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I would like to screw this solid wood tabletop (the long one in the back, it's beech wood)

enter image description here

onto this steel frame.

enter image description here

The slab's dimensions are going to be 200 x 80 cm. I read that "wood moves", so I would have to screw the table top on in a way that allows for movement.

The problem is that none of the methods that I've read about that allow for movement are compatible with the screw holes facing up in the frame. enter image description here

How can I solve this? Should I worry about movement for this type of tabletop at all or can I just screw it fixed?

Here's another photo of how the wood is supposed to look after it's been oiled: enter image description here

Zoltán
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  • Does it have an OSB backing? If so, it may not shrink much. In any event, wood does not shrink along the grain. It shrinks and expands perpendicular to the grain. If that helps you any. – mkeith Apr 02 '17 at 01:12

1 Answers1

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What do the purveyors of this table top say about mounting? If it might be a problem, one could consider straps which go over the metal frame and are attached to the underside of the table with two screws for each strap.

Personally, I would just mount it as shown in the picture and see how it performs. You could leave the table top in its intended location lying on the metal base, unattached, for a week or so to allow it to stabilize to the ambient temperature and (especially) humidity . Then drive the screws just barely snug for a month or so and only then tighten to full snug, but not hard tight. It looks like the screws shown have a little wiggle room in the holes in the metal frame.

Edit You could consider using heavy, large flat washers between the heads of the screws and the metal frame so that the heads of the screws don't bite into the metal frame and so resist sliding.

Jim Stewart
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