Oak countertop

[Bill Falkenbach]

I'm putting out this question for some advice. I'm about to begin construction on an oak countertop. It's about 11-1/2ft long, 25" wide and either 1" or 1-1/4" thick. I can get 6/4 oak from my supplier. My question is this. Should I rip pieces to 2-3" and then do a glue up or should I get the widest pieces I can and do a glue up with them? I know oak expands and contracts across the grain more that with the grain so I've alloted movement it the attaching cleats. Any comments or personal experiences would me most helpful.
Bill

[Arvin Brown]

Why not use veneer on stable plywood or MDF?

[Jim Becker]

Bill, you didn't say what kind of counter top and where it's going to be used, but that should be a consideration when choosing the species. Oak has very open pores and isn't the best choice if food preparation is going to be involved. If it's for utility use...go for it! (IMHO, of course, and you know how much you pay for all these opinions online...)

As to construction, most people will rip to the width that is what you want your initial thickness to be and then rotate the material so that the "cut" edges are now the top and bottom surface of the counter. Assemble a partial slab so you can thickness it even after the glue dries with your planer (or drum sander) and then assemble the partial slabs to the final width.

[Dino Makropoulos]

START WITH WHITE OAK RIFT AND QUARTERED. 5/4'' 6-8''MAX. :cool: