blocks have longer tenons, partially engaged to allow for expansion across the grain.

Regards, Rod.

[John Thompson]

IF the slab is flat now it will likely stay that way. Would be a shame to rip a 22" wide mahogany slab into strips and re-glue. As far as staying flat in one piece.. there is a ton of evidence of using wide slabs which were readily available years ago in one piece and used frequently with no major problems.

Good luck...

[Chris Padilla]

If possible, place the slabs in the area they will live and wait a couple of weeks and see if they change at all if you are really concerned. Otherwise, I agree with Mr. Thompson above. :)