Long counter top glue-up

Willemjm

Willem
Corporate Member
I have glued up countless boards, table tops, panels always with no issues, but this request scares me a little.

Friend wants a counter top 14’ long glued up from two 12” wide 2” thick 14’ boards. These will be vertical grain Douglass Fir. The boards will be supplied dimensioned and straight lined.

Not sure if my 8” jointer will be able to handle the size of those boards for a perfect joint and flat top. Perhaps this project is better suited for a shop with bigger equipment and a big wide belt sander?

Any thoughts, or anyone interested in this as a commission?
 

JohnnyR

John
Corporate Member
Raleigh reclaimed lumber is a perfect fit for this task and also gives a discount to NCWW's. Also another good source for lumber. Also will surface etc. if your client hasn't done so already.
 

DSWalker

David
Corporate Member
I just made a countertop of similar dimensions, but used 3 2x8x16' boards from a local sawmill.

It came out much better than I expected and I didnt even joint the edges. I did have 1 or 2 small areas with gaps, and I used a little epoxy to fill those spots.

Mine is for the shop, so didn't need to be perfect. What is the application? Does your friend expect it to be perfect? Low lit bar area or garage and they may not care. Kitchen is certainly a different story.
 

JohnW

New User
John
I have glued up countless boards, table tops, panels always with no issues, but this request scares me a little.

Friend wants a counter top 14’ long glued up from two 12” wide 2” thick 14’ boards. These will be vertical grain Douglass Fir. The boards will be supplied dimensioned and straight lined.

Not sure if my 8” jointer will be able to handle the size of those boards for a perfect joint and flat top. Perhaps this project is better suited for a shop with bigger equipment and a big wide belt sander?

Any thoughts, or anyone interested in this as a commission?
Doug fir cuts like butter on a table saw. For jointing, I'd set up your TS to support the long boards and run them through or glue opposite sides up to eliminate any angle offset in case your blade is not 90 degree perfect. I've done this with 12' long cherry and joint came out perfect using a sharp Freud glue line rip blade.

FYI, I tried this first on my 8" jointer and did not like the results. Bed not long enough.
 

Willemjm

Willem
Corporate Member
Raleigh reclaimed lumber is a perfect fit for this task and also gives a discount to NCWW's. Also another good source for lumber. Also will surface etc. if your client hasn't done so already.

Thanks everyone. I have taken the advice here and put him in touch with this vendor.

It is going inside a high spec home. If it was for myself I would do it, but don’t want to risk it for someone else.
 

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