I'm making a table (you can see my previous post), the top of which will be plywood bordered with solid oak. Now, plywood does not expand or contract, but oak will. The table is 40" long -- If I attach a solid oak border (the border will be a 3/4"x3.5"x40", where the 3/4" side is facing upwards and is flush with the plywood). What's the best way to attach the border such that I minimize cracking and warping?
Thanks
John
Biscuits, pocket screws, splines, even glue alone should be fine.
Wood doesn't move much in the directions you're worried about.
Barry
I use biscuits and never account for wood movement. I'v e never had a problem with it myself. I've done this with mitered and butted joints at the corners and with 1/4" to 3" wide edge bands. Basicially, to get the hard edge to stay snugged up to the ply edge I've always had the glue the whole length.
Also, just an FYI it's typically called "edging" or "banding" vs border.
BW
As long as you're wrapping it with long grain, you've got almost no movement in the wood. Which is why you can use almost any method you care to fix it to the edge.
I'd put a strip of extra secondary wood underneath the top and glued to the oak to make it mechanically stronger, and less likely to crack what is a weak glue joint (half or more is end grain) if it receives a sharp crack to the bottom of that 3.5" underhang.
wood expansion is almost wholly -across- the grain, not lengthwise.
shouldn't be a problem for you
Mike Patterson Please remove the spamtrap to email me. "I always wanted to be somebody...I should have been more specific..." - Lily Tomlin
Like everyone said...glue it up and don't worry about it. I've done a lot of edge banding/gluing with oak over ply and have never had an expansion problem.
Lou
I'm not expert like the other, but I join them saying there is no problem.
My computer desk top is oak plywood with solid oak edging (1"x3/4" )and is 20" by 49-1/2". I made it for my Commodore
64, to give you an idea of the age and show no separation. The edging was applied by cutting 1/4" dadoes in the solid oak banding and the oak plywood and they were joined by a 1/4" spline glued with carpenters glue.I'm not the expert here but I have never had a edging crack or split
I have used banding for 50 years making my own by sawing veneer off of plywood in the beginning and have had no problem with it. The desk in front of me is edged similar to below, the printer stand beside it is banded with thermal bonding backing.
Walt Conner
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