-
yes much as I thought, the top boards are fixed to the bottom cross section not allowing for cross grain movement.
are they tongue and groove boards? I would try and remove them if possible and refit using a method which allows for them to expand/ contract. This could be as simple as oversized holes with washers to allow them to move.
pryally-
Hang on, I think I completely misread this:
This could be as simple as oversized holes with washers to allow them to move.
You mean so the top is almost floating on the fixings. See exaggerated mock up below.
I guess my concern is how you maintain strength and rigidity. The legs get their strength from the top, so weakening that connection makes the whole thing less stable. An alternative would be to make a subframe, but that would take it from a table a reasonable strong adult can move and put up to something that has to have two people.
hugo7
Here's the base.
It's not helped but the fact that it lives outdoors on its side all year*.
Don't have a belt sander, but do have a random orbital one and a plane(sp?). I don't really want to plane it too much. Anyway it just needs to be able to hold a wine glass rather than be perfect.
*not out of choice but because it's home in the shed is currently taken up with our replacement indoor doors.