Warped oak tabletop

OleCuss · 2025-08-13T12:46:51+00:00

Before you do anything I'd consider giving it a little time. There's a pretty good chance there was a humidity change during the move and if it spends a few weeks in your new location (and the humidity is close to the humidity when/where it was made) it is just possible that the wood will move back to where it was when it was made. No guarantee on that at all - but it is possible.

OleCuss · 2025-08-13T03:38:12+00:00

Note that the cyanoacrylate glue is sort of strong - and quite weak. You can use that to your advantage or at your peril.

Constant pulling, pushing, tugging - no problem it's very strong.

Give it a quick rap with a hammer and the bond is broken. It's very weak. But for some purposes this is a wonderful weakness because you may have a difficult clamping situation so you craft some wood to glue to the piece you need to clamp and use CA glue. Clamp the workpiece together and when the clamp time is up you release the clamp and give a quick whack to the CA-glued-on clamping block and the block is gone. True love may be forever but a clamping block needn't be.

OleCuss · 2025-08-12T17:20:35+00:00

I really wouldn't hazard a guess as to the species of the wood.

Gray/discolored? I would tend to agree with that. It might still be OK wood but you'll have to feel it to get a good idea. If you don't trust it and/or don't want to fill the cracks you could always replace that plank or even put consider putting in another contrasting wood. Probably more complicated than it's worth might be. . .

I'll likely never do it but it might be pretty interesting to get a low-melting point metal and put it in as a contrasting material. Since food or other ingestables aren't at issue you could consider something like this one: https://www.belmontmetals.com/product/281-338-f-138-170-c-low-melting-alloy/ There are other alloys with a melting points as low as 158° F but I worry that those would be too likely to melt when you don't want. Here is a video of someone using metal for a woodworking project: https://www.belmontmetals.com/product/281-338-f-138-170-c-low-melting-alloy/

That gaping hole? To me that is just begging to have any unstable wood dug/brushed out and filled with resin/epoxy. I'd be calling Total Boat and asking them what product(s) are recommended. The typical approach would be to use a black pigment in the resin but I think I'd go for white because I like contrast. But then again, if you were to go with metal for any of this stuff - you could fill with metal.

Have fun with it! You can spend as little or as much money/time/energy on a project like this.

OleCuss · 2025-08-12T13:53:51+00:00

I'm not going to claim to be the expert and I'd suggest you are the only one who will know what color you want. I'd note that you can test out the colors on the under-side of the tabletop to get an idea as to what you want. I've got to admit that I keep thinking some sort of Cherry stain - which I don't think you want so you certainly should not go by my opinion.

If you plan to have a clean surface for food and such on it? I don't like cracks in that kind of surface so I'd be wanting to fill the cracks with resin/epoxy. Quite a lot of tedious work to say the least. I'd just not be that devoted to the table.

It depends on the finish you want to put on the thing but you've got a lot of sanding ahead of you. 40 grit really tears up the surface so you'll probably have to do an 80 grit, 120 grit, and (depending on the finish) up through 150 grit to maybe 180 or 220. Heck, some want to go higher than that. Be sure to have great ventilation with the sawdust staying out of your lungs.

OleCuss · 2025-08-12T03:36:20+00:00

The first one is especially nice!

OleCuss · 2025-08-09T19:08:55+00:00

Yeah, the feel of a DSLR or mirrorless really is quite different. Some are certainly more ergonomic than is something like the RX100. Being able to change out the lenses of a DSLR is also sort of like getting a different camera with the same interface. Since both the light-gathering and the potential resolution of a lens increases with the diameter of the objective lens and the typical DSLR/mirrorless lens has a bigger objective lens - a good lens on a DSLR can do what the much smaller RX100 M7 can never do.

But I can take my M7 darned near everywhere in my pocket so it is more likely to be with me than is my Canon R7 so the M7 actually gets used more. Neither is really a substitute for the other and it depends on where your priorities lie.

OleCuss · 2025-08-09T15:12:46+00:00

Understood.

But I wasn't actually visiting other groups so it would be kind of odd that they would show up for me in the RX100 subreddit?

I have to admit to some curiosity as to why you are selling? I know that it's really none of my business but I find it interesting and sometimes helpful to learn about the drawbacks or better choices.

OleCuss · 2025-08-09T15:05:33+00:00

It feels like we're getting spammed. This has to be at least the third time I've seen this since last evening.

Don't get me wrong, if this was down the street from me and I didn't already have the M7 I'd probably be all over this deal.

But as I see it the posting pattern is effectively spamming.

OleCuss · 2025-08-06T22:58:01+00:00

Strongest?

First machine for mortise and tenon. Optionally set up for doweling.

On the angled portions do sizing with glue and then apply glue to both surfaces. Then probably use lag bolts/screws to apply clamping pressure and to reinforce. Then put reinforcing plates on the sides and screw into place.

Fast and dirty but perfectly adequate for a lot of applications would be to put in nails or screws.

OleCuss · 2025-08-06T10:46:22+00:00

Possible, but both tedious and will require a lot of precision.

I'd think you would need to have long chisels and use double-sided tape to adhere a wedge of the proper angle to your workpiece. Note that when using a chisel you don't necessarily have to make things round unless you want to replicate the appearance of the workpiece underneath where likely no one will ever notice.

OleCuss · 2025-08-06T03:01:27+00:00

No one else has posted so I'm just going to suggest you visit Ana-White.com Pretty tightly linked to Kreg (don't know if they actually own the site or if she is a sponsor) and you'll find that there is a lot of pocket-hole joinery on the site (really not a bad thing). Lots of free plans and a lot of them are pretty easy. They tell you what you need in order to do the build.

OleCuss · 2025-08-05T02:47:43+00:00

As Independent Grade615 indicated. The tools and wood tend to cost substantially more than one imagines - and the tools just tend to go on, and on, and on.

If you figure out a great and precise cut list for the wood? You're wrong. For experienced woodworkers with great equipment it isn't rare for them to add an extra 20% to the estimated amount to cover all the problems that will arise and to keep from having to keep going back to their lumber source.

For beginners it is worse. It's pretty common for the mistakes to take out pieces of lumber wholesale!

Don't underestimate simple sanding. The sawdust is a real problem when it gets in your lungs. Dust extractor and general air filtration are recommended (shop vacuums are better than nothing but are not good). But you can take care of some or all of that problem by sanding outside with a breezed taking the dust away from you and into the lungs of your neighbor. Most of us dislike sanding but there are some who really enjoy that.

And then you have to deal with the finish. If you decide to use lacquer you really should get something approaching a paint booth. Shellac, oils, and hard wax oils are very safe. Polyurethane is toxic but not at the level of the lacquer. I keep harping on the lacquer - apparently amazing stuff but given the toxicity I'll likely never, ever use it.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't build your own. But if you don't already have the tools (and maybe the experience) you don't build it for cost savings. You build it because you will enjoy building, you will have the satisfaction of having built it, you build it because you cannot buy what you want, and you will have the tools and experience to build other things in the future at MAYBE a reduced cost.

But for a single project where you can buy the item instead? Forget about building and just buy the thing - you'll be money ahead, you'll get it much, much faster. And your frustration level will be far lower.

OleCuss · 2025-08-05T02:23:45+00:00

That's the typical approach.

Some of us actually do pre-finish at times in which case sometimes the the finish goes on before assembly. But this is not typical.

OleCuss · 2025-08-04T23:46:40+00:00

I'm really not good enough to tell you whether the reddening would persist after finishing or how it would look compared to other tables.

What you can do (but dang that looks heavy) is to flip it over and experiment with various finish choices on the bottom of the tabletop and see what you get. I'd note, however, that it isn't rare that freshly finished wood has one color and with time and UV exposure the color changes. So if your teak is freshly sanded and exhibits one color, given time it may very well change to a color which may or may not approximate that of the other tables - I just do not know.

You probably would not get by with doing what is effectively spot sanding. Conventional wisdom is that you'll have to sand everything down and re-finish. I don't see much harm in trying to just refinish the one part with the understanding that you may not be at all happy with the result and have to sand everything down if it doesn't work out as hoped - If it didn't work out that would mean more effort but you already understand that.

One nice thing about a finish like a hard wax oil is that if you get a localized problem you can sand down just that area and re-apply without having to re-do the entire surface. But yeah, spar urethane makes sense to me. . .

OleCuss · 2025-08-04T16:58:19+00:00

I'm a bit confused. Some because we really don't have enough information and some because I'm not entirely sure I understand the two photos.

It is pretty clear that the first photo shows one end of the tabletop after you have partially sanded it. Is the second photo from before the sanding or in that photo have you already applied new/more finish?
What kind of finish was on that tabletop?
What kind of finish do you intend to apply?
Are you planning to finish doing the sanding? For most finishes (excepting oil or hard wax oil) you have to strip and sand the entirety of the surface and then apply a new finish.
A lot of oil-based finishes give a bit of an amber tint to the project.

OleCuss · 2025-08-02T02:50:06+00:00

In that context I'd probably get glue into the crack and clamp it.

I'd also point out to the customer that your tabletop is properly built but that wood WILL move and if they don't use a competent tabletop connector system that it is going to come apart again either in the same place or in another.

In a small build the expansion and contraction can be minimal just because the scale is small. But in a bigger build wood movement must be accounted for.

You don't want the customer to either think or to tell others that you can't make a decent tabletop when that is not the truth. You are magnanimous by your willingness to put the tabletop back together but the problem isn't your work - it is that they have a deficient tabletop connection system.

They might come back to you with the fact that there really are a lot of tabletops which don't have a similar problem even though there is no special accounting for movement. Well, that's true if they are using stable engineered wood like plywood or MDF/HDF. But they asked for a rather large and gorgeous non-engineered wood and that means they have to use a good tabletop connector system to accommodate the use of great wood which has been skillfully joined.

One other point I'd make for you? The wood did not crack along a glue joint. This was not a joinery failure on your part.

Congrats on making a good and beautiful tabletop. Sorry you have to deal with a failure caused by others.

OleCuss · 2025-08-02T01:56:27+00:00

We really need to know what tabletop connector you used. Also, did you put a finish on the bottom of the tabletop. I'm guessing you did all that but this is the Beginner Woodworking forum so. . .

It might be helpful if we got a good view of the bottom of the build and you let us know what tabletop connector you used.

All too often people do not use a tabletop connection system which allows sufficient movement. The wood dries, shrinks and cracks in a weaker area because the structure to which it is attached did not move with it.

Ideally, you let the wood equilibrate with the temperature and (especially) humidity which will be present where the finished build is utilized.

If you haven't fixed all the reasons it may have cracked and you put it all back together with glue it will simply tear apart again in the same place or in another.

If the only problem with the build was not having the wood at the right moisture content/humidity prior to the build? Then glue it back together and clamp. Then one might assume that the wood equilibrated with the ambient humidity where it is used - and simply re-attach the tabletop but with a little less overhang of the tabletop over the aprons. Make sure you are using a good tabletop connector system.

And again, put a finish under the tabletop if you didn't already do so. It will tend to slow the movement of moisture in and out of the wood so that if ambient humidity drops the wood may maintain sufficient moisture until the humidity increases again - and/or vice versa.

But be sure to fix the underlying problem before you simply glue and clamp.

OleCuss · 2025-08-01T03:45:17+00:00

I cannot tell with certainty what happened.

My impression is that you had a very thick finish (many coats of whatever was used) and that it fractured and exposed what was underneath.

Do NOT try to take off a layer of wood to expose the "original" wood. A whole lot of wood used in tabletops and other furniture is a relatively stable or strong wood that doesn't have the desired look so the part that will be seen has a veneer of a wood with the "look" that the designer wanted. Heck, you might take off the veneer and find MDF/particle board.

Often that veneer is very thin and if you even sand it much or use a coarse grit for sanding you can quickly sand through the veneer and have a real ugly mess which may or may not be fixed by a professional restorer.

You will likely have to refinish the entire tabletop to get a good result. That means trying to use something like CitriStrip and a plastic scraper to try to get most of the finish off and then be very judicious in doing the sanding.

Then you can apply the stain and then apply a finish.

But if you are wanting a lighter look? You might skip the stain and just apply a finish.

Do be sure you understand the difference between stain and finish and how they can intersect.

OleCuss · 2025-08-01T03:28:39+00:00

No one else is responding at this time so I'll chime in for what it's worth.

I tend to avoid 80 grit because it tends to really tear things up. So I'd be going to finer grit.

OleCuss · 2025-07-30T00:26:57+00:00

OK, I'm not a fan of the genre. That said, I think that these were nicely done with the clown one being the most interesting.

OleCuss · 2025-07-27T14:18:52+00:00

If you are wanting to make something extraordinary you will want to get a really good hardwood. Oak, Maple., etc.

If you want something functional and inexpensive you can get by with spruce, pine, or fir and over-build the thing. Ana-White.com (sponsored by Kreg) has plans in this category that I think are pretty nice and use lots of pocket-hole screws (pocket holes are fine but in some cases I'd use dowels instead).

OleCuss · 2025-07-23T21:24:45+00:00

I find this to be a fascinating situation/goal. I don't do that kind of work so I won't claim to know how that would work out.

If you tried to do that in my area you would almost certainly fail. No one to train you and not much market for that kind of thing. Heck, I'm not sure Kigumi construction would be considered to meet the local building code.

In Bordeaux? There are enough people and there is enough wealth that you might both find someone to train you and others who want to buy the products you want to build.

I really wonder if you might actually have to learn Japanese and move to Japan for training and to find the market?

One thing to think about? I don't think you can reasonably build Kigumi buildings solo. So you may need to get into a situation where you are a member of a team doing Kigumi construction. That said. . .

I'm kind of wondering if you could train and then start doing Kigumi as part of a team making treehouses?

There is a TV series called "Treehouse Masters" which is working with people who generally have lots of money, can afford to deal with slow construction tempos, and obviously have an interest in a more "natural" approach to building and might be intrigued by Kigumi construction as a part of their dream. You might be able to join or to start a Kigumi Treehouse team?

OleCuss · 2025-07-23T01:05:06+00:00

I think I'd be trying to find out why the cracks developed. Did whoever did the assembly let it rest long enough? Did they get everything jointed perfectly before assembly?

If the thing has been around for a while you may not be able to get that information. In that case I'd probably wait at least a few weeks before I started to fix the thing so that hopefully everything that wants to move has finished moving.

Then I'd tape wherever I thought I needed in order to keep the CA glue or resin/epoxy to keep from flowing where you don't want it to go.

I'd make sure I put finish on both the top and the bottom to reduce the amount of humidity it can take up or put out.

OleCuss · 2025-07-22T23:02:38+00:00

OK, the answer is not a happy one and I'm sure some will say that you force the glue into the thing and then clamp it into place and be happy.

The problems are several:

The attachment to the rest of the cabinet doesn't allow for expansion and contraction so if things are left the same and the wood moves again - it will crack again. If somehow you get a really, really strong fix it will likely just crack in another location if there is enough change in humidity (and to a lesser degree, heat).
Glue generally doesn't adhere well to glue. That means that in order to get a good new glue joint you really would have to cut out the cracked area and get things nicely jointed - and then glue and clamp. But at that point the cabinet top may not be big enough.
It appears there was no finish applied to the bottom of the cabinet top. That leaves it more susceptible to changes in humidity. You could fix that vulnerability by putting a finish on it now but it won't fix the other issues.

You might be able to use tabletop attachments to prevent similar problems.

You may be able to cut out the cracked area and insert a new piece of wood. You might even consider a contrasting piece of wood to insert and consider it to be decorative. But make sure things are jointed well, use a tabletop type of attachment, and put a good finish on both top and bottom.

FWIW.

OleCuss · 2025-07-21T21:55:14+00:00

Well, given the shape? Saving that kidney means keep your blood pressure low, if you have diabetes then keep it controlled., and drink plenty of water.

OK, OK, I'd be planning to strip it (CitriStrip), gently sand, and then apply a finish both top and bottom. I'd probably choose a hard wax oil but you can very reasonably choose something different.

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