roughsawn Posted February 16, 2023 Report Share Posted February 16, 2023 I'm getting pretty close to attaching my workbench to to the cabinet. How should I attach it, and with the materials used, should I even worry about it? The cabinet is built out of quarter sawn red oak. Bottom, sides, center divider, stretchers, and back are panels glued up from ripped quarter sawn boards. The workbench top is 6'X32" made up of 1" wide X 2" tall laminated red oak boards, from the same quarter sawn lumber. So, approximately 30 boards laminated together, along with the 1" border, mitered at the corners. Is this wood stable enough to just screw the top to the stretchers and cabinet, without worrying about movement? If not, how would you guys attach the top to the cabinet? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted February 16, 2023 Report Share Posted February 16, 2023 Figure eights for me if it was not planned from the start. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmac Posted February 16, 2023 Report Share Posted February 16, 2023 Send a picture of the ends of the cabinet, that would help. Are the ends of the cabinet solid panels or framed with a floating panel? Your top will move but if you cabinet ends are solid panels constructed so the panels are vertical than you might get away with srcewing it down because the sides should move relative to the top. Movement across the grain, not along the grain is what you need to be concerned about. Movement along the grain is minimal if any. If the grain orientation of solid side panels matches the grain orientation of the top than you should be ok. But if you have frame and panel sides you won't be ok. You also could screw down the top if your screw holes are oversized under the screw heads, this would allow some movement of the top and the screw has freedom to move some under your screw head, but figure 8s would likely be better in this situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted February 16, 2023 Report Share Posted February 16, 2023 I have set tops on large dowels but, they were thicker and heavier. Given that the attachment method was not planned I would use figure 8's as Tpt suggests or oversized holes and lag screws to allow for movement. A lot of things including finishing protocol need to be factored in during the design phase. Fortunately our craft allows for all sorts of last minute adjustments for things. Red oak can be pretty flexible over the seasons so I would thing angled pocket holes through the legs to accept #8 or #10 washer head screws would do the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 17, 2023 Report Share Posted February 17, 2023 I think the benchtop is the most likely component to expand and contract, even using quarter sawn material, just because of it's mass. One online wood movement calculator I checked claims only 5/64" of movement expected for the average yearly RH swings in my region, so maybe it would be fine. You'll know soon enough,if you mitered a frame around it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roughsawn Posted February 17, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2023 On 2/16/2023 at 2:41 PM, Bmac said: Are the ends of the cabinet solid panels or framed with a floating panel? Your top will move but if you cabinet ends are solid panels constructed so the panels are vertical than you might get away with srcewing it down because the sides should move relative to the top.. All 3 panels are solid panels. Grain direction is the same as the bench top. You also could screw down the top if your screw holes are oversized under the screw heads, this would allow some movement of the top and the screw has freedom to move some under your screw head. This is the way I was planning on attaching it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted February 17, 2023 Report Share Posted February 17, 2023 Did you make any provisions for wood movement with the mitered frame around the top? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roughsawn Posted February 17, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2023 No, I did not. Rolling the dice. How does the saying go...it's shop furniture. At the risk of sounding stupid...what kind of provisions would you make? Corner butt joints instead? I really don't know what you would do to a corner miter to allow for movement. Enlighten me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted February 17, 2023 Report Share Posted February 17, 2023 I don't know. I was hoping you had some idea . Seems to me most work benches I've seen just have plain ends (i.e. end grain boards). But I supose one could do breadboard ends like a dining table might have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyJack Posted February 17, 2023 Report Share Posted February 17, 2023 Chances are the top will shrink. The end pieces will be the give point.. Over a period of time , you’ll start noticing problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyJack Posted February 17, 2023 Report Share Posted February 17, 2023 On 2/17/2023 at 8:03 AM, roughsawn said: No, I did not. Rolling the dice. How does the saying go...it's shop furniture. At the risk of sounding stupid...what kind of provisions would you make? Corner butt joints instead? I really don't know what you would do to a corner miter to allow for movement. Enlighten me. “I really don't know what you would do to a corner miter to allow for movement. Enlighten me.” You don’t… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronn W Posted February 17, 2023 Report Share Posted February 17, 2023 I really dont think that there is a way to avoid problems when you build a solid wood mitered frame around a solid wood bench or table top. Year ago I made a reaaly nice (my opinion) coffe table with a 3" wide walnut frame around an solid alder top and the top split the first winter. The crack closes up again in the moreh umid summers. If you attached the mitered frames pieces at the end of the bench with a fastener that allows movement like piin nails or screw with oversized holes the top will not split but the miters will have problems. As you siad its a roll of the dice and its shop furniture. If I were you I would consider 1) cutting the end frame pices off and installing a breadboard end or 2 cut the end off and sand the exposed end grain and leave it exposed. You can do either of these now or later after you see what happens. OH, just thought of another possiblity. I made a small table with a raised border once and, since it was only 14" wide I made the frame on the ends of the tble in 2 pieces with a 1/8" gap in the frame in the center of each end so the each piece of the frame was restraing only about 7" of table top movement. You might be able to cut through your end boarder, not inot the top with a thin kerf hand saw 3 times - 8" apart call it good. I shaped the gap for aesthetics but a simple cut would do it. This assumes that you glued the frame to the end of the bench top. Good luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyJack Posted February 17, 2023 Report Share Posted February 17, 2023 Heres a bowling alley top was banded with maple. It would hold up just fine as the bowling alley can flex, but it was covered in epoxy..Who knows now what it looks like.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post roughsawn Posted February 18, 2023 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted February 18, 2023 Ronn, thanks for the good advice. I like the idea of sawing a few kerfs in the ends, underneath. It wouldn't really bother me to just cut it thru, and if it shows on the top too, who cares. Probably, the best idea would be to cut the two ends off, and square up the front and back. I have an 8" overhang on one end, and a 12" overhang on the other...so I'm really not losing anything. Then sand the ends real good. I never thought of that. All the cabinets and tops I've built so far have been out of ply. Never a prob. I appreciate the different suggestions. One of the two will work, for sure. I'll build it first, then see what happens. Real easy to make changes as needed. The cabinet is built, and dry fitted. I pinned it together today with a screw on every corner...after I rabbeted the entire back of the cabinet, to accept the back. Checked square on the top, front, and back. I got lucky, and everything is dead nuts on perfect...lol Not even 1/64th off on any of the corners! Kinda happy about that. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted February 19, 2023 Report Share Posted February 19, 2023 On 2/17/2023 at 3:19 PM, BillyJack said: Heres a bowling alley top was banded with maple. It would hold up just fine as the bowling alley can flex, but it was covered in epoxy..Who knows now what it looks like.. It was probably a spare. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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