trestle table question

[charles mathieu]

This will be my next project and I was curious on how should I fix the top to the trestles ? I am used to tabletop buttons but I don't think it's applicable to this design. Any ideas ?

As for the trestles, am I gonna lose lots of strenght by doweling the top of the frame to the vertical beams ? All the rest will be mortise and tenons but I figured it might be easier to dowel that part.

[Bill Carey]

Hey Charles - the last trestle table I made I routed slots in the top supports and used screws to attach the top.
20191022_085112.jpg20191022_085021.jpg

As for attaching the top supports to the frame, I used loose tenons, but just as easily could have screwed them to the legs / frame. That will be a very nice table. What kind of wood are you using?

[charles mathieu]

makes perfect sense. All right thanks for the input.

[William Fretwell]

Charles that is a very awkward joint, given the wood movement of the table top. Screws in slots are simple. If the top stretcher is thick you can recess the screws and washers so they are not readily visible. For small scale tables the screws may be sufficient, however for large tables like the one in the picture you need a lot of strength. A sliding dovetail has a huge area compared to a screw. Another approach is just have the top sit on the top stretcher on pegs so it can lift off easily, for very large heavy tables this may work well.
As for dowels for the top stretcher, if yours angle in as in the picture I doubt it will matter in the short term. Dowels do come loose in the long haul due to wood movement, both seasonal and physical. If the grain of the dowel is parallel to the grain it is in they work far better. In your case they work well in the vertical but will fail in the top stretcher with time. They are hard to repair compared to re-wedging a tenon.
Think about the proportions of the table and joint size, think about the work overall. Even large table tops are simple to make, the work is in the legs, stretchers and joints. To compromise the build by shortcutting one set of joints would bother me everytime I sat at the table, but that is just me!

[Dan Hahr]

If you can manage it, a tapered sliding dovetail, male on the stretcher assembly and female in the top, would work well and provide a hidden element of craftsmanship. Made almost as wide as the cross pieces, I think it would be very strong.

Dan