Joining two end to end slabs

[Charles Grauer]

I have two slabs cut from the same bigger slab. Friend brought them to me, to get them in his car he cut it in half. Has anyone ever rejoined them back together and it didn’t looked botched. Any comments or advice is welcome

my first reaction is putting an end grain to end grain splice will look just like that. It is for a coffee table top. I think I need a different plan.

[Rod Wolfy]

That's like gluing straws end to end. Even with dowels or domino's, it wouldn't look right.

If you look at a dining room table, the grain runs across, so you can put leaves in them. I guess you could put it together & put something under to support it, like metal rods, but your gonna see the cut line.

[Mel Fulks]

Sure, brush off all debris and see how they fit together. It might be that once glued , and planed ,all the roughness might be gone.
Do not tamper much with it before gluing. Glue and screw on a beefy brace on the bottom.

[Bill Dufour]

The other method is to admit it is two pieces and use a contrasting wood,tile, or stone at the splice.
Bill D.

[Brian Tymchak]

The other method is to admit it is two pieces and use a contrasting wood,tile, or stone at the splice.
Bill D.

Agreed. I'll bet that the cut is not all that clean or straight so by the time you get to end cuts that meet up well, enough stock will be lost so that there will be a grain mismatch. So, as Bill mentions, try to find a design that looks like it was the intention instead of being an obvious attempt to fix a mistake.

[Mel Fulks]

I’ve seen wood used that had big “wind shakes” and people liked it. Nature’s oddities are accepted, demand equal standing !
And trees have been admired for half obscuring horse shoes; I say totally obscuring horse shoes is the right way !

[Charles Grauer]

I think you are correct!

[Charles Grauer]

I think I will see what my son wants, but fitting the two pieces together as suggest isn*t the way to proceed.

they are live bark edge so turning the other way really isn’t an option either. Thanks everyone for helping me out of a dump idea. Charles

[Warren Lake]

use Ironwood then you can just weld them

[Mel Fulks]

This just in. . .. use some water to clean the wood and pop up the knocked over fibers. Cut out anything below the expected final surface
that is too smushed to to knit with the other piece.

[Carl Beckett]

I actually had good luck one time with some soft wood using a scarf joint. Just cut at a 45 and the angle overlap helps it blend quite well. You could try more shallow even.

[Prashun Patel]

I wouldn’t do it. Just me, but it’s something I would have considered a long time ago but would now regret. I would personally find the look forced. I would now accentuate the gap or make two smaller items with them.

[Kevin Jenness]

No way to hide it, may as well celebrate the story. Dovetail keys or multiple splines...how about concealed splines with an inlaid strip of sawblade at the joint?

[Mel Fulks]

Well…there are some guys walkin’ around with reattached arms and legs that think a fix is “good”. And think a Corvette with dent is better
than a perfect Pinto (Pintos were a type of car that smelled better than a real pinto) but had a lower top speed.

[Mel Fulks]

Ever looked closely at the Washington monument ? They started it with one type of stone and then switched to something else, and subtle
it aint. We live in an age that will accept ugliness ….as long as it has NO FLAWS !

[Mel Fulks]

One more…if you have a dining room table with “leaves” and you don’t want your guests to see those joints, just duct-tape across em’…
or buy a nice colorful tarp. Or….if you can afford it , a new 4 by 8 piece of plywood. Much stronger than “leaves” .

[Jim Becker]

The other method is to admit it is two pieces and use a contrasting wood,tile, or stone at the splice.
Bill D.
This is along the lines of what I was thinking...make the join a "feature".

[John TenEyck]

I think it would look fine if you celebrate the joint and don't try to hide it, as mentioned earlier. I'd loose tenon the pieces back together and then route a dado through the joint, however wide looks appealing, on both the top and sides, and inlay a contrasting wood.

John

[Carl Beckett]

Finger joint might look decent

[Mel Fulks]

“No Way to Hide It” “let’s make that nose even BIGGER!!…..and REDDER !” ( said by a failed plastic surgeon )

[Bill Dufour]

“No Way to Hide It” “let’s make that nose even BIGGER!!…..and REDDER !” ( said by a failed plastic surgeon )
Hey I like Rudolph!
Wonder if now we know why the invented racing stripes for cars.
Bill D

[Kevin Jenness]

Maybe two smaller tables...send the "friend" back with a truck to get the next slab from the log, and hide the saw this time.

[Keith Westfall]

If you can't make it perfect, make it obvious...

[Wes Grass]

If you can't make it perfect, make it obvious...


Yeah, I think a contrasting strip between the 2 would look great. Like it was planned so they could be transported. Maybe a narrow gap between both joints, for breadcrumbs to fall thru.

Was also thinking the divider could be deliberately taller than the slab surface as an accent, and not blended in at the edges. Make it a feature, not a fix.

[Rod Dilyard]

I had this very thing happen to me. A friend purchased some beautiful 10' lengths of quilted maple for a dining room table and had them sawn in half to transport. Our initial plan was to make 2 tables that could be placed together at the joint, but then I thought - why not try to join them back together? Worst case I'd have to cut them back apart and try something else. I cleaned up the joint with a router and used a spline to make the joint. The result was surprisingly good. You can see the joint if you are looking for it, but it certainly does not draw attention to itself.

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[Charles Grauer]

That is an option to consider. Thanks.

[Tom Bender]

How will the table be used? If normal use there will always be stuff covering most of it and your beautiful workmanship will be wasted anyway.

[Alan Lightstone]

Inif said...

[Rob Luter]

When I was in design school, it was recognized that there are a number of joints that will never be indistinguishable. Rather trying to hide them (which was futile), we would always design in some sort of "reveal" that looked good but said "meant to do that". The live edge aspect complicates things, but I might consider breadboards at both ends with a matching one centrally located.

[Rob Luter]

I had this very thing happen to me. A friend purchased some beautiful 10' lengths of quilted maple for a dining room table and had them sawn in half to transport. Our initial plan was to make 2 tables that could be placed together at the joint, but then I thought - why not try to join them back together? Worst case I'd have to cut them back apart and try something else. I cleaned up the joint with a router and used a spline to make the joint. The result was surprisingly good. You can see the joint if you are looking for it, but it certainly does not draw attention to itself.

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Very nice!..................

[Mel Fulks]

Rod, good sense and great job ! Thank you for providing the perfect needed example and encouragement.

[Carl Beckett]

I had this very thing happen to me. A friend purchased some beautiful 10' lengths of quilted maple for a dining room table and had them sawn in half to transport. Our initial plan was to make 2 tables that could be placed together at the joint, but then I thought - why not try to join them back together? Worst case I'd have to cut them back apart and try something else. I cleaned up the joint with a router and used a spline to make the joint. The result was surprisingly good. You can see the joint if you are looking for it, but it certainly does not draw attention to itself.

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In fact, I am looking for it and can not see the joint. Do you have any closeups of the joint?

[Bill Dufour]

I have seen concrete work where they inlay a brass strip at the control joints.
Bill D

[Rod Dilyard]

I have asked the client to send a couple of closeups of the joint - I'll post them as soon as he responds.

[Keegan Shields]

Scarf joint and epoxy maybe?

[Patrick Kane]

I did this on a panel for the top of a dresser, and i dont think it looks bad at all. Maybe later i will go clean off the top of this nightstand that my wife has a bunch of jewelry cabinets on, and take a photo for the group to decide. This was one piece of walnut crotch that was 17-18" wide and 36-38" long. The top of the dresser is 17-18" wide and 60"+/- long. I resawed this board and glued it end to end. Honestly, it looks like a bookmatch. Under scrutiny you can identify the glueline, but the grain lines up incredibly well. Now, that is a resaw where i lost 1/16"+/- of wood waste between the two pieces. With your slabs, you might lose 1/4"-1/2" between the two slabs, which means you might not have such a clean grain match.

[Mel Fulks]

Patrick, I guess you would have voted to keep that 2000 year plus ,old sculpture called the Laocoon . EVEN THOUGH it was about 500 years
old when found in the 16th century and missing some pieces !! Us junkers will keep and use a lot of discards !

[Dan Hahr]

Why don't you try to glue it back together? Worst case scenario, you have to cut it again on the glue line and lose maybe only 1/16 th of an inch from both pieces. Unless the two pieces warped badly, I'll bet that once glued and planed, the seam will be very hard to see.

Dan

[Randy Heinemann]

I agree that a design that uses dovetail or some other shape keys is the best solution. It's very unlikely you can hide a joint where 2 boards are joined end to end. Using a Domino joint would certainly be strong enough but I doubt the joint would be hidden. It would look like what it is; an attempt to joint 2 boards that were cut apart. Depending on length of the table (and purpose) and the overall length of both pieces, you could possibly do a "waterfall" design. Search on YouTube for possible designs.

[Rod Dilyard]

Here's some pictures of the joint in the table pictured above.

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[Carl Beckett]

That is awesome Rod. Beautiful wood and finish and a remarkable job put two pieces back together end to end!

[Mel Fulks]

Rod, thanks for posting that. Just the right pic ! Beautiful table ,love that solid wood “fringe” along the sides. Dog-gone good glue-up!

[William Hodge]

This sounds like a practical application of a can't beat 'em join 'em epoxy river situation. Adding some curves, similar to an actual river, could add some visual and historical appeal. I would pick an oft mentioned river and replicate it, like the Rubicon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_the_Rubicon

[Rod Dilyard]

Thanks for the kind words. Most importantly, the client (and especially his wife) were very happy with the results. The figure in the wood is very pronounced and the 3D effect in certain light is amazing. It just begs you to touch it to make sure it's just an illusion. Hopefully, the OP will be able to get good results, too.

[Bruce Mack]

Well…there are some guys walkin’ around with reattached arms and legs that think a fix is “good”. And think a Corvette with dent is better
than a perfect Pinto (Pintos were a type of car that smelled better than a real pinto) but had a lower top speed.
When we moved to PA. in 1988 we did not have much money. My wife drove a Pinto the color of the interior of VA hospitals. When I used it, sometimes I rocked forward to urge it up hills

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ford_Pinto_(1910839183).jpg

[Prashun Patel]

That is impeccable. Wow.

[Doug Garson]

Count me as a former member of the camp that say's it's a mistake to try and make a butt joint disappear. Well done, beautiful table.