Solid wood worktop joints, to glue or not to glue?....

[kayak23]

I'm not really a kitchen fitter, I'm a furniture maker, but as you do, I have been fitting a kitchen for my Mum.

It has a solid Oak worktop, in which I have cut a 90 degree butt and scribe joint.

Normally, I would worry about movement gluing two parts like this together with opposing grain direction and splitting the joint. Am I right to worry?

I was thinking maybe of using dry biscuit joints in addition to the connector bolts and just gluing the joint at about the first 30mm at the front, thus allowing the joint to move but keeping it positioned at the front.
Good idea?

Basically, has anyone glued a joint before, what sort of glue did you use, or should I avoid gluing it altogether as my senses tell me to do...
Thanks.
OL

 

[jasonB]

I don't glue solid wood tops, just oil them up including underside & cut edges first then a small bead of clear silicon along the top edge as you bolt up the joint to keep any water out. I also biscuit the joint to help resist any cupping.

Unless you have a moulded edge to your tops its usual to just butt them, a scribed joint like you get from a worktop jig can open at the mitre.

Jason

 

[kayak23]

Unless you have a moulded edge to your tops its usual to just butt them, a scribed joint like you get from a worktop jig can open at the mitre.

I agree, gluing at the front edge only, about 20-30mm should prevent this while still allowing movement across the rest of the width...

 

[ike]

Silicone bead along top edge as said. But still seal whole end grain for a belt and braces job :wink:

 

[chaffinch joinery]

I've never butt and scribed solid wood joints, just oiled end grain and butted up dry using bolts never had any bother!

 

[MrYorke]

You don't butt & scribe solid wood worktops as others have said. Just a simple butt joint

 

[andersonec]

Silicone is flexible and will allow the sideways movement of the end grain, it will also seal the end to stop ingress of water, this is a no no because the lack of air in the joint will not allow the moisture to dry out and we all know what that will lead to. If not then at least seal the end grain with a couple coats of PVA, this is a must.

If it's a square edged top then butt it up and run a 1/2 or 1/4 inch bearing guided router cutter round the top edge.

Andy