Joining oak worktops

If by wood glue you mean PVA then this isn't a good idea.

 

Oil well before jointing. Make sure all cuts are well oiled. No need for glue as the tops are solid right through. Use biscuits or spiked joiners. Then keep well oiled. And then oil some more. When you are fed up give the tops one last coat of oil.

 

I always oil the underside first with 3 coats of danish oil , then once they have been fitted give it all a sand over working down the grades. Mark the faces using a pencil, there is usually one better face with hardwood worktops.

Make sure that the joining edges are straight, as sometimes they need straightening up to make sure that once clamped there will only be a very thin visible glue line once set. I have used titebond wood glue (weatherproof) with good results.

Best to use dog bone connectors (3 for 620mm worktops).

Make sure that danish oil doesn't get onto the gluing edges as it wont form a good bond (oil being resistant).

Once you begin clamping the connectors, the glue will ooze out, have a handy wet cloth to wipe away any excess.

 

Oooooh, 2 completely different answers from 2 pro's

I can see the justification and merit in both approaches, but darned if I know which is the 'right' one.

 

If you decide to go the 'no-glue' route, then definitely go the 'saturated-oil' way instead, pre and post jointing

I think Metro has made quite clear just how important that is.

In either case, however, the homeowner would have to be careless to allow water to pool over where joints are in any type of worktop - the tighter the joint, the greater the capillary action - one teeny, weeny, itsy beeny, neeny l'il gap - and you're fluffed.

So make sure the joint is fully saturated with oil after fitting too - add more and more until no more gets drawn in.

 

My mum's oak top which was fitted about 3 years ago, has started splitting/seperating at the laminations (stave joints).

It is around the sink area, solid oak tops look good but require regular maintenance.

 

Just don't have solid wood worktops full stop.

 

Just had a look at the installation instructions that were provided with my walnut worktop.

It mentions that 3 standard worktop bolts to be used per each joint. Seal the end grain at both sides of the joint with an appropriate sealer such as MitreSeal before making the joint. Seal the joint with sealer when the parts are finally tightened.