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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by D_Davis ...And if whay you say is correct and my table top is contracting why are my gaps getting bigger??? .It seems that if the table was contracting the rail would buckle. [/quote] There is a little confusion. Yes, if the benchwork was contracting, then the gaps would get smaller, not bigger. The point that everyone is trying to make is that the metal rails only expand/contract very slightly, and they are only affected by temperature. Wood benchwork will expand and contract more significantly, not only due to temperature, but also due to humidity. If you live in an area that is more humid during the winter than the summer (or if your house's environment is such that it is more humid in the winter than the summer), the benchwork could be expanding due to the humidity. Also, the different pieces of the benchwork might be shifting in different directions, and so even shrinkage might be shifting the trackage in such a way that the gaps are getting bigger, not smaller. Whatever reason, look to the benchwork as the culprit of practically all of the expansion/contraction. ---jps
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