Wood movement question..

[Jim Hinze]

I'm building a dresser and armoir. The carcass will be white oak ply and I'd like to make the top solid white oak. What are my best options for attaching the solid top to the carcass with movement in mind? My initial thoughts are either biscuits or figure 8's...

Thanks in advance!

[Steve Clardy]

Figure 8's

[Andrew Ault]

Jim,

I don't know if it is the best but I'm just finishing up a white oak bed table with a solid top. I made a four-sided frame that is glued to the body of the dresser (with the frame members running in the same direction as the carcass). I attached the solid top with glue and biscuits to the front edge of the frame and have four slots with screws that secure the rest of the top to the frame.

- Andy

[Jim Becker]

What Andy proposes is along the same lines as what I would recommend. Your carcass sides will not move front to back like the top will, (assuming you build the top with the grain running the width of the dresser which would be most common) so you are correct in being concerned about movement. There are quite a few ways to physcially accomplish the task, but again and in general, Andy's illustration of fastening the top "fast" at the front and allowing for movement towards the back is what I would do.

[Steve Wargo]

I've not ever been a fan of figure 8's for heavy furniture. Just not certain that mechanically they are strong enough. I usually elongate pocket holes all around and attach the top. Thought being if it ever needs to be touched up or refinished it can be removed easily and worked on without removing the whole piece. Just my $.02

[Jim Hinze]

Thanks guys your always incredibly helpfull...,

So realistically, I can hard fasten to the front OR back with biscuits and use figure 8's (or pocket screws with expanded hole..sloted?) on the sides for movement and leave the opposit (front or back) free floating.

[Andrew Ault]

Jim,

If you decide to use screws in slots, I don't know of a way to do it with pocket screws. If possible on your project, you might glue slotted blocks under the top and drive screws up through the slots and into the top. On mine, I am using screws with washers to allow seasonal movement.

Also, the figure eights would work. The front edge could be glued and the rest secured with the figure eights.

- Andy

[Steve Wargo]

I cut my pocket holes by hand and just use a plunge router with a guide to drill and elongate the holes with an 1/8" spiral bit. A nice 8 sweep gouge works well to cut the holes. You can make triangular pocket holes with a chisel as well. I'm not talking Kreg Jig here.

[Andrew Ault]

Steve,

I missed your other post. I understand now.

- Andy

[lou sansone]

For what it is worth, some of the newport pieces ( townsend and goddard ) fastened the front of the top to the front of the dresser and had sliding double dovetails that held the back. looks like a nice solution but sort of difficult to do and you never get any extra credit for it because no one ever sees it.

another way was to simply have running dovtails all along the top that slide onto the sides of the carcase.


lou

[Dennis Peacock]

I use the "Z" fasteners and they hold really well. Slip one end of the Z to the slot cut by a biscuit joiner or tablesaw blade along the sides, front and back, and then screw the Z fastener to the underside of the top. In the summer months, I put the Z's up tight against the "skirt" of the carcase and in the winter months, I leave the Z's shy of the bottom of the biscuit slot so when the top expands in the summer months, it has room to expand. Red and White Oak are the two woods that I've found that move the most due to seasonal movement. Just my experiences and what I've done.