How to make tabletop with strips from different timber species?

[alfredx]

Hi Community,

I am thinking to make a tabletop for a side table of rough size 36cmX45cm, with timber strips of 40mmX40mm from Tas Oak and Spotted Gum, (or Blackbutt), so that it looks better with contrasting colours. I have heard people saying it is bad idea to glue different timbers together which will later cause problems when timber expands and contracts while different timber have different rates in these movements. I have also heard that using special glue like Polyurethane wood glue or Gorila wood glue can reduce the impact of different rates of contraction. So I wanted to seek advice from community to see how similar situations are really going in real life experience, is my idea a dumb idea, or worth giving it a try?

Thanks,

Alfred

[alfredx]

Thanks @Dave-1 for writing up and presents the picture. Ok, so the second layer and outermost layer of timber boards are the bread, the U shaped metal is the meet and cheese in a sandwich, is my understanding correct?

I have few questions on this approach:

1. In my sketch/design of the table, the outermost layer is the the outermost strip of the tabletop and the table leg (which is the outermost layer of the tableside), the second layer of the tabletop is a solid strip, but the second layer of the tableside is not a full solid strip, it is checkers with gaps, meaning the upsidedown U shape or L shape metal will have one section of it being short because I am thinking it can't extend further than the top checker block from tableside but closest to tabletop. It will be shorter than indicated in the picture you drew.

2. After the U shape metal is screwed with the second layer, we glue the outermost layer with the metal so that the U shape metal becomes the middle layer surrounded by two layers of timber. This will become glue joining timber and metal, not glue joining timber and timber, that would require a different and special kind of glue?

3. With metal in the middle, would it present difficulty when sanding the surfaces such as the top side of tabletop?

Regards,

Alfred

[Dave-1]

Good Morning @alfredx 

  So lets go through the points (brain is foggy as its 12:40am lol)

1) I will draw up a nicer sketch tomorrow to see if I can show and spot what you mean (I think I know where we are crossing paths. What I see and what you want are a little different)

2) Yes you are correct and I hadnt thought of that

3) I dont think it would be particulary hard, I was thinking aluminium for the re-enforcement upside down U but its a fair point.

Will have a think about it later this morning over a coffee

Dave

[Dave-1]

Morning @alfredx 

Sorry I didnt end up sketching Was lazy plus painting some bookcases i am retro fitting

Here is the sketch.

So the solution came to me with the issue of the offset footing and the metal U while I was sketching it out. One reason I love sketches is it makes you think of how it should be and you build up on that. The last "stepped" block will have a shiny surface on one side is all. You will be able to see it all the way up the edge where the missing block would be.  It depends if you want to see the silver. or maybe go for a black material?

So instead of putting the U between the 1st and 2nd board, how about put it between the 2nd and third board. That way the missing square wont be missing at the bottom of the leg. It will be one block back. The countersunk holes are still alligned with the blocks and the short countersunk screws will be hidden.

With the small sketch on the right It shows how the timber would look with the aluminium sandwiched between the two timbers at least for the rung that is against the U. You could have the U anywhere within the width of the timbers, Id prefer two but one would work as well. Its just a hidden bracket afterall.

Dave

[alfredx]

Many thanks @Dave-1 for the sketching, it becomes much clearer now. Have to say this is a pretty new way of thinking I would not have thought of. Although I feel like not huge need to apply to my small side table where it is not intended to heavy duty, I think it is worth doing for something else that required to support heavy workload. I feel it is fascinating to ponder over design of things, balancing robustness, aesthetics, usefulness, and cost etc. and it is pretty hard. This is just like the software industry I am from.

Regards/Alfred

[Dave-1]

Morning @alfredx 

You have pretty much hit the nail on the head. Everytime I have thought "yeah I am competent" in a new field I have enough knowledge then to realise the "world" that is on the other side! I am kind of glad we nevr stop learning, imagine how boring life would become.

You know the table better then anyone, thats the point of this forum. Its you who are building it, modifying the design to suit your purposes Cant wait to see the table down the track and the story for it. Please take a bunch of photos as you go and tehn if you want put it into a project. I think it will look prettty stylish when you finish it.

Dave