Attaching Table Tops

[Joseph D'Orazio]

I've been looking at the kreg jig for a while now. I saw elsewhere where someone asked about attaching table tops to the aprons (is aprons right?) using this method. The overwhelming response has been no, its not a good idea for hardwood. It occured to me that I do not know the standard for attaching tabletops to the rest of the table.

I said all that to ask yall what method yall use.

[Rick Pettit]

Figure eight fasteners. Easy to install and allows for wood movement.

[Sean Hughto]

I typically use buttons I make out of small hardwood blocks. Here is a little diagram I did for something else. Hopefully that lower picture of the button system is worth, while maybe not a 1,000, perhaps a hundred words. ;)

[Lee Schierer]

You can use pocket holes, but if the table top is solid wood (not ply wood) then you have to slot the holes to allow for seasonal wood movement. I prefer to use cleats in slots.

[Mike McCann]

I use these from rockler. they are only 2 buck for 8 of them. You need to cut a slot int he apron or use a buiscit joiner to make the slot

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=784&filter=table%20top%20fastener

http://images.rockler.com/rockler/images/34215-01-500.jpg

[Matt Day]

I like the z-clips the best in my experience, better than figure 8's.

[Mike Barney Sr]

I have used Sean's button blocks and figure 8's. Both are excellent choices. When I glued up my tops, I made them a couple inches longer. After surfacing, ripping to width, and squaring one end, I crosscut a strip 1-1/4" long. I then cut to length my top. I cut a rabbet in the strip and sliced off my top fastening buttons and drilled them out. Saved a lot of time. When making the aprons I cut a dado on the inside along the length.

[Matt Meiser]

I use figure-8's.

I just bought a 100 pack from Woodworker's Hardware in fact because it was similar in cost to buying a few small packs from Rockler. $28+shipping for 100 of them. And they ship fast and cheap.

http://wwhardware.com/catalog.cfm?groupid=Fasteners%20%26%20Screws&catid=Fasteners&subcatid=Desktop%20Fasteners

[George Bregar]

Depends on the size of the top, but I often attach corner blocks on the flat to the aprons with pocket screws (Kreg jig) and then attach the top with screws through elongated holes in the corner blocks. Holds the top on great and also provides resistance to racking. Fast and easy.

[Don Jarvie]

Tommy Mac uses a cleat glued around the inside of the rail a 1/16th or so below the rail. Then he attaches the top through an elongated hole with a screw.

He told me that by using this method it will tighten the top down on the rail so there is no gap.

I used figure 8s on my last table but gluing the cleat is much easier and will work just as well.

[Joseph D'Orazio]

I thank each and every one of you for your responses. What I am seeing is that solid wood tops need to be able to move some. I've got some 4/4 rough red oak. I think I will plane and sand to ¾ and glue me a top up and make my first table. I have some nice red oak table legs that I got off of a table on the side of the road. The legs are nice. The rest of it was scrap and I didnt pick it up. I was not smart enough to look at the table fastening method then. Thanks again. Its going to be a simple table but I will do some pictures.

[Billy McCarthy]

What about workbenches? In the Roubo style they just use giant dovetails/mortise & tenon. I would think there's even more danger with a giant slab, or will glued up boards move more?