Making a table top without a surface planer or a table saw

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Hi,
I am in the process of building a coffee table and now need to make the top (1500mm x 1300mm, with a 100mm overhang).

I intend to us three pieces of 18mm pine board, and am hoping that I can get away without using a surface planer or table saw.

My plan is to use a track saw, putting the boards together and then running the track saw along the joint to get them parallel. I'll then glue them, and then hand plane/sand the top to get it level.

I'd just like to get your thoughts on the above plan, and also specifically whether

1) I need to add dowels, or whether glue should be sufficient
2) Whether these clamps look like they would be substantial enough for clamping the top while the glue dries

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dapetz®-Quick-Release-Clamps-1500mm/dp/B08152XSW6

As always, any thoughts would be much appreciated.
 
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18mm are too thin, they will curl all over the place after time, go for some 6 x 2 glued together to give a chunkier more solid appearance
 
Ever heard of hand planes?

Thanks. I do have an electric hand plane, which I intended to use, along with a sander to level the top, if needed, but my concern is getting the edges of the boards perfectly parallel for joining. Everybody I see doing it online seems to either use a surface planer or a table saw. I did find a video from one guy who was doing it with a track saw, using the method I mentioned.

are you talking about engineered boards with staves or full width planks ??

I was actually intending to use these

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-General-Purpose-Pine-Timberboard---18-x-600mm/p/9000033768

I've used them before for shelving and the uniformity is generally pretty good so I though they might be a good start point.

The edges are not square so would need to be squared anyway, but that isn't a problem if I need to saw them already to get them parallel.

18mm are too thin, they will curl all over the place after time, go for some 6 x 2 glued together to give a chunkier more solid appearance

Thanks. I was hoping for somebody a little less chunky. Wickes do 28mm boards of the same time, although I have read elsewhere of people being happy with 3/4 inch, although it is my main concern in terms of the materials.

Each board would be fixed at approx 370mm centres on 2x4 which make up the frame.
 
That’s a huge top for a coffee table and will look totally out of proportion with a thin top.
Power plane will not be suitable.

Yes, it is quite large, and high, for a coffee table.

It is designed to sit in an area with sofas on three sides, to be used as a coffee table, but also a table for the kids to work and play on, and is 600mm high (to the underside of the table top).

Perhaps from a proportion point of view I should be looking at something thicker. What do you reckon would be the minimum thick that would look OK (frame, which is hidden is made of 89mm x 38mm). I used 59mm x 38mm for the legs, but I can switch those out easily if they ended up looking a bit thin.
 
Thanks. I do have an electric hand plane, which I intended to use, along with a sander to level the top, if needed, but my concern is getting the edges of the boards perfectly parallel for joining.
I specifically stated hand planes (e.g jack planes, fore planes, try/jointer planes, etc) NOT a power planer because whilst power planers are useful for some tasks, like shooting in doors (although even there a block plane is necessary), they are bloody useless for any form of accurate surfacing and edge jointing. The best edge jointing is done using planed edges (hand plane or jointer/overhand planer), but just bear in mind that however you approach this there will almost always be a difference in height between the boards which can be best planed out with a jack plane.

As far as clamping goes it is possible to make your own using 3 x 2 CLS and home made wedges

Everybody I see doing it online seems to either use a surface planer or a table saw. I did find a video from one guy who was doing it with a track saw, using the method I mentioned.
Don't tell me, loads of dumb videos by dumb, talentless, skill-free Yanks?

Pretty much all you want to do can be done with a properly fettled jack plane. It's really not that much of a skill to learn

Like others, I think your proportions are a bit off and that the top needs to be thicket, if only at the edges (for visual effect)
 
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have used loads off timber board type staved board very stable but i would only ever use a full width or less when you get above 600 you need an edge or a chunkier board as others have said
i like using old and new scaffold boards much more interesting than than pine boards that are 9" 228mm so 5 wide would do you all but 6"/153mm
i wouldnt have a 100mm overlap withought grain support from side to side anything above 50mm /2" is liable to march
 
As far as clamping goes it is possible to make your own using 3 x 2 CLS and home made wedges

Thanks. I'll have a look at that.

Pretty much all you want to do can be done with a properly fettled jack plane. It's really not that much of a skill to learn

Like others, I think your proportions are a bit off and that the top needs to be thicket, if only at the edges (for visual effect)

OK, thanks I will give it a go. Looks like I will be switching to scaffold boards which might be a bit cheaper to practice on.

have used loads off timber board type staved board very stable but i would only ever use a full width or less when you get above 600 you need an edge or a chunkier board as others have said
i like using old and new scaffold boards much more interesting than than pine boards that are 9" 228mm so 5 wide would do you all but 6"/153mm
i wouldnt have a 100mm overlap withought grain support from side to side anything above 50mm /2" is liable to march

Thanks. I had looked at scaffold boards as an alternative, and I quite like the idea, so I think I will give it a go.

Looks like a couple of weeks lead time from Wickes, and even longer from my local builders merchant, but I'm not in a huge rush (I have a bit of ply stuck on top at the moment, but even that is much better than the previous table).
 
OSB can make a great table top. And is popular among top designers.

bailey-1.jpg
 
as a matter off interest is the base a fairly standard oblong about 120-150mm smaller than the top you are after ??
 
as a matter off interest is the base a fairly standard oblong about 120-150mm smaller than the top you are after ??

The base is constructed as below (just 50mm longer than wider, and I had originally intended on overhanging by 100mm each side. It is constructed using 2x4 screwed together, with 2x3 legs (in red) bolted to the longer side.

 
on thinner material you would have slots to allow expansion and contraction off the top on say scaffold boards store the board iff possible for several weeks in the room to be used before assembly to minimise movement
to be honest you can clamp and glue scaffold boards but often you can get a more interesting individual top with a free flowing loose top where the odd 2 or 3mm gap can appear as a more interesting less polished top(y):D
 
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