# tabletop fasteners - where to buy?



## fobos8 (24 Jan 2010)

Hello all

Been reading a book recommended by a few of you "Practical Design Solutions and Strategies". Its a great book.

In it is a method for attaching tabletops to rails which allows for wood movement of the tabletop.

Brackets like these http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/tabletopoffsetfastenerspk12.aspx are screwed to the underside of the table top and slot into a groove in the rails. 


Thing is - where can I get them in the UK? Somebody must know. Have looked in Hafele catalogue but no joy?

Regards, Andrew


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## woodsworth (25 Jan 2010)

How about a vice a little muscle and a drill?


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## fobos8 (25 Jan 2010)

anyone know where i can get these from?


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## mailee (25 Jan 2010)

I always make my own from pieces of hardwood, looks more traditional that way. :wink:


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## fobos8 (25 Jan 2010)

I'm just thinking about getting jobs done as effieciently as possible. After all who's gonna get underneath the table look at the way the top has been fixed to the rails and think "wow - he's used hardwood buttons! I'm glad we paid all that money for this table!!"


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## TEO (25 Jan 2010)

fobos8":1f05xras said:


> I'm just thinking about getting jobs done as effieciently as possible. After all who's gonna get underneath the table look at the way the top has been fixed to the rails and think "wow - he's used hardwood buttons! I'm glad we paid all that money for this table!!"



I do, all the time, much to my partner's embarrassment, who doesn't see a nice piece and wonder how it went together? And then after the wondering there's the crawling around under the thing to check that they did it right.
Or maybe that's just me...

T


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## laird (26 Jan 2010)

Nope, it's not just you.


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## Tony Spear (26 Jan 2010)

TEO":3469v7nj said:


> I do, all the time, much to my partner's embarrassment, who doesn't see a nice piece and wonder how it went together? And then after the wondering there's the crawling around under the thing to check that they did it right.
> Or maybe that's just me...
> 
> T



When my younger brother was doing his design MA at the Royal College of Art, he was designing a dining table with a central lifting mechanism (pull on the ends and the middle rises to extend the table), so he went (along with my Mother) to Heal's in Tottenham Court Road to have a look at one. 
Imagine her embarrasment when she was standing there with a disembodied voice coming from underneath going "Oh my God, what a load of rubbish. Ho Ho Ho what silly person is going to pay xxxThousand for this load of junk?) etc. etc., when she was approached by a Salesman..... :shock:


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## OPJ (26 Jan 2010)

I'd also favour traditional wooden turnbuttons. If you have a bandsaw then, Steve Maskery's made an excellent jig for cutting these though, if you haven't done so already, you will need to look at adding grooves to your rails...

They don't need to be continuous and you could get away with cutting slots, either using a biscuit-jointer, domino jointer or router with a slot cutter, provided you don't cut too deep! :wink:


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## Steve Maskery (26 Jan 2010)

Thanks for the plug, Olly!
Yes I have a bandsaw jig which is published in British Woodworking magazine (current issue, I think) as well as on DVD.
Wooden buttons are a MUCH classier option and personally I don't see the point of going to the trouble of making something which is as, how can I put it politely, _IKEA-like_, as well, something from IKEA.
Whether you use wooden or metal ones, you need to plan for a groove in the apron. If this is already assembled you can do it retrospectively with a very small router (like a T3) or with a Domino or even a BJ, although you may have to make two cuts with a BJ, at slightly different depths in order to get the groove wide enough.
HTH
Steve


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## 9fingers (26 Jan 2010)

If the OP is willing to use two screws per bracket then these might fit the bill.

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/12920/Iro ... Pack-of-10

Bob


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## fobos8 (26 Jan 2010)

Thanks for excellent input guys. As excellent as usual

I have no hangups about using metal fasteners. They would need to be z like in shape though. There must be someone in Uk who sells em.

Anyway looks like I will have to use wooden buttons. Gonna make them on my sliding chop saw I reckon. 

All the best,Andrew


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## NigelC (24 May 2013)

Hi - I know this is an old post but did you ever manage to locate any metal table top fasteners? Thanks, Nigel


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## Jack in Nepean (6 Jun 2013)

Readily available from Lee Valley - shipping shouldn't be too dear. http://www.leevalley.com/en/hardware/page.aspx?p=40146&cat=3,41306,41309

I've been using them for years with a table saw kerf, biscuit jointer slot and lately a 3mm grooving plane in the apron. No failures - just be very careful of the length of the screw you use DAMHIKT


Cheers

Jack


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## pollys13 (3 Aug 2016)

Canvas Offset Clips
I've only been able to find larger size of square ended one in the UK
Some links for the rounded versions that should do the job.
Loadz cheaper than paying postage from the States.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Canvas-Offset- ... fset+clips

http://www.ukpictureframingsupplies.co. ... -155-p.asp

http://picturehangers.co.uk/ph3822-canv ... -pack.html


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