Joining two end to end slabs

[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.

Attachment 471309

Attachment 471310

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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.

Table Joint 1.jpg

Table Joint 2.jpg

[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/F...910839183).jpg