Oak wood table top and steel legs


  #1  
Old 03-07-19, 01:05 AM
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Oak wood table top and steel legs

I am trying to figure out a proper way to attach these two together. Legs are going to be mounted closer to the ends of the tabletop. I am generally worried about the table top cracking after some time or at the time of screwing the screws in.

From my research on wood table tops I have found out that I should take into count the fact that wood expands/contracts depending on the humidity inside your home (and humidity changes when season changes). I assume that in my particular case I shouldn't worry about the wood expanding in length because there are no restrictions there but I should worry about it expanding in width since the legs do restrict the movement.

Questions:
  • If I enlarge the pre-drilled mounting holes to allow for that movement and put a washer over it and and screw the screw through the washer and don't screw it all the way so it's not too tight, will it work as a long term solution?
  • To avoid cracking when initially screwing the screws - should I pre drill holes for the screws beforehand?
  • How far from the ends should the legs be (To avoid initial crack when screwing)?
  • How far from the sides should the legs be? Looks like the mounting points for the legs are about 3-4 cm from the ends of the legs. This would determine the overall width of the legs I want to use.

Should I be worried about the table top bending over time as well? Maybe some suggestions on how to reinforce it to avoid bending (if it's even a thing). I had a thought of a single box section steel (similar to how the legs are made) tube going through the middle and supporting it that way.

Table will not be used to hold heavy items. A pc monitor, some documents, keyboard and mouse. + 10kg for safety.

Additional Information.
Table top:
Size (length x width x thickness) - 186cm x 62cm x 3.8cm
Example picture - (the individual planks/boards are joined the same way in my tabletop as well)
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Legs:
They are made from 7.5cm x 2.5cm box section steel
Size (height x width) - this is still on question but - 72cm x 50cm | 72cm x 60cm
Example picture -
Name:  il_fullxfull.1593391310_eukd.jpg
Views: 202
Size:  159.1 KB
Total amount of mounting points - 6 (general placement of them seen in the below picture).
Name:  il_fullxfull.1640825795_1cow.jpg
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Size:  307.5 KB
 

Last edited by salaveciic; 03-07-19 at 01:38 AM. Reason: fixed pictures and formatting
  #2  
Old 03-07-19, 01:31 AM
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Your pictures of the legs/attachments are too small to see the detail but most large tables have some type of frame or structure under the top that supports the top and allows the legs to be attached vs attaching the legs directly to the top itself!
 
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Old 03-07-19, 02:49 AM
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Fixed pictures. Hope that clarifies my intentions.
 
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Old 03-07-19, 03:03 AM
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I would think at a bare minimum you want to add wood to the bottom of the top to secure the legs to - a little bit bigger than the legs and mount the legs to it. One of the reasons for building a 'frame' under the top is to make the top stronger.
 
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Old 03-07-19, 04:47 AM
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I agree. Since your table top is rather thin it would be best to add some wood strips under the top to provide more thickness for the leg mounting screws to bite into. Your reinforcing wood strips can be glued and held in place with short screws. Then you can mount your legs with longer screws. Just make sure you measure your screw lengths to make sure they don't penetrate through the table top. It's also a good idea to pilot drill the screw holes in your table top to help prevent splitting and cracking the top.
 
 

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