<div dir="ltr">I have been thinking about your problem and was thinking about an unconventional recommendation that I saw used on some old bowling alley planks I once obtained. <div><br></div><div>I am unclear about the extent that you can disassemble the top, but there may be a way around this if dis-assembly is not in the cards. Have you considered using something like all-thread to effectively pull the various pieces together and then use big washers and nuts to provide a immovable rod to hold everything together regardless of wood movement?<div><br></div><div>If dis-assembly is an option drill center line through each piece then fish some 1/4 - 1/2 (the bigger the better) all-thread across the width/length then mechanically draw everything tightly together, covered by the finish of your choice. If dis-assembly is out, beg/borrow steal...er..buy an extended length auger bit similar to those used by electricians and plumbers to create a path for the all-thread then proceed as above. </div><div><br></div><div>Granted this is not the best solution, but it would save the basic look and material while providing some artificial stability that is obviously needed.</div><div><br></div><div>My 2.34 cents....YMMV</div><div><br></div><div>Roy</div></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sat, Feb 27, 2016 at 8:58 AM, Richard Allen via Woodworkers <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:woodworkers@lists.sawdusters.org" target="_blank">woodworkers@lists.sawdusters.org</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="auto"><div></div><div>Hi Doug,</div><div><br></div><div>I agree that there has to be some middle ground. I also like the pattern of the wood. </div><div><br></div><div>Put a coat or two of finish on the top (not to sure about filling the cracks as the wood is likely to continue swell and contract). However, covering the finished piece, cracks and all, with glass would make a nice looking bar. </div><div><br></div><div>You could fill the cracks with something flexible like silicon caulk. You should be able to get caulk in black if you like black. I might consider a bright color like red or blue to feature the cracks instead of trying to hide the cracks. Covering the top with glass gives a chance to see and celebrate the top.</div><span class=""><div><br>On Feb 26, 2016, at 8:15 PM, Doug via Woodworkers <<a href="mailto:woodworkers@lists.sawdusters.org" target="_blank">woodworkers@lists.sawdusters.org</a>> wrote:<br><br></div></span><blockquote type="cite"><div>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">So that’s it? No other suggestions? I gotta do something here
or the GF’s family is going to be pretty disappointed. They don’t know wood
movement and they all came together to get this for me because of my failing
health. My knee jerk reaction was firewood but that’s just not in the cards. I
certainly agree with Mr. Allen, I’m facing an uphill battle here but can
probably pull off something to appease the masses. Richard, please take no
offense, but I have to try something, might even put a glass top on or something.
I will for sure seal it from the back just to try to stabilize it but I’m a
little reluctant to go whole hog with the epoxy. Sure I could put a gallon of
west coast against it and may do so but I thought the list would be a little
more creative. </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Wingdings;color:#1f497d">J</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">DIAZ<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""> Woodworkers
[<a href="mailto:woodworkers-bounces@lists.sawdusters.org" target="_blank">mailto:woodworkers-bounces@lists.sawdusters.org</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Doug via
Woodworkers<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, February 25, 2016 6:04 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:woodworkers@sawdusters.org" target="_blank">woodworkers@sawdusters.org</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Woodworkers] So I was gifted this bar.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<pre><span style="color:#1f497d">My girlfriends family decided that considering my health, they would get together and give me a bar. They found this at the Brass Armadillo and as you can see, it is in less than stellar condition. I had to remove the top coat so my buddy could run the top through the big timesaver sander where he works. Naturally I had to strip the front if I ever hoped to make them match. This is a homemade piece and I’m sure the guy/girl put a lot of time into making it but unfortunately just wasn’t quite there when it came to wood choices. I have many large cracks I need to deal with. He/she even put bondo in one section. Before I saw how bad the cracks were I had thought of using epoxy and India ink to fill the gaps. I plan to make this much darker (dark walnut) to make it try to match the pieces in the place it is going. <u></u><u></u></span></pre><pre><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1f497d">My question is, since I have so many cracks to deal with, should I change my strategy and go with a filler or stick with the black epoxy? <u></u><u></u></span></pre></span><pre><image001.jpg><u></u><u></u></pre><pre><u></u> <u></u></pre><pre><image002.jpg><u></u><u></u></pre><pre><u></u> <u></u></pre><pre><image003.jpg><u></u><u></u></pre><span class=""><pre><u></u> <u></u></pre>
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</span></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>_______________________________________________</span><span class=""><br><span>Ya know, life is all about perspective; when the Titanic sank it was a miracle to the lobsters in the ship's kitchen</span><br><span><a href="mailto:Woodworkers@lists.sawdusters.org" target="_blank">Woodworkers@lists.sawdusters.org</a></span><br><span></span><br><span>To unsubscribe from this list -</span><br><span><a href="http://lists.sawdusters.org/listinfo.cgi/woodworkers-sawdusters.org" target="_blank">http://lists.sawdusters.org/listinfo.cgi/woodworkers-sawdusters.org</a></span><br></span></div></blockquote></div><br>_______________________________________________<br>
Ya know, life is all about perspective; when the Titanic sank it was a miracle to the lobsters in the ship's kitchen<br>
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