How to fix the gaps in this wood panel?

[Jen_Andrew]

A friend gave me a wood panel (length 1120mm, width 605mm, thickness 26mm) that I was thinking of making into an outdoor table by adding premade steel furniture legs and finishing in an outdoor oil coating. I left the wood under my awning and when it rained, it still got very wet. I took it inside but since then, I noticed at about 3 or 4 spots there are very thin gaps  in the panel where the individual wood "slats"have been glued together (see photos). These gaps are full thickness, with the longest one being about 6-7cm. Do I need to fix/fill in these gaps? If so, how?

[Ready2go]

Hi Jen_Andrew

the glue in these panels are not usually made for outdoor use so I'd be wary of where and how I'd use them for outdoor furniture. having said that, if it is a free panel, then you don't have too much to loose.

you can fill the splits with a number of products from wood filla, sawdust and PVA to lacquer or even epoxy resin but there is no guarantee that other splits won't form. 

definitely give it a good coat of outdoor oil or varnish- there is a water-based one at Bunnings that is rated for outdoor use and is really easy to use. 

Also, brace the underside of the panel so it is less likely to warp in the weather. I've had a similar panel cup nearly 50mm in one afternoon. 

I hope that is helpful- would also say, most of the staff in the paint section of Bunnings are usually quite knowledgeable and would be able to help you choose the coating. 

would love to see your final product too

[Jen_Andrew]

Thanks Ready2go. I've got some PVA so I might give that a go. I'll pop into Bunnings and get some coating this weekend.

How would you brace the underside of the panel btw? 

[JacobZ · Accepted solution]

Hi @Jen_Andrew,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

It's great to see you've already received some fantastic advice from @Ready2go who is absolutely correct about filling the gaps. Mixing some sawdust with PVA glue is a great way to make a matching filler.

You could also fill the gaps with your PVA glue and clamp the board laterally with a 1200mm T-Bar Sash Clamp to hold the laminated timbers back together while the PVA glue sets. This will remove the gaps as opposed to filling them.

Your legs will brace the panel where they are connected, but for additional bracing between them, you can use 42 x 19mm 1.2m DAR Pine Standard with 40mm Countersunk Timber Screws every 150mm or so across the length of the board. If your legs are placed on the far ends of the slab, 2 of these timber braces between them should be plenty.

Let me know what you think and if you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

[Jen_Andrew]

Thanks JacobZ. I got to work on this today. Saving some sawdust and making a filler with PVA worked nicely 👍🏻. I’ll finish off sanding tomorrow and then do a coat with hardwax oil to start protecting the wood. I’ve decided to follow Ready2go’s advice of this wood being more suitable for indoors and use this for an indoor table instead. Thanks to you both for your advice. 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Jen_Andrew,

That sounds like a great plan.

I'm excited to see the finished product once you've sanded and oiled, I'm sure it will look brilliant.

Jacob

[Jen_Andrew]

Actually JacobZ can I ask- for the bracing, do you mean run the timber braces length wise along the table? That is- legs on the far ends of each slab, and then timber braces running length wise between the legs? Forgive my ignorance, but what supports the timber braces in a vertical direction? 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Jen_Andrew,

Apologies, I was quite vague in my description. I've done up a quick render of what I mean.

Having these timbers attached to the underside of the table will reduce the ability of the tabletop to cup which is a common occurrence with large tabletops.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob