Tables are one of the classic woodworking projects. They’re extremely practical, very customizable, and frankly, everybody needs one. So, it only makes sense that woodworkers across the community are constantly looking for ways to improve their table-making capabilities. In those efforts, numerous woodworkers often try to find the best way to glue boards together to make a tabletop.
This method of assembling a tabletop is just one of many out there today. But it’s definitely one that you should know and understand before making your first table. So, this guide will take you through this important process and also address the use of other materials, such as dowels or biscuits, to support a glue-based seam on a tabletop joint.
Is Gluing Enough or Should You Use Dowels or Biscuits Too?
Back in the day, woodworkers were right to question if wood glue was enough to hold a tabletop joint together. After all, the wood glue of yesteryear was pretty paltry when it came to holding capacity. Those days are well and gone, though, because modern wood glue is plenty strong enough to hold a tabletop joint on its own.
In fact, some types of wood glue are even able to hold more than 100% of the weight of the wood it is adhered to.
If you’re still in doubt though, you can always invest in the strongest wood glue you can find. Also, you could try to supplement your use of wood glue by implementing a set of wood dowels or biscuits. These small additions can be placed into purpose-made grooves inside the tabletop’s seam, thus allowing the structure’s horizontal strength to increase.
The choice, however, is up to you, based upon the size and amount of weight you expect that table to bear.
How to Glue Boards Together for a Tabletop
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the gluing process itself, step by step.
Step 1: Gather Materials and Find a Level Workspace
To begin, you’ll need to gather up all of the materials you’ll need for this task. At the same time, you’ll also need to secure a broad, flat space in which the gluing and setting process can occur undisturbed. So, before grabbing your materials, ensure that you have a sizable workbench available to you.
Ideally, this bench should be compatible with the types of clamps you’ll need to squeeze your glued boards together later on.
Once you have your workspace secured, you can move onto gathering up your tabletop assembly materials. Specifically, you’ll need to grab each of the wood leaves you intend to glue together as well as enough wood glue to satisfy the scale of your project. You’ll also need to grab enough clamps to satisfactorily apply pressure to each tabletop seam once the glue has been applied.
If you plan to use biscuits or dowels, you should also collect them up at this time.
Step 2: Set Clamps
With all of your materials in hand, you can begin the process of setting your clamps. In most cases, the clamps you’ll use for this job will extend across the entire length of your table horizontally. In other words, your clamps must be long enough to encompass your entire tabletop at once.
While there are ways of breaking down this clamping task for larger tables, a single clamping process is the most efficient way to glue a tabletop.
Step 3: Apply Glue, Biscuits, and Clamps
Prior to applying any glue, you’ll need to decide if you want to use any dowels or biscuits to strengthen your tabletop’s joints. If so, you’ll need to make appropriately sized divots within the tabletop’s seams. From there, the biscuits or dowels should be added as recommended.
With that done, you’ll begin to apply an ample amount of wood glue to the inner seam. The precise amount used will vary based upon your chosen wood glue type, as well as the amount of weight the finished table will be expected to bear. Don’t go overboard, though.
Not only is that wasteful, but an excessive amount of wood glue can cause a seam to become unsightly.
Once you’ve applied enough glue, you can align each leaf and press them together, ensuring that any dowels or biscuits used slot into the proper hole.
As this occurs, you’ll notice that some glue may squeeze out of the top and bottom of the seam. This is normal. This excess glue should be removed as soon as possible using something flat, but nondamaging, such as a putty knife.
Step 4: Wait for the Glue to Dry
Once you’ve applied your wood glue, you’ll want to press each tabletop board together using your clamps. These clamps should be set such that they properly secure the newly unified structure without straining it.
In other words, don’t overtighten your clamps; doing so can cause undesirable bowing in the overall shape of your resulting tabletop.
From there, you’re ready to wait for the wood glue to dry. Be sure to wait well beyond the recommended wait time indicated on the glue’s bottle to ensure that a reliable bond is formed.
Mistakes to Avoid, Tips & Tricks
One of the biggest mistakes in the tabletop-making process starts at the ground level.
Specifically, you’ll find that this entire assembly process will be much more challenging if you start out with bowed, twisted, or warped wood planks. The only way to avoid this problem is by inspecting all of your wood before starting in on the construction of your tabletop.
Failing to account for jointing angles can also cause undesirable grooves in your otherwise flat tabletop’s surface. These can result from even minor discrepancies between the angles of the tabletop’s inner seams.
The best way to minimize this risk is to carefully mill each board or plank you utilize.
Summary
When you get down to it, gluing together boards to make a tabletop isn’t all that hard.
In truth, the secret lies in the amount of wood glue you apply to each seam as well as the volume of pressure exerted on the boards as they dry together. You can also choose to utilize a few dowels or biscuits if you’re looking to further enhance your tabletop’s strength.
Either way, the steps outlined in this guide should make it easier for you to successfully create a tabletop the next time a project idea pops into your mind.