Tips on making a butcher block top (edge-glueing)

[chris call]

First time poster, long time lurker,


I have a few questions on some best practices for butcher block edge glue-ups. I have attached two pictures: One of the broad view of my glue-up and one of the main problem I am having. First off, the task is gluing up sections of ripped soft maple that will eventually form a large computer desk top for my wife. After ripping the strips, we are also cross-cutting them and randomly sorting them to appear pleasing to the eye (most tutorials on the subject online showcase long solid strips with no seams in the middle of each strip. We WANT seams in our top.)


The problem comes in with these random cross cuts. We are using pocket holes (and butt joints) to join these pieces together so it is easier to glue the long strips together without worrying about clamping from end to end or the pieces sliding apart. There is only room for one pocket screw on each strip (I'm removing the screws after the glue all dries up, anyway) but there has been more than one joint where the screws have not pulled everything together tight enough and there is a small gap in the middle of our table. I know it's not ideal but it's too late and we're just chalking this eyesore up to this being our first lamination glue-up of this sort... I'll fill the void with epoxy. Also, after gluing up the first section, I realized the pieces had a bow in them where the edges (pocket holes) held things together, that I didn't notice during clamping. I was too busy worrying about biscuits and side to side clamping pressure (alternating clamps above and below the work piece) and didn't notice the bow. Guess the single pocket screw did nothing to keep the pieces true or flat (learning experience).


How do we deal with this problem for the rest of the pieces? Could I use a finger joint on the end-grain pieces instead of pocket holes? Will that help to also keep things flat and straight during glue-up? Also, a related question: I made these strips smaller so that they would fit through my power planer. I don't own any hand planes. What would be a good first purchase in the hand plane market to help flatten (join) this top, as all of the glued pieces are just a touch off and could use some love before running through the power planer? A jack plane? Jointer?


Thanks in advance for any help on the subject!


Chris

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi, I just glue those up without any mechanical alignment methods.

For the end to end joints, pull those together with a long clamp as you are applying clamps to the strips in the other direction.

Generally that works out much better for me.

A jack or a scrup plane at an angle to the top, followed by a jointer plane should do it.

Remember to check for twist and thickness as you plane...........Rod.

[chris call]

Thanks for the reply, Rod!
I was hoping that would not be the end al answer but was kind of expecting it. Seeing as these are 7 foot pieces, I don't have the clamps to do that. I use all of my clamps just to get these glued up. The thought of joining 4 foot clamps face to face to squeeze each of these pieces together also seems daunting.

However, I had considered glueing all of my long rows end to end first (more time to ensure they remain flat while glueing them) and then doing my 3 long strip glue-ups together with 3 long solid end-glued strips. (Hope that makes sense) but for time's sake, was hoping that would be my last option.

Again, I appreciate your response and will definitely keep it in mind going forward (maybe even update the thread as I move on with the project, as well). Thanks for the recommendation on the low angle jack and jointer, as well!

Chris

[Pat Barry]

You could do the finger joint but its a lot of work and in the end, for your application, I don't think its a lot better so I agree with Rod. but If you can make the first and last strips of the entire table top from a single board I think it would be best. I think the problem with the pocket screw is that you are driving into end grain and that's not the optimum. By the way did you use the coarse or fine pitch screws?

[chris call]

That's a great question, Pat!
I believe I used course thread. I only have one type of longer screw for 1.5" thick wood. I'll have to at least try the fine pitch and see if they do better. If not maybe the glueing of each strip one at a time will be best before glueing them all up in the block. Unfortunately all of my wood is 6 foot and the table top is 7 foot so I will have a joint on the outside pieces. But I agree with you that I would have wanted that if I had the ability to make it happen.

Thanks for your input!

[Ricky Rater]

Chris,

I built a walnut desk using the same design concept for the top. We wanted the top to look like a wood floor (and my jointer/planer options were limited).

To create the long boards with seams, I used dowels for alignment (I have a Dowelmax). Then I built a clamping jig to apply the lengthwise clamping pressure. To keep the boards from bowing, I screwed down scrap wood at intervals and applied clamping pressure.

After gluing up several long franken-boards, I glued them together to get the required width. After that I sawed off the ends to get square corners. Some sanding, planing, scraping and finishing followed, of course. Not much, though... the dowels helped a lot with alignment on such a big (for me) project.

FYI - to make sure the seams were a good "random" pattern and to make sure I liked the grain patterns, I laid everything out before hand on my shop floor.

It's been a while since I've been on the forum... hopefully I remembered how to upload pictures.

Ricky

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[chris call]

You uploaded them perfectly!

Thanks for the great tip I think I may adapt your MDF clamping system there to glue the ends a bunch at a time and then assembly line the process to glue them all together. That will definitely help with my lack of clamps and using the stock on top to ensure it stays flat is a brilliant design for the jig, in y opinion. And I agree and am already laying the boards our as I go similar to you laying them all out on the shop floor to ensure we like the look and that seams look random.

Thanks again! Great idea.

[Andrew Kertesz]

You can use 3/4" pipe clamps for the end to end clamping issues then you can have them the length you need/want.

[chris call]

Agreed. And I only had 2 4 footers but I screwed a couple on them and made one 8 footer. I need to invest in some more pipe and a few more clamp heads. Can't have enough they say...

Thanks for your input!

[Earl McLain]

If you had to, working on the bottom side you could screw a cleat a few inches from the end of each board and pull them together with a short clamp. Remove the cleats when the glue is dry. Not sure how easy that would be to keep a flat top...

earl

[Ole Anderson]

I was going to say use pipe clamps for the end to end work by some of you beat me to it. I have a 3/4" pipe clamp, but mostly 1/2" clamps which are more than enough for most projects. A 1/2" pipe clamp will clamp tighter than a Bessy K style clamp. I keep some bare long and short pipes handy as they are easier to store than the full pipe clamps. Plus I don't use them that often.

[Brian Holcombe]

You could half-lap the boards that are joining end to end first.

[Arek Kosinski]

Ricky
This is ingenious and I appreciate you sharing this great idea. I will try that, it seems like it will work perfectly, much appreciated.
Arek