Thread: Joint Advice

Ummm... not all of us have constant access to SketchUp.

A suggestion? Take a screenshot, save it as a pic and post that as well? You'd probably get way more feedback.


On a Win machine simply press the PrtScr key (usually in a block of 3 keys high above the cursor keys, with Scroll Lock & Pause/Break) while SketchUp is displaying what you want, load up MS-Paint and then use either the 'Paste' button from the toolbar or Ctrl-V to stick the image in. From there it should be plain sailing.

By the looks of it I stuffed up the attachment anyway. So here is a photo of the screen shot and the timber. Again I must say this is a rough drawing.

At 50-60mm thick splines would be fine, there is a lot of surface area.

Either one thick hardwood spline (20-25mm) or two thin ones (10mm) would do the job. again, the thickness allows the splines to be quite deep (20mm+)

Attempting a hidden dovetail is not that hard, you have a lot of forgiveness in the joint as it is invisible, but it's a lot of work.

Because of the end grain, I would be tempted to use epoxy on the joint.

Another option is dont miter but do large chunky dovetails that are seen.
I would brace it some how as people are often tempted to sit on coffee tables. Sometimes stand on them too to change the light bulb. Something like angled corner braces in the centerline of each leg would hardly be noticed. In the same wood could look good too.
Regards
John

I did consider big through dovetails but I have the vision in my head because both pieces are from the same log and look like consecutive cuts that I can keep the grain running continuously up the leg, across the table and back down the other legs. Of course this is only my vision and reality might not agree but I am going to try. I think I will wait until I have them flattened and see how much thickness I end up with.

Ok so have flattened the slabs and ended up 40mm. (posted here- https://www.woodworkforums.com/f11/wi...-table-166179/)
And have decided to take the easy way out with splines.
cadas you say 1 thick hardwood spline, do you mean actual hardwood or would ply or hardboard be better for stability or with the spline being only about 20mm thick by about 40-50mm wide, is movement not an issue. I will the also consider braces under neath if needed later.

I would go with hard wood rather than ply, with the grain running into the slot (like a tenon).

You are looking for shear strength here, plywood has grain going the opposite way over half it's thickness and you are reliant on the bond of the outer veneer only. Solid hardwood (or two splines) will give you better strength in the direction you need it.

Stability isn't an issue, solid wood hidden inside a solid wood slab.

I would however, still recommend epoxy as the glue because of the end grain. It is slow enough to work with and will form an indestructible joint. Clean the joint with acetone first (just to be sure).