Mike, there are two cherry cleats 7/8"x 24" spanning the top which is 36 5/16" wide. The boards were quarter sawn and this should stop the top from cupping.

The boards were almost rough sawn when I got them, only the one side was planed. With highly figured boards, running them through a jointer or planer going the wrong way will rip out some of the figure and so you only do that once to a board and then you chalk it for orientation through the jointer or planer.

It's hard to glue up 5 boards 90" long without starving a joint, the cleats help to hold them in place while putting pipe clamps on alternately top and bottom.

David