Barkman Furniture uses an innovative technique we call the ‘Floating Top System’ to fasten aprons to table tops. With the use of steel z-clips, which slide freely along a groove in the aprons, this process allows the wood to move without creating any pressure.
Solid wood naturally expands and contracts due to variations in temperature and humidity in the environment. A solid wood table top can move up to 1/2″ depending on it’s size. As you can imagine, this put stress on the table top and aprons if the aprons are fastened with screws. That can cause the aprons to bow or splits to form.
The steel Z-Brackets securely hold the aprons to the top, but can move freely from side to side in the groove that is routed into the aprons. This allows the top to move separately from the aprons. The legs are fastened to the aprons with durable steel corner brackets.
The Floating Top System technique is more time consuming than using pocket hole screws, which are more common. However, we believe it is worth investing extra time to do the job right and build furniture that stays beautiful and functional for generations to come.
