We've covered 'how to stain an Oak dining room table'... I would love
to refinish our dining room table but the leaf has cupped and I'm not
sure of the best way to fix it before I move to refinishing it. Should
I scrap the leaf and build a new one. It is not very big; about 4'-0"
x 1'-0" x 3/4" I could join and work some oak boards to match the
original piece but this leads to another stain question - which I'm
less comfortable with. How do I get the new leaf to match the original
wood table after I strip everything down?
if you choose not to rip and re-glue and go with the clamp method, if
the under cup side is not finished moisten with water this will cause
the wood to expand on one side. you will have to take a little time and
may have to reapply a couple times to let the water soak in a little
this works, iv'e done it
ross
[email protected] wrote:
> We've covered 'how to stain an Oak dining room table'... I would
> love to refinish our dining room table but the leaf has cupped and
> I'm not
Make several table saw cuts on the back side and along the length, at
about .3/4" intervals, that cut slightly
over 3/8" deep (assuming the leaf is 3/4" thick).
Fabricate 4 or 6 little cross braces to lag bolt across the width of the
back. 1 on each end and 2 or four evenly distributed. Be sure that the
cross braces miss the expansion rails of the table before deciding where
the braces go.
You might want to tighten these braces a little at a time over a period
of a couple weeks so as not to bust the board.
Good Luck, DoubleD
On 20 Sep 2006 16:13:48 -0700, "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>We've covered 'how to stain an Oak dining room table'... I would love
>to refinish our dining room table but the leaf has cupped and I'm not
>sure of the best way to fix it before I move to refinishing it. Should
>I scrap the leaf and build a new one. It is not very big; about 4'-0"
>x 1'-0" x 3/4" I could join and work some oak boards to match the
>original piece but this leads to another stain question - which I'm
>less comfortable with. How do I get the new leaf to match the original
>wood table after I strip everything down?
Is one side of the leaf finished and the other unfinished? If so, try
removing the finish and then clamping it flat with boards running
across the cup. It may just be out of balance due to humidity
changes, this will let it equalize. Leave it in the clamps for a week
or two and then see what happens.
If the table isn't finished on the underside, then it's wanting to
cup right now too, but structure of the table is preventing it.
Remove the finish from the top and let it sit for a week or two before
you take it off the supporting structure.
When you refinish, make sure you apply the same finish to both sides.
-Leuf