I’m making a serving cart for my wife.  It’s made from walnut with a 6/4 hard maple top.  I would like to completely wrap the maple top with walnut, but I’m concerned about the end grain of the maple moving and damaging the walnut.  So, I guess my question is...can I do this?  Or would I need to do a bread board on each end of the maple top?  It would be nice to wrap the maple without the bread board ends, which is what I would prefer.  Any thoughts for this amateur?

How thick is the maple top ?

Paul

10 hours ago, Masonsailor said:

How thick is the maple top ?

Paul

The top is 13/4 thick.

Maple and walnut are similar enough in hardness and expansion contraction you can get away with it. You can either end cap the maple at the end grain with a piece of maple and then wrap with the walnut or you can cut a fairly deep dado into the end grain and glue in a piece of 3/4” maple to stabilize the end grain and then wrap with the walnut. The latter is my preferred method because it keeps the clean look of the butcher block maple or end grain maple wrapped with the contrasting wood. If my description doesn’t make sense let me know and I will do a quick drawing. 
Paul

53 minutes ago, Masonsailor said:

Maple and walnut are similar enough in hardness and expansion contraction you can get away with it. You can either end cap the maple at the end grain with a piece of maple and then wrap with the walnut or you can cut a fairly deep dado into the end grain and glue in a piece of 3/4” maple to stabilize the end grain and then wrap with the walnut. The latter is my preferred method because it keeps the clean look of the butcher block maple or end grain maple wrapped with the contrasting wood. If my description doesn’t make sense let me know and I will do a quick drawing. 
Paul

I “think” I know what you mean about the dado in the end grain.  Would I just insert the piece of maple flush with the end grain...?

I think this is what you mean. (sorry, my hand shakes a little so the drawing isn’t very good.)

This is hard maple, I don’t think I mentioned that.

Edited March 18, 20215 yr by Pauley

Yes that’s the technique I prefer. 
Paul

1 hour ago, Masonsailor said:

Yes that’s the technique I prefer. 
Paul

Awesome.  When I put the maple into the dado, the side gain out...?  Correct?

Do not glue side grain strip into end grain. You can glue the middle or pin the back .

21 minutes ago, Gerald said:

Do not glue side grain strip into end grain. You can glue the middle or pin the back .

Thanks Gerald.  Once I do that, I’m going to wrap walnut around the maple top.