Attaching a Table Top

[Brandon Weiss]

Your preferred method for attaching a table top to the legs and apron? I'm making a coffee table for our house. I am looking at different options for attaching the top that will be solid yet leave room for movement of the top if necessary.

[Jay Allen]

I generally prefer "figure 8" fasteners or "table top" fasteners for this.
The figure 8s use a screw into both pieces, both of which can pivot to allow for movement. Metal table top fasteners are a type of z-clip that fits into a groove on the apron and it screwed to the top. Or you can make your own from wood.

Figure 8 (http://www.leevalley.com/us/hardware/page.aspx?c=&p=50311&cat=3,41306,41312)

Steel table top fasteners (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=784)

Shop-made (http://americanwoodworker.com/blogs/techniques/archive/2009/02/25/elegant-table-top-fasteners.aspx)

Shop-made w/buscuit jointer (http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/etip030425ws.html) Personally, I would modify this method. I think I would still cut a groove in the entire length of the aprons as with the steel type fasteners, and not glue the biscuits into the apron. You could glue them into the blocks and not worry about drilling the over-sized holes. Then the movement would happen in the groove.

[Bob Carreiro]

How do either Fig 8 or Z SLot fasteners allow movement of the long grain edges of the top? I can see how they allow movement sideways, but directly into the apron or away from the apron? Can't see it.

I've used a shop made version of the Z Slot, but along the long grain edges, I don't push them all the way into the slots to allow for movement into & out of the slot. This continues to puzzle me. So what's up with this?

thx,
Bob

[Joe Chritz]

If you are referring to movement along the length of the grain you don't need to account for movement in that direction generally. Shrinkage from green to oven dry is something like 0.1% in the longitudinal direction. Much less for seasonal humidity changes.

Joe

[Peter Quinn]

I glue a cleat to the interior of the apron, I put screw slots in said cleat with a router bit, I screw it down. The cleats are on the aprons perpendicular to the tops grain. Gravity does the rest.

[Stephen Cherry]

Kreg jig and screws, normal hole for the middle scres, elongated holes for the outsice screws.

Cheap, easy, and works.

[Bob Carreiro]

I love pocket hole joinnery too, but how do ya makke the pocket nhole elongated with the Kreg Jig?

[Jay Allen]

I love pocket hole joinnery too, but how do ya makke the pocket nhole elongated with the Kreg Jig?


You can't, I would assume that he is drilling out the pilot hole by hand afterward.
Personally I wouldn't trust it to be enough, but it depends upon where you live. Some parts of the country don't have the humidity swings that others get. Guys in the arid parts of the south-west wouldn't belive what humidity in the upper 90% range can do.

[Rich Neighbarger]

I don't care for the Z's (Shop built or paid for), but do like the 8's. They are easy to install, easy to store, and take the punishment of every day life.

[Stephen Cherry]

I love pocket hole joinnery too, but how do ya makke the pocket nhole elongated with the Kreg Jig?

After I drill the hole, I take the bit out of the jig and just force it sideways in the already drilled hole. I live in Maryland (we know about humidity) and have built a bunch of tables like this with no problems.

I guess you could also move the jig and reclamp.

Also, I have seen pictures of old tables where it looks like a gouge is used to carve a pocket, then a screw is used.

[Stephen Cherry]

http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/WebZ/FETCH?sessionid=01-48814-9233575&recno=103&resultset=2&format=F&next=html/nffull.html&bad=error/badfetch.html&&entitytoprecno=103&entitycurrecno=103&entityreturnTo=brief


http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/WebZ/FETCH?sessionid=01-48814-9233575&recno=111&resultset=2&format=F&next=html/nffull.html&bad=error/badfetch.html&&entitytoprecno=111&entitycurrecno=111&entityreturnTo=brief

[Jay Allen]

Links don't work^^^

[Jerry Balzell]

I use the method, that Jay has linked "shop made". Made from scraps you have left over. Effective & easy.

Jerry

[Kevin Womer]

I used the "z" clips several years ago on a table and a coffee table. I glued the aprons to the legs on the table project and forgot to cut slots for the clips, so I figured I could use a biscuit joiner to cut slots in the aprons and attached the top with the "z" clips, works well. Solves the expansion problem and those times when I screw up a project.

[Mike Green]

Another vote for Z clips. Cheap, available anywhere and easy to install.

[Lee Bidwell]

Shop made. Fully seated into the dado on the table's ends:
162660
And not seated all the way into the dado on the table's front and back to allow for cross - grain expansion of the top:
162661


Lee

[David Hostetler]

2 methods I have used that I like pretty well...

#1. Rockler (or other vendors have them) steel table top fasteners, they screw to the table top, and ride in a dado in the apron. They are cheap, easy, and secure.
#2. Pocket screws. Cheap, easy, and FAST.

[ken gibbs]

Nobody mentined sheetmetal screws with the builtin flanges. I have found using short # 8 and # 10 sheetmetal screws installed into extended slots allows side to side wood expansion without comprimising quality. These screws are easy to install. The installation slots used to take the screws can be drilled with a 1/4" bit and the flanges on the screws are wide enough to allow the wood to move.