How big of gap acceptable for glue ups?

[niki]

Hi Icm1947 and Omar

Depends on the “Bit/Base edge distance” of your router, mine is 2-1/4” with 3/8” bit diameter.
If you will use bigger bit diameter, the “Bit/Base distance will de smaller (better for narrower boards).

You can try to joint two boards from the “U” side and put them on flat surface, If they are at 90* to each other, your router base is at 90* to the bit and you can joint all the boards from the same “U” side.
If they are not at 90*, you shall have to joint in the “U” and “D” method.

My straight edge is 2-3/16” wide, you can use wider.

Its all on the pictures, only one note; after you clamp the straight edge to the boards and the bench, check that the board cannot move (it should not, but to be on the safe side…).

Regards
niki

[niki]

[niki]

[lcm1947]

Thanks everybody for the tips, suggestions, advice and Niki for the fine tutorial. Armed with all this info and ideas I should be turning out a table top sooner or later. Later because it'll take a while to try them all out. I appreciate all the effort in helping me out though. You guys are great! The one thing that I can't try or eliminate however is that I don't have a planer so won't be able to plane the face of the boards and I worry about this but nothing I can do about that except buy a planer which sure won't happen this close to Christmas. Again thank you gentlemen. I let you know when my top gets done and will even post a picture for your amusement. Niki I do have a question for you if you don't mind. In one of your picture you state " As you can see the upper board is a little bit cambered. I will correct it while gluing (with Cauls) ". What do you mean " with Cauls "? Is that a piece of wood glued underneath the two boards to make them both level/flat to one another?

[niki]

Hi Icm1947

“Cauls” are just two to pieces of wood used during the panel glue-up to keep the boards flat.

You put one under and one over the boards and clamp them. This will press the boards and if the boards are cambered, it will straighten them. They also hold the panel glue-up flat while the glue is curing.

Have a look here, instead of bolt and wing nut, you can use clamps to hold the cauls (he calls them Pressure Bars).
http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/etip021206sn.html

niki

[lcm1947]

Thanks Niki. Well you learn something new everyday. Makes a lot of sense and I had wondered in the past how one kept the boards from moving and flipping up. Appreciate it.