?'s on gluing up old oak boards.

[Neville Stewart]

My wife wants me to construct a counter top for a kitchen island at 94" x 54". The cabinets are already in and all I will do is rip (perhaps), joint, sand, fill etc. I got some really cool white oak , most of the boards are 170" x 16" x 2" and over 100 years old. We are almost finished building our barn/housewith exposed timber frame so she wants a bit of a rustic look. I'm wondering if I should drill & use all thread to keep the boards together or will their age & size mean they won't move much. I plan on using Walnut oil as a "finish" as it will be used as a cutting board/counter. Any suggestions would be welcome. A few pics of boards are included - apparently they come from a Kentucky tobacco barn floor. Neville

[Dan Oliphant]

As you suggested, the lumber isn't going to expand or contract as "new" lumber would, but the old white oak will still expand and contract as its moisture content changes.
The larger issue will be the method employed to joint your material. 94 inches is quite long for all but a few jointers. If your table saw is well tuned and the blade (rip) is sharp, then along with feather boards, and a long outfeed table, that may be the best option.

[Steve Schoene]

The all thread is not a good idea. The wood will expand and contract with the seasons, and you need to let it. If the threaded rod were tight with the wood dry, the expansion will still occur, but the wood will be crushed under the nuts. Then when the wood dries the rod will be loose, etc. You just need to anchor the top to the cabinets so that it can move--ie. fix the rear firmly in place and let it float in and out on the front, or if free standing, anchor the center and let it expand on both sides.

This expansion/contraction won't endanger the edge joining of the boards.