Granite and Oak

[Rolly]

I’m looking for some insight from those who may have passed this way before on a little project. I got two end tables I’m building from oak and want to use 18" square granite for each top. The granite will be framed by ¾” thick, 3” wide oak on the perimeter. The granite is 2cm = about ¾” thick. Support underneath the granite is not a problem in my table design and the top will be flush. My questions are these: What can I expect with the mating edge surfaces of granite and oak? I want the smallest seam possible where the two meet. Any ideas are welcome on how to make that gap as slight as possible. Is there a better configuration that I haven’t considered? Or maybe it's no biggie; if straight lines are cut I should be home free. Thanks for your suggestions!

[cabinetman]

Your absolute tightest joint would be to have the granite just cut and the edges were just flat. Granite and most natural stone has a very sharp edge, like glass when it's cut. Fabricators usually slightly break (grind) that sharpness off leaving it slightly rounded or chamfered. This tiny profile will be a differential when the Oak is edged to it.

You could, conceivably just use the straight cut and butt the Oak tight. All you would have then is a line. The granite may not be a smooth cut line without little chipouts, looking down on the surface, but, that's the trade off.
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[crokett]

Another thing that would help get the smallest gap possible is to have the granite finisher bevel the edges back towards the bottom slightly. This would put only the top corner of the granite in contact with the wood and it would be easier to get a tight joint.

[rnelson0]

I would expect to use shims to get it level and tight if it were a countertop. Probably the same thing here. If there's a teeny gap though, is anyone but you going to know? If your granite is level when you get it and you make straight cuts, you'll probably end up with a gap or two that only you can see, but I wouldn't worry about it unless it's a long seam. Maybe scribe it out a bit if you have to.

[JimD]

It would be a lot cheaper to use granite tile than to buy a piece of granite 18 inches square (assuming you do not have it already from something else).

I would build the top around the slap as I think Cabinetman said.

Our kitchen countertops are granite tile and the installer just butted the pieces together and then used grout that matched pretty well and you don't see the grout lines. I did the same thing on some black marble countertops of a cabinet. In both cases, the counter has an oak edge. I finished the oak throughly before grouting the tile. The guy who did the kitchen did not. You can easily tell.

Jim