I have known about tables splitting for years, but your table is the first I have seen.THANKS!! There is a guy who made a screw pocket bread board end farm house table, he glued the bread board to the end grain of the table held in place with pocket screws. Then said,his wife saw one just like it for $1000.00, bet the one for sale had a floating bread board!
I think some parts of the country can get away with it because they don't have wild humidity swings. Here in Houston, you can buy a board and almost watch it shrink over night. Geography has a lot to do with it.
Thank you! By far, mistakes are the best learning tool. I often tell people I can fix most anything because I've learned from my many mistakes. Great video!
This is an excellent video!! You explained slow and meticulously.......especially which holes get enlarged and what gets glued and what doesn't! Well done......DD
Holy smokes I wish I had watched your video before I tried to make my farmhouse table. This was incredibly informative, thank you. I will follow your advice for my second try.
I’m glad you did this.I’ve watched people build tables knowing what is going to happen and been told “I bought my lumber at lowes it’s dry.Put it in a house with heat in winter and a/c in summer and it will really get dry.My own rule of thumb is don’t cross the top.
You have answered a longstanding question I've always had about differential movement - and your solution is what good solutions should be: simple. Thanks for taking the time to make this video.
Thanks this is a great video. If I could add one point to maybe help a little. When choosing lumber at the lumber yard, I look for vertical grain on the ends of the planks. Wood expands and contracts most along the grain. The result of having more vertical grain is less movement across the width of the table top. The table top will get a little thicker and thinner with seasonal changes but it is only over 1 1/2" and will be unnoticeable. Vertical grain would be "quarter sawn" planks. Horizontal grain would be "flat sawn" planks. Hope this helps when choosing lumber. One last point, flat sawn planks are more prone to cupping than quarter sawn.
Great video! I've noticed that same problem with others posting videos that show the incorrect methods for doing not only breadboard ends, but many other things. I'm now retired, and probably watch too many RUclips videos, but I enjoy the new ideas presented by others. My background includes cabinet making, furniture making, teaching industrial arts in high school, and 35 years in manufacturing management, and industrial safety. I've seen a lot of different ways to accomplish the same a job, but usually there's not too many "correct" ways to get the job done. Your video was excellent for a first attempt. I enjoyed your great explainations for how AND why to do this job!
i made a table the wrong way last winter for a friend and suffered the consequences of my ignorance. This is a great video. I already knew what i did wrong but still a very informative video and you are 100 percent correct Robert. Don`t worry about your cinemetography. We are wood workers, not movie directors. Your camera work is good.
+Glenn Ryzebol Well, it's all filmed from my cell phone. When i watch some oof these other guys videos, it looks like Hollywood quality editing. I'm a little jealous! Lol
You got the pocket screw right on the head. I just mentioned this issue in the comments section of a “farmhouse table diy” video and tips on how to do it correctly.... and immediately came under fire for being a hater etc etc. then luckily some folks chimed in saying they followed the video and their tables ripped themselves apart in the spring! Lol. Never enough time to do it right but plenty of time and money to do it twoce
Happy I watched you, watched many on farmhouse tables, all did the way you did on your 1st table... thank you for taking the time showing how it should be done... 👍🏻👌
Thanks for sharing your hard earned knowledge. Your video bridges the gap between cute DIY projects that don't seem to last long and the professional woodwork which is not realistic for beginners - like myself. Congrats!
Thank you very much sir, for making this video. I am going to build one of these for my wife as a surprise, and I had seen some videos that used kreg screw joinery on the breadboard ends. Being a novice, that was my plan as well, even though some of the videos had mentioned they'd do it differently if they had it to do over. My wife thanks you for a table has a slightly smaller chance of cracking!
Thank you for explaining this. Pocket screws have their place in the shop, but not on a table top, IMO. @18:23 I've even seen some people drill the hole in the tenon purposefully offset from the breadboard hole so that the dowel pulls the breadboard towards the table boards more tightly.
Ditto; very understandable explanation of expansion/contraction. I am confident in this humid area of the country that I can create an heirloom quality cutting board. My passion is seasoning the board originally, so knowing I won't be dealing with split wood is comforting.
I appreciate the kind comments. Just trying to share some information so other people don't experience my pain. I want to do more videos, but I quickly learned that making a video is far harder than it looks. I'm a terrible camera and editing guy. Guess I'll get better with practice.
Great video! I want to build a table like this because I need it to be 36" wide to fit my dining space. Can't afford new. I was just going to screw all the boards together. Glad I saw this video first.
Great job, I didn't know it was your first video until the end. The more you do it, the better you will, just like in your woodworking!! Awesome job on both fronts!! Thanks!
Great video, very informative. I have a question about the main table boards though. You had the grain all running in the same direction, that is the curve of the grain all ran in a U shape from bottom to top. Have you had any problem with the tabletop cupping because of that? I made a coffee table that way and it cupped and someone from a local woodworking club said I should have alternated the grain in an up, then down pattern to minimize the cupping. I will say that it was extremely humid all that summer and that could have been a contributing factor.
Nice job. I am just getting started too and here in Florida we have nothing but humidity. So I have been trying to learn about wood movement. This was very helpful.
THANK YOU! I'm going to start my build later today. I only stumbled upon your video and this will prevent me from making the same mistake my friend made which is exactly what he did with the pocket screws and his table is cracking. Thank you for the video, extremely helpful, so glad I bought my biscuit jointer the other day.
Like the first video. I watched similar videos and yours put across the main points well. Two “improvements” might be: turn the table top upside down before adding the breadboard - the dowels will be underneath and not shown in the final assembly. The centre biscuits could also be pinned to the main table top, then you could plane or lightly sand the breadboard to introduce a small amount of bow. When the centre section is fixed, the outer sections would have a springiness to close up gaps towards the edges. Finally, before assembling the breadboard the edges could receive a finish e.g. a bevel (if required) that is harder to add (subtract) later. Because the biscuits are homemade they could be made longer for the middle pair to increase strength of the joint (greater glue area). Another way to make the slots in the biscuits is to ruse a router and match the holes to slots afterwards. A floating breadboard and fixing the table top with care (e.g. only using screws in the middle at each end is the way to go). Simon
Thank you for taking the time to make this. I've had many failures in woodworking and the breadboards were one of them. I try to justify a Domino everyday and you just gave me one more reason. Keep up the good work!
+Rick Patterson I love the domino machine. Lots of other woodworkers seem to have a problem with it. "It not real wood work. " Maybe it isn't. But it sure is fast. I think the best thing is to learn both methods. I'm still working on improving my skills. I wish I were Sam Maloof, but I'm not. I do what I can within my skill set.
Fernando, thank you so much for taking the time to explain as clear as you did. I want to build this style of dining table and I want to learn as much as I can before I attempt to build one. I truly appreciate the time and effort you put into this.Happy New Year to you and your family!
Thanks for the information. I have a question: can dowels be used instead of biscuits to join the breadboard to the tabletop using the same principle of tight holes in the center and larger holes as you work outward?
You did a great job in explaing and showing on your video. Your also down to earth and make new woodworkers feel good about their skills. I have subscribed and wait for more videos
I build cabinets for work and want a domino for faceframe work. Seeing your video makes me want to build some tables for side work. With the domino it would make fast work of the rails and legs also. Great first video by the way.
The domino is a great efficient machine. I've built cabinet face frames with it and it's super fast and accurate. You'll love it if you get one, but just don't tell anyone. People seem to have an angry reaction when you use festool.
Nice video. Thank you for sharing your mistakes and how to overcome them. I already glued one breadboard end, I hope it doesn't break. Next one I will use this technique.
Good video. When I first saw it was a 20min plus video I wasnt excited bc a lot of people talk too much but all the info was great and the time flew by. Then you hit us with the "this is my first video" and I was even more impressed! Haha got yourself a "like" and subscriber. Thank you.
When I did it, I didn't know about Kreg jig, and I couldn't afford any of the fancy tools mentioned in the video, so in order to make tension joints, I drilled 3 holes to the same depth, then chiseled them out to make mortises. My project used only 3 powered tools because I only had 3 powered tools, a miter saw, a circular saw, and a powered drills.
Great video! I haven’t yet made a table with a breadboard which is why I’m watching a bunch of videos. Other woodworkers drill their breadboard first and transfer the center of the hole position to the tenon with a punch. Then, they drill through the tenons 1/16” closer to the table top. When the dowel is inserted, the offset naturally draws the breadboard into the table. Is this a technique you decided not to use for a reason? Or one you just weren’t familiar with? In no way do I mean this condescending... it’s a genuine question. I’m just looking for the best technique. Again, thanks for taking the time to make this video and for your humbleness!
This is very helpful! I do have a question for you though. You showed on the first table (made with pocket screws) that the breadboard wasn't flush as the wood contracted/expanded. With this mortise/tenon approach, the wood will still expand and contract so will your breadboard still not be flush at times?
That's right. It's going to move and the ends will not be flush depending on weather conditions. This makes me really not like breadboard ends. One way you can possibly minimize this is to put the table inside and air conditioned place where it will spend the rest of its life. Wait about a month for it to stabilize. Then cut it flush. There's a pretty stable humidity inside an air conditioned house. It will probably stay pretty darn flush after that.
Two questions... 1) What is your preferred wood in constructing a farm table? 2) What method did you use to join the longitudinal 2x4's for the center of the table top? Thanks
Most people build these out of construction lumber, but the truth is, it's junk wood with way too much moisture. If I built one of these for myself, I would probably use white oak. I'm not sure I understand your second question because I have no two by 4's in the project. If you mean the 4x4's that go all the way across, I like to join them using mortise and tennon. I use the Festool for that. Before I had the Festool, I would half lap them. It's easy to do with minimal tools.
the movement does not happen near as bad if you seal it. I built one several years ago with home depot pine 2 by 12's and stained it and covered it in 4 coats of polly and it still looks exactly the same. If the table was left unfinished then it will move a ton, but if the wood is not exposed to the atmosphere or whether it will not move that much. Not a noticeable amount anyways.
This table that is cracked was sealed with polyurethane. It still moved. It's a little slower to move, but eventually it will find balance with the weather.
I know this is an old video but found it very informative as I will be building a dining table myself very soon. My question is, could you accomplish this same thing using dowels? Also, would you have to go through the same process with the dowels as you would a domino? Thanks and great video!
+jcarey65 yes. It still moves, even with finish on it. As a matter of fact, the experts highly recommend putting the same number of coats of finish on the top side as the bottom side so that way out all moves together.
Thank you for showing solutions other than Festool, I dont have enough kidneys to donate! LOL Good video and will make my project much better. I am building a whole dining room set for a client who taped and mudded by basement in exchange. The last thing I want is for my table to crack for a client, I have always known about wood movement but never built anything so large that the movement was an issue. Thanks again!
+David Hechler There are alternatives yup any tool. I like using the Festool for speed and convenience, but it doesn't do anything that I couldn't do before I had one. You can even do the whole thing with hand tools if you have the patience. Good luck on your project. Trading out work is always awesome. I'd like to see your chairs. I'm about to do a chair project myself.
Absolutely, once I get it finished I will post pics, also I may end up doing benches. My client hasn't decided yet, but I will definitely look for any chair videos you post in the future.
WOW, this is a fantastic vid loaded with good tips!! Would love to see more from you. I intend doing a table in same way as yours. I would love to share it with you once I am done. Thanx a mil from South Africa...
Very informative video. I have made a bunch of farm tables for people with pocket holes and had some issues with the wood movement. I don't get a ton of people who want breadboard ends. Would I follow this same method with joining the long boards together. If so where would you recommend to put the larger versus right size mortise holes. Thanks for much for any advise you or others could give.
You can join the long boards together any way you want. The movement is across the grain, so it won't be affecting anything. I glue mine together with dominoes in between, but the dominoes are really only there for alignment purposes. You can use biscuits between them for alignment as well, or you can use nothing at all other than glue. Actually, even though I'm not a big fan, you can even use pocket holes between the long boards. Won't hurt anything.
+foley2k ... absolutely. I used the domino with smaller dominos because that's all I have. A biscuit jointer would accomplish the same thing. It doesn't add any strength to the joint, it just helps with alignment. That's really the only purpose for biscuits. And if you don't have either machine, you can edge join the boards with nothing but glue. It is plenty strong.
Thanks for the good info in here. I'm wanting to start on one of these soon, and wanted to use dowels to edge join the tabletop. I guess they're not going to be a good solution for the breadboard.
Thank you for being informational without being condescending to those who are still in the learning process.
Man, I'm still learning too. I don't think this is a skill that you ever stop learning new tricks and techniques.
Lmao
I have known about tables splitting for years, but your table is the first I have seen.THANKS!!
There is a guy who made a screw pocket bread board end farm house table, he glued the bread board to the end grain of the table held in place with pocket screws. Then said,his wife saw one just like it for $1000.00, bet the one for sale had a floating bread board!
I think some parts of the country can get away with it because they don't have wild humidity swings. Here in Houston, you can buy a board and almost watch it shrink over night. Geography has a lot to do with it.
I love all the poor man woodworking tips you show because I do the same things. They still work great and you don’t need a bunch of expensive tools.
Thank you! By far, mistakes are the best learning tool. I often tell people I can fix most anything because I've learned from my many mistakes. Great video!
Thank you sir. I appreciate the comment!
I like the homemade mortising jig. Beats spending $110.00 for one online. Nice job and thanks for helping us all.
This is an excellent video!! You explained slow and meticulously.......especially which holes get enlarged and what gets glued and what doesn't! Well done......DD
Holy smokes I wish I had watched your video before I tried to make my farmhouse table. This was incredibly informative, thank you. I will follow your advice for my second try.
That's a very well explained video - I don't think most people care about editing and what-not when the information is so clear useful. Thanks.
Thank you for your very kind comment.
Thanks, was about to start a farm table with 83 year old barn wood. I am blessed to have seen your video. Hope your doing all right.
I’m glad you did this.I’ve watched people build tables knowing what is going to happen and been told “I bought my lumber at lowes it’s dry.Put it in a house with heat in winter and a/c in summer and it will really get dry.My own rule of thumb is don’t cross the top.
Hats off to you sir... Those 22:57 minutes were well spent... Honest approach is the best approach... Thanks...Keep up the good work...
Thank you sir!
You have answered a longstanding question I've always had about differential movement - and your solution is what good solutions should be: simple.
Thanks for taking the time to make this video.
I'm glad you found it interesting!
Thanks this is a great video. If I could add one point to maybe help a little. When choosing lumber at the lumber yard, I look for vertical grain on the ends of the planks. Wood expands and contracts most along the grain. The result of having more vertical grain is less movement across the width of the table top. The table top will get a little thicker and thinner with seasonal changes but it is only over 1 1/2" and will be unnoticeable. Vertical grain would be "quarter sawn" planks. Horizontal grain would be "flat sawn" planks. Hope this helps when choosing lumber. One last point, flat sawn planks are more prone to cupping than quarter sawn.
Great video! I've noticed that same problem with others posting videos that show the incorrect methods for doing not only breadboard ends, but many other things. I'm now retired, and probably watch too many RUclips videos, but I enjoy the new ideas presented by others. My background includes cabinet making, furniture making, teaching industrial arts in high school, and 35 years in manufacturing management, and industrial safety. I've seen a lot of different ways to accomplish the same a job, but usually there's not too many "correct" ways to get the job done. Your video was excellent for a first attempt. I enjoyed your great explainations for how AND why to do this job!
For a first video you did very well Mr. Termite. Keep up the good work. Content is King. And you filled this video with content.
i made a table the wrong way last winter for a friend and suffered the consequences of my ignorance. This is a great video. I already knew what i did wrong but still a very informative video and you are 100 percent correct Robert. Don`t worry about your cinemetography. We are wood workers, not movie directors. Your camera work is good.
+Glenn Ryzebol Well, it's all filmed from my cell phone. When i watch some oof these other guys videos, it looks like Hollywood quality editing. I'm a little jealous! Lol
It looked fine. Don't be
You got the pocket screw right on the head. I just mentioned this issue in the comments section of a “farmhouse table diy” video and tips on how to do it correctly.... and immediately came under fire for being a hater etc etc. then luckily some folks chimed in saying they followed the video and their tables ripped themselves apart in the spring! Lol. Never enough time to do it right but plenty of time and money to do it twoce
Happy I watched you, watched many on farmhouse tables, all did the way you did on your 1st table... thank you for taking the time showing how it should be done... 👍🏻👌
Hope it helps!
Great video!! Good info on cross grain wood movement. Best part.....no annoying music!!!! Thanks.
Thanks for sharing your hard earned knowledge. Your video bridges the gap between cute DIY projects that don't seem to last long and the professional woodwork which is not realistic for beginners - like myself. Congrats!
Thank you very much sir, for making this video. I am going to build one of these for my wife as a surprise, and I had seen some videos that used kreg screw joinery on the breadboard ends. Being a novice, that was my plan as well, even though some of the videos had mentioned they'd do it differently if they had it to do over. My wife thanks you for a table has a slightly smaller chance of cracking!
Thank you for explaining this. Pocket screws have their place in the shop, but not on a table top, IMO. @18:23 I've even seen some people drill the hole in the tenon purposefully offset from the breadboard hole so that the dowel pulls the breadboard towards the table boards more tightly.
This was excellent! I'm building a table and had no idea about everything you covered -again, excellent!
+Tony Gondek thank you! Glad it helps!
Good stuff. Am about to make a long farmhouse table with breadboard ends and this helped avoid a problem I didn't know about. Thank you.
you did a very good job of explaining this process thankyou very much for posting
+Bryon Lynn thank you. I appreciate the kind comment. I hope it was helpful.
Thank you for the info.
Ditto; very understandable explanation of expansion/contraction. I am confident in this humid area of the country that I can create an heirloom quality cutting board. My passion is seasoning the board originally, so knowing I won't be dealing with split wood is comforting.
Your video was just fine. You did a good job. Looking forward to see more.
good job and you conveyed all the important points very well, thanks for sharing
Thank you... i appreciate the comment.
This was some of the best woodworking advice I have found. Many thanks.
Nice job...but I do want to know if the dowels are on top of the table or the bottom, or does it matter..n thank u for the very informative video.
I'm in the process of building my first farm table and thanks for the video..very helpful
+MrMlozano79 I'm glad you found it helpful.
Learned a lot from watching this, thank you for taking the time to explain things so clearly.
Glad it was helpful! If it helps someone out there, it's worth doing.
Well done. Great job sharing a critical aspect of building a table top. Wouldn't have known it was your first video.
I appreciate the kind comments. Just trying to share some information so other people don't experience my pain. I want to do more videos, but I quickly learned that making a video is far harder than it looks. I'm a terrible camera and editing guy. Guess I'll get better with practice.
Great video! I want to build a table like this because I need it to be 36" wide to fit my dining space. Can't afford new. I was just going to screw all the boards together. Glad I saw this video first.
+grandmav2014 just don't do the breadboard ends and you'll be fine.
Great job, I didn't know it was your first video until the end. The more you do it, the better you will, just like in your woodworking!! Awesome job on both fronts!! Thanks!
Great video, super helpful. Love that you show the different possibilities of how to do the job!
I appreciate u taking the time to show us this..
Thanks for watching!
Great video, very informative. I have a question about the main table boards though. You had the grain all running in the same direction, that is the curve of the grain all ran in a U shape from bottom to top. Have you had any problem with the tabletop cupping because of that? I made a coffee table that way and it cupped and someone from a local woodworking club said I should have alternated the grain in an up, then down pattern to minimize the cupping. I will say that it was extremely humid all that summer and that could have been a contributing factor.
Nice job. I am just getting started too and here in Florida we have nothing but humidity. So I have been trying to learn about wood movement. This was very helpful.
Glad it helped.
THANK YOU! I'm going to start my build later today. I only stumbled upon your video and this will prevent me from making the same mistake my friend made which is exactly what he did with the pocket screws and his table is cracking. Thank you for the video, extremely helpful, so glad I bought my biscuit jointer the other day.
Good job man! I learned a lot. I'm just a beginner and you gave me some really good pointers.
Glad it helped!
Extremely helpful, thanks for taking the time to make this!
You're very welcome!
Fabulous! None of the other videos I've watched show this. Yes, wood is a tree. They move! :) Thank you.
Great video and very useful as I'm about to start on making a table. Now I know the best way to do it. For a first video it is very good. Cheers
Great info. I plan to make one out of white oak. Will use your method for the ends. Thanks!
Like the first video. I watched similar videos and yours put across the main points well. Two “improvements” might be: turn the table top upside down before adding the breadboard - the dowels will be underneath and not shown in the final assembly. The centre biscuits could also be pinned to the main table top, then you could plane or lightly sand the breadboard to introduce a small amount of bow. When the centre section is fixed, the outer sections would have a springiness to close up gaps towards the edges. Finally, before assembling the breadboard the edges could receive a finish e.g. a bevel (if required) that is harder to add (subtract) later. Because the biscuits are homemade they could be made longer for the middle pair to increase strength of the joint (greater glue area). Another way to make the slots in the biscuits is to ruse a router and match the holes to slots afterwards. A floating breadboard and fixing the table top with care (e.g. only using screws in the middle at each end is the way to go). Simon
Thank you for taking the time to make this. I've had many failures in woodworking and the breadboards were one of them. I try to justify a Domino everyday and you just gave me one more reason. Keep up the good work!
+Rick Patterson I love the domino machine. Lots of other woodworkers seem to have a problem with it. "It not real wood work. " Maybe it isn't. But it sure is fast. I think the best thing is to learn both methods. I'm still working on improving my skills. I wish I were Sam Maloof, but I'm not. I do what I can within my skill set.
This is a real good video. I got lots of information with all you shared. I have all things festool on my wishlist.
Don't we all! Love their stuff, it's just so expensive. I am glad you enjoyed the video.
Wow! I wish Id known this method when build my farm house table. But now I know. Thank you! 👍👍👍
Fernando, thank you so much for taking the time to explain as clear as you did. I want to build this style of dining table and I want to learn as much as I can before I attempt to build one. I truly appreciate the time and effort you put into this.Happy New Year to you and your family!
+Fred Restrepo build your table and send me a picture! You can do it! Thanks for the nice comment and I hope you have a happy New Year as well!
You did great! I want to build a farmhouse table now!
You can do it!
Thanks for the video. I was going to use pocket hole screws. You just saved me a lot of trouble. Great video.
Incredibly helpful. Thanks for taking the time to put all this together.
That demo is just what I needed ,I’m new at this &haven’t built anything yet ? Keep up the easy to understand videos 👍 &simple.🇺🇸🎃
+Robert Patrene glad it helped. Just do it man.... build something!
Dude, you did great! Thanks tons for sharing your knowledge. I was looking at building a table with the potential to split. Keep up the great work.
Thank you!
@1:33 I'm giving you props already, people are gluing and nailing and doweling like wood doesn't move.
Thank you! Most people just don't know.
Very helpful video. I appreciated your approach to the process.
Thanks for posting, terrific 1st video. I will be purchasing my first plundge router soon and a similar project will be in the works.
Best of luck! You will feel great about it!
Thanks for the information. I have a question: can dowels be used instead of biscuits to join the breadboard to the tabletop using the same principle of tight holes in the center and larger holes as you work outward?
Excellent video. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.
+Michael Sullivan Thank you sir!
This is very informative, you did a great job. Thank you for sharing so that others won't have the same problems.
+cindy wallis Thank you! I Hope it helps.
Not bad for first attempt. Keep em coming. You'll be a polished pro before you know it.
Thank you! Im working on it.
You did a great job in explaing and showing on your video. Your also down to earth and make new woodworkers feel good about their skills. I have subscribed and wait for more videos
Wow... i appreciate the comment!
I build cabinets for work and want a domino for faceframe work. Seeing your video makes me want to build some tables for side work. With the domino it would make fast work of the rails and legs also. Great first video by the way.
The domino is a great efficient machine. I've built cabinet face frames with it and it's super fast and accurate. You'll love it if you get one, but just don't tell anyone. People seem to have an angry reaction when you use festool.
Excellent tutorial! I appreciate the detailed explanations.
+john cooper Thank you for watching. Hope it helps!
Great video, great information, well done, thanks
Great info! Thank you for sharing your mistakes so others can benefit. Very helpful.
+Aaron Cooke Glad you like it. I Hope to have more in the near future.
Thank you for sharing ideas 😊
Good job. Lots of food for thought.
Thanks for the great tips explained in a very informative way.
Glad it was helpful!
Nice video. Thank you for sharing your mistakes and how to overcome them. I already glued one breadboard end, I hope it doesn't break. Next one I will use this technique.
+Tomas Muchenik Thank you! I Hope this helps.
Good video. When I first saw it was a 20min plus video I wasnt excited bc a lot of people talk too much but all the info was great and the time flew by. Then you hit us with the "this is my first video" and I was even more impressed! Haha got yourself a "like" and subscriber. Thank you.
This comment made it worth it!
great video! i'm glad i discovered this channel
Thank you so much!
Very nice video. Thank you for sharing. Excellent info that I was not aware of.
Glad it helped!
You did great. I also like the cargo straps idea.
what a great tutorial and easily understandable. Thanks so much!
Thanks for the great tip. Would be nice to see how you do it start to finish. Keep up the great work.
+Marshall Bueckert I might just do that.
When I did it, I didn't know about Kreg jig, and I couldn't afford any of the fancy tools mentioned in the video, so in order to make tension joints, I drilled 3 holes to the same depth, then chiseled them out to make mortises. My project used only 3 powered tools because I only had 3 powered tools, a miter saw, a circular saw, and a powered drills.
U did well. Just would have liked to see the finished product. Good camera work for your first time. Keep em coming!
Thanks for watching!
Great video! I haven’t yet made a table with a breadboard which is why I’m watching a bunch of videos. Other woodworkers drill their breadboard first and transfer the center of the hole position to the tenon with a punch. Then, they drill through the tenons 1/16” closer to the table top. When the dowel is inserted, the offset naturally draws the breadboard into the table. Is this a technique you decided not to use for a reason? Or one you just weren’t familiar with? In no way do I mean this condescending... it’s a genuine question. I’m just looking for the best technique. Again, thanks for taking the time to make this video and for your humbleness!
It's called drawboring and yes drawboring would be a better thing to do.
Thanks for the great video. Dont believe it's your 1st one 😋. I am in the same hobby situation like you and I really learned something here 😎.
+MrTiberig definitely my first. I'm glad you got something out of it! Hope you have a great new year!
Termite Woodwerx thank you. Wish you all the best for the new year. We got 4min left in Germany
+MrTiberig wish you the best as well! Hope you're new year is healthy and prosperous!
This is very helpful! I do have a question for you though. You showed on the first table (made with pocket screws) that the breadboard wasn't flush as the wood contracted/expanded. With this mortise/tenon approach, the wood will still expand and contract so will your breadboard still not be flush at times?
That's right. It's going to move and the ends will not be flush depending on weather conditions. This makes me really not like breadboard ends.
One way you can possibly minimize this is to put the table inside and air conditioned place where it will spend the rest of its life. Wait about a month for it to stabilize. Then cut it flush. There's a pretty stable humidity inside an air conditioned house. It will probably stay pretty darn flush after that.
Two questions...
1) What is your preferred wood in constructing a farm table?
2) What method did you use to join the longitudinal 2x4's for the center of the table top?
Thanks
Most people build these out of construction lumber, but the truth is, it's junk wood with way too much moisture. If I built one of these for myself, I would probably use white oak.
I'm not sure I understand your second question because I have no two by 4's in the project. If you mean the 4x4's that go all the way across, I like to join them using mortise and tennon. I use the Festool for that. Before I had the Festool, I would half lap them. It's easy to do with minimal tools.
Great video. Very informative!
Thank you!
the movement does not happen near as bad if you seal it. I built one several years ago with home depot pine 2 by 12's and stained it and covered it in 4 coats of polly and it still looks exactly the same. If the table was left unfinished then it will move a ton, but if the wood is not exposed to the atmosphere or whether it will not move that much. Not a noticeable amount anyways.
This table that is cracked was sealed with polyurethane. It still moved. It's a little slower to move, but eventually it will find balance with the weather.
I know this is an old video but found it very informative as I will be building a dining table myself very soon. My question is, could you accomplish this same thing using dowels? Also, would you have to go through the same process with the dowels as you would a domino? Thanks and great video!
Thank you for this information and presenting it so clearly. Excellent video!
Thank you for watching!
Good explanation, thank you for your efforts much appreciated!
Thanks!
Hi......How do you recommend attaching the table top to the legs to assist with the movement etc?
Great video, I myself am just starting and this will save me a lot of trouble down the road!!!
I hope it helps!
Thank you for detailed video. If you seal the wood with a finish, will it still expand that much to cause damage?
+jcarey65 yes. It still moves, even with finish on it. As a matter of fact, the experts highly recommend putting the same number of coats of finish on the top side as the bottom side so that way out all moves together.
Great job. Would love to build my own table. Thank you for sharing.
+Richard Palk As Nike would say... "Just do it! "
Thank you for showing solutions other than Festool, I dont have enough kidneys to donate! LOL Good video and will make my project much better. I am building a whole dining room set for a client who taped and mudded by basement in exchange. The last thing I want is for my table to crack for a client, I have always known about wood movement but never built anything so large that the movement was an issue. Thanks again!
+David Hechler There are alternatives yup any tool. I like using the Festool for speed and convenience, but it doesn't do anything that I couldn't do before I had one. You can even do the whole thing with hand tools if you have the patience.
Good luck on your project. Trading out work is always awesome. I'd like to see your chairs. I'm about to do a chair project myself.
Absolutely, once I get it finished I will post pics, also I may end up doing benches. My client hasn't decided yet, but I will definitely look for any chair videos you post in the future.
WOW, this is a fantastic vid loaded with good tips!! Would love to see more from you. I intend doing a table in same way as yours. I would love to share it with you once I am done. Thanx a mil from South Africa...
Very informative video. I have made a bunch of farm tables for people with pocket holes and had some issues with the wood movement. I don't get a ton of people who want breadboard ends. Would I follow this same method with joining the long boards together. If so where would you recommend to put the larger versus right size mortise holes. Thanks for much for any advise you or others could give.
You can join the long boards together any way you want. The movement is across the grain, so it won't be affecting anything. I glue mine together with dominoes in between, but the dominoes are really only there for alignment purposes. You can use biscuits between them for alignment as well, or you can use nothing at all other than glue. Actually, even though I'm not a big fan, you can even use pocket holes between the long boards. Won't hurt anything.
All I ever use is glue and clamps. And mortise and tenon joints for the breadboard.
Very informative. Very useful info.
For joining the table top together, would a biscuit joiner would work just as well for alignment?
+foley2k ... absolutely. I used the domino with smaller dominos because that's all I have. A biscuit jointer would accomplish the same thing. It doesn't add any strength to the joint, it just helps with alignment. That's really the only purpose for biscuits.
And if you don't have either machine, you can edge join the boards with nothing but glue. It is plenty strong.
awesome video. thanks for sharing.
Nice job. It was obvious to me that you know what you're doing.
Thank you for an excellent video. As for your video, it was better than my first one! LOL.
Thank you. I'm still learning. I don't know much about photography. Whole new world.
Thanks for the good info in here. I'm wanting to start on one of these soon, and wanted to use dowels to edge join the tabletop. I guess they're not going to be a good solution for the breadboard.
I hope I've saved you some pain. The dowels will certainly give you problems.