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Butterfly Key for tabletop - length and thickness?

gbarron1's picture

Butterfly Key for tabletop - length and thickness? (post #169549)

gbarron1 on Mon, 01/02/2012 - 20:39
in

I have a large maple slab about 2 1/2" thick I'm going to use for a tabletop. The tapers into a "Y" shape with a 45" long crack through the entire thickness.  Should I make the butterflies the entire thickness of the slab? Or place thinner keys in the top and bottom of the piece? Also the "Y" tapers pretty far apart so I may need to make them long - at least 7" or so? What problems could this cause in terms of the wood movement? Also, I bought a template but don't like the looks of the longer keys - too wide. Has anyone seen a template for long narrow keys?   This is my first attempt at cutting keys so any advice is welcome.  

Thanks,

-A +A
RalphBarker's picture

a suggestion (post #169549, reply #1 of 1)

by RalphBarker in reply to gbarron1 [original] on Tue, 01/03/2012 - 10:09

Rather than marring the surface with the addition of one or more butterflies/dutchmen, how about cutting a groove across the span of the split on the underside and a "well" at both ends to accommodate a piece of threaded rod and and nuts and washers at either end?