Old oak coffee table splitting along joint?

Just leave it and it will return to the way it was,it has dried out due to the heat in your room,move it away from direct heat and don't mess with it,it's natural wood that's what it does,if you want it stable buy a chipboard/mdf table.

Joiner
January 2010

Wood shrinks across the grain so a split in a table top will alsways be along the length of the grain. Most table tops are fitted so that the "plank" that forms the table top can shrink and expand as the environment changes - if the top is fixed too firmly to the base a crack may open up - sometimes in the glue line and sometimes in the grain itself.

To overcome this, makers use a form of fixing that allows some across-grain movement - Slotted brackets called Stretcher Plates are often used - just one elongated slot is used and its screw not done up too tightly - this stops the cracking... like the one in this picture...

http://www.kitchendoorcompany.co.uk/product-images/accessories/fullsize/stretcher-plate-angle-bracket.jpg


In the mean time move the table away from the fire - to a cooler room perhaps - maybe mist it a little to swell the wood fibres - the heat from the fire has very probably dried it out and the top is probably fitted too rigidly to the base
Good luck...

Peccavi
January 2010