Shrinking, bending and cracking are the main problems of solid wood when we want to use it for wide areas like top table. That's one reason the engineered wood like plywood, MDF, particle board were made. Often we received questions about how to make a solid wood dining table top with a flat surface. People normally make a table top using some planks with groove or gap in between to give 'space' for wood to move.
The risk of deformation by making a wide area from solid wood is quite high, but if in the process we do it with the right and proper steps, there is a simple solution that could help.
In some cases, manufacturers use finger join or tongue and groove construction. This method is effective and precise, but there is a slight drawback that the joins can only be done at a maximum of 25cm of timber width, and maximum of 80cm top table width to reduce the risk of warping. Although that would be depends on the thickness of your planks.
I got an opportunity to visit a furniture factory weeks ago, in the production area, we saw workers are processing a dining table top in solid Acacia wood. I think they use a very good and simple method to reduce the risk of warping on the table top. They make some grooves 3-4 mm wide at the bottom of the table top in the direction of the wood grain.
This groove serves as a gap when the wood moves due to shrinkage so the wood fibers don't pull on each other. In addition, as reinforcement, some wood rail supports are also added at a vertical position across the direction of the wood grain.
This method has been done for years and according to observations from the samples they have in the warehouse and tested product outdoor, it turns out that they are still in good condition.
The most difficult part of this process is how to join the wooden planks with one meter wide. They created a special assembling tool. After that, the grooves are made approximately 25 cm apart by using a circle saw.
If you are currently experiencing the same problem, you may try this method and check if you will get satisfactory result.
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