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I want to make a counter for my craft top island (sewing room) out of poplar, that I'm designing. Everything has to be made in the area as it's an attic and has narrow stairs. If I kreg jig it all together and then sand it down a bit will there be any noticeable grooves? I trace a lot of patterns and would like the surface to be smooth.

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Depending  on how wide your top  is , you can make sure all the edges are true and flat !!!  Then drill your pocket holes at 6 " centers , starting at 2" from end of board !!   Make sure all your boards are the same thickness , then clamp the boards down flat and together !! You should then be able to sand the top down , just take your time !!! Hope this helps , JIM

You could always cover it with HPL (high pressure laminate, aka Formica) when finished. The laminate can be rolled up to get it up there.


Thanks for the quick replies :)

I did kreg jig my kids bench seat together and it looks good but I'm wondering if I see gaps because I used furring strips (which aren't exactly the same dimensions and they had a slight bevel to them). Should I also be gluing the joints together and kreg jigging it as well? oh and then once smooth will the poly fill any slight gaps (if any) if I do so many coats of it?


james wilhelm said:

Depending  on how wide your top  is , you can make sure all the edges are true and flat !!!  Then drill your pocket holes at 6 " centers , starting at 2" from end of board !!   Make sure all your boards are the same thickness , then clamp the boards down flat and together !! You should then be able to sand the top down , just take your time !!! Hope this helps , JIM

Rather than polyurethane, you might consider polyester. It will go on in thicker coats and is self-leveling. I've not looked there yet, but I'm told you can find it at Lowes or Home Depot. I know you can find it at Michaels or Hobby Lobby. I've been looking into it for pen turning, but the labeling specifically references table tops.

thanks...i'll look into this. Do you know if you sand between coats? and how many coats would you put on?

Hugh Clare said:

Rather than polyurethane, you might consider polyester. It will go on in thicker coats and is self-leveling. I've not looked there yet, but I'm told you can find it at Lowes or Home Depot. I know you can find it at Michaels or Hobby Lobby. I've been looking into it for pen turning, but the labeling specifically references table tops.

If the edges of your boards are straight and square to the faces, you should be able to construct a top without gaps--or at least with relatively few. Usually, 1x (3/4" thick) poplar, oak, etc. will be milled so the edges are sharp and relatively straight/flat.

Here are a few tips for assembly:

Lay the boards good face down (the face that will be the top facing down).

Drill your pocket holes in one of each pair of matching boards as James suggested.

Clamp a pair of boards together making sure that the faces are flat at the joint--you can tap them with a hammer to align the faces if necessary. You can also add glue if you want before clamping them. I like adding glue to keep the boards from moving with seasonal humidity changes over the long term. Either way, the idea is to draw the edges together tightly.

Then drive in the screws.

If you have long clamps, you can keep adding on a board at a time the same way. Or, keep gluing up pairs, and then eventually join the pairs together to complete the top.

To address some of the other questions raised here:

Any time you are working with 1x2, 2x2, 2x4, etc. construction boards, those usually have rounded over edges. If you really want to eliminate them, the best way is to trim each board down by about 1/8" to 1/4" on each edge to cut off the roundover and to straighten out the edges. Unfortunately, the only great way to do that is with a table saw.

If you don't have a table saw, you can glue the boards up as is, and then use a high-build finish, as suggested here, to help fill in the "valleys" between boards. It will take a lot of coats, though.

You can also sand everything flat, but be prepared for a lot of sanding--you'd really need a belt sander with coarse grit paper to take off that much material. Then you can sand everything smooth with progressively finer grits.

KregRep

thanks so much for the information :) 

KregRep said:

If the edges of your boards are straight and square to the faces, you should be able to construct a top without gaps--or at least with relatively few. Usually, 1x (3/4" thick) poplar, oak, etc. will be milled so the edges are sharp and relatively straight/flat.

Here are a few tips for assembly:

Lay the boards good face down (the face that will be the top facing down).

Drill your pocket holes in one of each pair of matching boards as James suggested.

Clamp a pair of boards together making sure that the faces are flat at the joint--you can tap them with a hammer to align the faces if necessary. You can also add glue if you want before clamping them. I like adding glue to keep the boards from moving with seasonal humidity changes over the long term. Either way, the idea is to draw the edges together tightly.

Then drive in the screws.

If you have long clamps, you can keep adding on a board at a time the same way. Or, keep gluing up pairs, and then eventually join the pairs together to complete the top.

To address some of the other questions raised here:

Any time you are working with 1x2, 2x2, 2x4, etc. construction boards, those usually have rounded over edges. If you really want to eliminate them, the best way is to trim each board down by about 1/8" to 1/4" on each edge to cut off the roundover and to straighten out the edges. Unfortunately, the only great way to do that is with a table saw.

If you don't have a table saw, you can glue the boards up as is, and then use a high-build finish, as suggested here, to help fill in the "valleys" between boards. It will take a lot of coats, though.

You can also sand everything flat, but be prepared for a lot of sanding--you'd really need a belt sander with coarse grit paper to take off that much material. Then you can sand everything smooth with progressively finer grits.

KregRep

I don't recall the instructions calling for sanding. I know the amount of activator changes with successive coats. The number of coats would probably be determined by the size of your "imperfections". One of our local Mexican restaurants has carved table tops that are filled with polyester to make them smooth.

angel eyes said:

thanks...i'll look into this. Do you know if you sand between coats? and how many coats would you put on?

Hugh Clare said:

Rather than polyurethane, you might consider polyester. It will go on in thicker coats and is self-leveling. I've not looked there yet, but I'm told you can find it at Lowes or Home Depot. I know you can find it at Michaels or Hobby Lobby. I've been looking into it for pen turning, but the labeling specifically references table tops.

I have used biscuits together with pocket holes for table tops.  The biscuits align the boards and the screws do the clamping while the glue sets.

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