LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Perpendicular face glue up?

2K views 11 replies 7 participants last post by  JackDuren 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hello! I'm thinking of making a square cutting board by gluing up two 12×12" 4/4 panels of walnut and curly maple, 3 boards at 4". Then I'd like to glue those panels together at a 90 degree angle to each other to make a thicker overall board (~8/4 before milling). Is this crazy? I'm curious if wood movement going opposite directions on the two panels is going to tear this thing apart or if the dimensions are small enough that it won't matter. Thanks for the input!
Adam
 
#3 ·
Thanks. Honestly it's more about the pattern than the thickness, having alternating walnut and maple on one side going one direction and the same pattern offset 90 degrees on the other. I just think it will look nice, if it will stay together.
 
#4 ·
I think you may have issues long term, but I have no real experience with this construction and the potential of one side getting wet and the other side remaining dry.

If I was to try this as a test, I'd consider grooving a grid into the mating surfaces and adding chunky (1/4"+) splines to really lock the two halves together and counter the potential shear forces. At least if it fails, it would probably make a loud bang when it lets loose 8^)
 
#8 · (Edited by Moderator)
I wouldn't. In use I have found slight differences in seasonal movement between species of wood. Glue them so they can't do what they want to do, they will break, crack, split, to do it anyhow.

Reading your explanation has me thinking you are laying panels flat on top of other panels, and gluing them together, if I understood it wrong, then I'm with SMP on needing a pic, drawing, better explanatio

A table top is perpendicular to the skirt boards, and to attach it you do so with fixtures so the top can move freely, so I guess it's the use of the word perpendicular.
 
#11 ·
That is correct, it would be face grain to face grain with one of the layers rotated a quarter turn. So looking at one of the edges of the final glued up panel you'd see end grain of one layer and edge grain of the other, with their faces glued together.

Hopefully they'd stay that way! Thanks for all the input.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top