Fixing a wooden table

Claymore

Claymore

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Any ideas for fixing a gap between the planks on a large wooden table? It's a little too large to patch with wood filler.

IMG_20220830_130142.jpg
 
StrongestAvenger said:
Your best (and only) solution imo is to take it apart, resaw the edges of the top planks to remove old filler which will also straighten the edges. Then join them again with Alcolin ultra or similar high quality glue. Using clamps of course to join them edge to edge.

Now for the important part. The table top and the frame must be joined by using slotted supports. This will allow the top to expand/contract with inevitable seasonal wood movement. Do this properly and you will never see gaps again between the boards again.

Sand, stain and seal with your favorite colours. The colour you have currently appears to be antique oak stain on pine. Judging by the growth rings it might be oregan pine which his a high value timber so if you do it properly it will be a great furniture piece to be very proud of.

Please don't resin it, everyone is doing it right now and it will be out of fashion very soon in my humble opinion. Resin is like the "live laugh love" of woodworking.

It sounds like a lot of work. Because it is!
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It's oregan pine. I have a coffee table similar. Made it from an old kitchen table.
 
I can see someone attacked the top with an angle grinder, is it really worth being precious with this piece, just leave the crack as is or fill it, I wouldn’t bother trying to make it perfect.

Show us a pic of how the full table looks to better gauge what’s going on.
 
Thanks everyone. Hoping for quick fixes here. I'll post a pic later of the full table; we bought it with the house.
 
I saw this on Friday and decided to take time to apply my mind, thus I reserved judgement opinion until today. Oregon pine is beautiful, and this one looks very solid, may have started its life as floorboards. .

Why does the gap bother you?

It has a lot of character, and trying to make it look new is a huge task, which will result in, well, a functional table, but a table with less charm, and lesser value. Once the gap is fixed, you will want to resurface the top for a mirror finish. And then the next flaw will jump out at you. An so on, so it will be the never-ending project.

If you are concerned about food and other things going into the gap, then use a filler, but apply multiple thin layers and build it up.

After that, all I would do is give it a light sand and use an eggshell varnish, no stain needed. Enjoy it for what it is, a charming and rustic family kitchen table. Rather get some nice oregon riempie chairs for it.
 
If there aren’t any signs of nails or screws in the wood you could set up a fence and use a router to clear out and widen the gap and then glue in a replacement strip of Oregon pine, it may be a bit of a challenge to find a close matching piece though.

I’d also vote for leaving it as is or use filler.
 
airborne said:
If there aren’t any signs of nails or screws in the wood you could set up a fence and use a router to clear out and widen the gap and then glue in a replacement strip of Oregon pine, it may be a bit of a challenge to find a close matching piece though.

I’d also vote for leaving it as is or use filler.
Click to expand...
That's a good option too.
 
Another option, sort of a combination of the above...
  1. Find someone with a drum sander, get the top flattened
  2. Cut through the table with a router along the gap, make sure to use a long enough straight edge. You shouldn't need too large of a router bit by the looks of it
  3. Laminate both pieces of the table back together
  4. Reapply finish
 
Just noticed, you can still see all the machining marks on the sides and the top of the table from whatever planer was used. You definitely want to sand that whole thing down, in my opinion
 
RedViking said:
If it was me. I will take the top apart. Sand and join it properly.

Could strengthen with some steel brackets, flat bar below as well.

Can try cleaning the split and then fill it with wood glue and then clamp it.
Click to expand...
This.
 
Do you have other little holes in the table like the one bottom right in the first pic?
Could be woodworm but difficult to tell.
 
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