Small Gap Fix

[ebanks]

I have a table with breadboard ends and I have a gap between the main table and the breadboard ends. Can I put somthing into this gap that will contract and expand with the breadboard end but not crumble.
Super glue with sawdust over top?
Shellac?

[cabinetman]

That type of fix will more than likely be very noticeable. There's not much you could do to eliminate most of it. The gap may depend on how the ends were applied. The ends are primarily to cover endgrain and have crossgrain gap to allow for expansion and contraction of the table top. The fix isn't an easy one depending on where the gaps are and how large they are.

[Lance]

I am certainly no expert on this type of fix, but here are some ideas that I have heard of. They are mostly around disguising the gap by tricking/distracting the eye. I'm not sure how much you are willing to "touch" the existing table, so these may or may not appeal to you.

Simplest is to run a v-groove along the gap where the breadboard end meets the tabletop. This way you end up with a "designer gap", rather than a mistake/problem.

A variation of this is ot run a bead, either on the table side of the gap, the breadboard end side of the gap, or both. A slightly more elegant looking "designer gap".

The last would be to route a small groove/dado the length of the joint and apply an inlay. Here you are disguising the gap with contrast and color, and you might be able to minimize the size of the gap with a well fitting inlay. I remember seeing somewhere a method for doing what I'd call a half-floating inlay, which floated with one side of the joint, and somehow compensated for the wood movement a little better, but I can't remember where I saw it or how they did it.

Good Luck, and hopefully someone will chime in with better advice!! (Cabinetman has probably forgotten more about this stuff than most of us will ever learn! I've seen pics of his work, and it is beyond exceptional.)

-Lance

[cabinetman]

What might help is if you can post a picture or two so we can see what you have. Is this table one you made?

Cabinetman has probably forgotten more about this stuff than most of us will ever learn!

-Lance

It's called memory loss from age, lacquer and...Wait, what was this thread about?

[ebanks]

Yes, this is a table that I made myself.

There are three tenons that extend out of the main table and into the breadboard. Too bad the shoulders on the tenon did not match perfectly from top to bottom.

That is so aggrevating.

What you see in the picture is an attempt to fill the gap with wood filler.
The temps in january were very warm and now have been very cold. This temp change has caused some of the filler to crumble out of the gap.

[cabinetman]

I can think of many "questionable" situations like yours that had me in a dilemma to decide to try and fix or just accept the problem (as I saw it). All my dilemmas were not with just breadboard ends. At times, the fix worked pretty good and at other times everything I did just got progressively worse, and then it went bye bye across the shop.

Maybe it's time right here to talk about when to quit when you are ahead. There's an inherent beauty in hand crafted furniture that doesn't exist with production pieces. The two don't read the same. A personality went into making a custom piece. I've given the 30 second lecture to clients about why their custom built furniture should not look like it was delivered from a furniture store's showroom. In actuality it looks better and has character. What we see as craftsmen are quirks that may or may not be surmountable enough to get concerned over. I have to admit that I like standing back when I'm done and appreciate what I've created and NOT find anything I feel is discernible.

As for a fix to your breadboard ends, it looks like you're on your way to the progressive state of repair steps. When first made, the fit should have been fairly close and very smooth. There is an expected line to see because of the change of grain direction. If it concerns you that much, take it apart and refit the ends. Other than the three tenons, you didn't say how it was fastened, or how the tenons fit. You could try Lance's suggestion for a "designer gap", but realize, everything you do now you stand the chance of making it worse. In looking at the amount of fill you put in, the gap doesn't look excessively large.

I try to keep ends narrow so that there isn't a lot of leverage if pressed on or lifted. Those look fairly wide. The wider the ends are, the likelihood of a movement issue with them could affect the gap.

For all the potential problems that could exist with a solid wood glue up for the main field of a table and then do BB ends, I would rather use a hardwood plywood specie that was appropriate and do some magic with a hardwood profile of some sort as an edge.