Filling a gap

[kingcod]

Bit of a beginners question:

I'm reusing some IKEA remnant dining table tops to make counter tops. Its a thick block of pine with a dark stain.

Having cut them to size I am left with a half mill gap in the join (my handplaning skills aren't up to better!), plus a half mill level difference across one of the joins 9likewise with my biscuit joint).

How should I treat this ? For the gap I was thinking of a filler such as Brummer Stopping Interior from Axminster with an ebony stain. For the difference in height some careful smoothing plane. Make good with some stain to match and maybe a varnish over?





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[Karl]

Hi

For the difference in levels, can you not place some pieces of card or such like underneath the lower 'top (in between top and carcass) to shim it up closer to the level of the other 'top.

The gap in-between the two tops - is that 'cos you're planing is not straight? Got a router and a straight edge? You could use that to give you a nice clean edge to get a tighter joint. If not, then some filler in between the 'tops won't look too bad, but if you can get the gap smaller, then it'll look much better.

Cheers

Karl

 

[Sportique]

I'm with Karl - please don't use a plane to bring the tops level - you will NEVER match the colour :shock: . Shim it instead.

Dave

 

[andycktm]

You not seen these before kingcod!

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro ... 9&ts=68358

 

[Anonymous]

Regarding the gap you can use the worktop jointing mastic to hide that .

 

[Benchwayze]

Can't you move the left hand part towards the gap to close it? If so, then wedge it tight with a spot of exterior glue (or biscuits even) in the gap. When the glue is dry, remove the wedge and use mastic sealer all round the top.

And I second the 'DON'T PLANE' post. Shim it!


HTH


John

 

[SBJ]

Just a quick question - are these solid timber boards, and is the grain running from the front to the back of the units? If that is the case you might run into some problems with timber movement and might want to reveiw your plan.

 

[porker]

You mentioned in the earlier post about biscuit joints. Do you have a biscuit joiner? If so I would have thought that a couple of biscuits would give a good registration assuming both parts are the same thickness and as the others have said shim underneath to support.

 

[kingcod]

So I should reveal that a few of the potential solutions that are NOT now possible having already glued and pocket holed the counter top to the base :roll:

the timber does run front to back. What movement might I expect?

This joint was also the last piece to fit in so biscuit joints were not possible as I had to just drop the piece in and fix from the bottom (its hemmed in at both ends by walls). I did consider the worktop clamps but forgot that the last bit would not be possible to close up by glueing and clamping as I had done with the other sections.

Amongst many lessons to learn is to rout the edge rather than plane it.

Looks like its mastic / filler coloured up somehow?

 

[SBJ]

Basically, timber moves with climate/humidity changes (think about a door that works fine in the summer but swells up and binds in the winter). When it moves, it moves perpendicularly to the grain. Most wooden worktops that you see will be fixed in one place (the back) an allowed to move at the front edge. If you fix both front and back edges you run the risk if the worktop splitting.

Normal worktops are 600mm wide and can move upto 8/10mm, what you have got looks like 1200mm/1500mm???? so you might expect some movement across the width and your fixings should allow for this.

 

[miles_hot]

Can you not remove the pocket screws and zap the joint with a circular saw / jigs saw held to a straight edge. this will cause the far end of the thinner work top to be away from the far wall but you can hide that with an edging piece. You can then use the suggestions made to make a proper joint. The fact that you have to hide something at the far end will be a lot less apparent than some bodge in the middle of the work top run.

Miles