I'm working on gluing up the top for a dining table that's 72 inches long. I'm unsure how many clamps I should use for this project. I currently own four clamps and I'm using small dowels between each board for extra strength. Do the dowels affect how many clamps I need to use?
3 Answers
For a 72" glue up, I usually go with 7 clamps, spaced about every 10 inches. I suggest you skip the dowels; they usually aren't needed. Just make sure everything is lined up when you're dry-fitting it. It’s good practice to use something flat to work on while aligning your boards.
If your boards fit together nicely and are well-jointed, I'd say you could get away with using 5 or maybe 6 clamps. But hey, just my two cents—I'm no expert!
I just completed a 72" table top glue up yesterday and managed to do it with 5 clamps. I'm hoping that’s about the right number! I've had good luck with that amount before, and it feels manageable.
Great tip about using cauls for a flat surface! I agree, having 2 cauls will need at least 4 clamps, so keep that in mind while planning! If you're short on clamps, maybe borrow some from a buddy. They’re often just collecting dust!