How to Attach a Tabletop / Z-Clip Tabletop Fasteners

Wondering how to attach a tabletop? Z-clips, or tabletop fasteners, are one of the quickest and easiest way to do it.
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[@benr8772]

A quick additional tip; I know we woodworkers never make mistakes, but should one somehow forget to add the kerf in the apron before leg assembly glue-up, a biscuit cutter (or plate joiner, whichever term you prefer) does a remarkably good job of adding functional slots later in the process and is faster than a slitting bit in a router (which is also a great secondary method!)

[@richardlug6139]

Or a multi-tool will work also. I even used a side grinder on the first small table I built.

[@kevinwinkle8091]

I think what everyone fails to mention about installing these is that you dont want to push the clip all the way into the slot. If you push them all the way into the slot then the wood has no room for expansion.

[@Creator_Nater]

👍fellow lefty. Wow, that was an ABRUPT ending. Great info.

[@StevenHearndon]

Very helpful. I've used the figure 8s before, and they work well too, but using a forstner bit and getting the depth just right is a pain. I like how easy it is to cut a groove with the table saw to install these. Again, very helpful.

[@-doughnuthole-]

Great info! This will definitely help when I try to make my first dining room table later this year.

[@Erik_The_Viking]

I use a slot cutting router bit which works like a champ. I tried other fasteners but z-clips were by far the easiest and with less headaches.

[@glennryzebol4472]

These table top fasteners are great. Very inexpensive and easy to use. I use a groove cutting bit from a TnG router bit set to cut individual slots for each clip. Great video. Don`t see many recommending these and i was starting to wonder if i should try something else but, naaaah, not gonna.

[@antonoat]

I always enjoy your films, thanks for sharing them with us ! 👏👍😀

[@bruce-le-smith]

Thank you, this was very helpful. Always helps noobs like me to see that others are still human and make 'happy little accidents'

[@tomdonnelly5659]

Great tips! Keep up the good work.

[@janesserearden7770]

Thank you.

[@BobMuir100]

Really good video, simple however it’s informative and saves one’s ‘top’ if one follows your advice/example. I wish I had a table saw. Bob England

[@MCsCreations]

Really excellent tips, dude! Thanks a bunch! 😃 I still need to find those clips here in Brazil! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@barryirby8609]

I use these all the time, but have made one addition. I put one or two pocket hole screws in each end to hold the top securely and let the expansion occur along the front and back. Or you can fasten one side securely and force the expansion to happen at the other side as with a table along the wall or at the back of a sofa.

[@Joey.Darkwoods-Studio]

When using Z clips, what size kerf blade should we use?

[@supdenfoosukka]

Kerfect thanks

[@davidyeo4302]

Awesome! I'll use this next time! First time was..... interesting.... hahaha

[@kathrynnewton8721]

So good! Thank you, how do I ‘repair a dining table with breadboard ends that has moved and is out of square/cracked due to this problem? Not made by me?

[@nbgambler]

I love these short form, specific videos! Each one feels like another tool in my imaginary 'ways to tackle an issue' tool bag (tackle kit?)!!!

[@denisek8677]

Hi. Thank you for the helpful video. I purchased the z clips. What size table screws are needed for a 3/4" thick tabletop? Also, did you use flat or round top screws?

[@denisek8677]

Sorry, table scres sb wood screws.

[@Mkms111]

What will happen if using L clip instead of those Z.

[@brennanbarrett2882]

Great work again man! Clear, concise and chill When can we look forward to a loose tenon jig video? We could all use some proof you aren't just reliant on a certain tool-that-shant-be-named /s

[@benr8772]

From what I recall, the patent protection for that certain tool should be expiring in the next year or two. It's a pretty cool tool, but I'm certainly looking forward to other manufacturer's take on it, particularly other manufacturers' price points! Will be like the Fein tool, I mean Oscillating Multitool, or simply the "Noisy Saw," in the last five years or so.

[@InspireWoodcraft]

@Brennan Barrett Hey thanks for the reminder! I had plans for doing such a video before I moved, and then forgot.

[@brennanbarrett2882]

@@InspireWoodcraft no kidding! It's been my new rabbit hole lately and I figured you'd have some new take on it up your sleeve. Looking forward to it

[@sergeyshorokhov2167]

I may be wrong, but I think that making a full length cut is not entirely correct, because in this case we reduce the thickness of the entire apron by almost 2 times, which can potentially affect the overall strength and durability of the table / stool. In addition, this cut releases internal stresses in the wood, and aprons that were flat after jointing can revert to the gutter shape. It seems to me that it is better to mill a short slot, the length of which matches the width of the Z-clip. The second thing I thought about was that Z-clips installed along the fibers should not have any room for movement at all, because due to this the axis of symmetry of the tabletop will be rigidly fixed, and the overhangs will expand left and right by the same distance.

[@InspireWoodcraft]

@Sergey Shorokhov Personally, I think it's one of those things that can be easy to overthink. With proper grain selection and moisture content, and proper construction of the table overall, the slot in the apron shouldn't cause any problems once the aprons are locked into the legs. As for "along the fibers", I am assuming you mean at the ends where the clips won't be moving in and out, but rather left to right? In that case, imagine this table is much bigger. Bigger as in you may need two or three clips along the ends to prevent cupping. You would still need them to move so that they aren't restricting seasonal wood movement.

[@sergeyshorokhov2167]

@@InspireWoodcraft Sorry, English isn't my native language. Of course I meant that only an axis of symmetric must be fixed. In this particular case you have only one clip per apron, so tight slot would be fine. But for a large table the farer a clip is positioned from a central axis, the wider a slots got to be.

[@mikecozzi1040]

😲 The top shouldn't be over tighten to the aprons for expansion and contraction! The wood should be sealed on the bottom to stabilize the moisture content, this limits movement of the wood and reduces splitting and cracking! 😲 Don't over think! and second guess yourself this leads to paralysis!