Hiding glue lines

[watson]

G'day All,
I have laminated (glued) 19mm Tasmanian Oak for making legs for a chair.
After sanding down the shaped legs I reckon I can still see the join.
Any opinions on running a V bit along the join to make the join less noticeable??
Regards,
Noel

[Auld Bassoon]

Grooves as you suggest might help hide a glue line, but they are typically not used on legs, or are stopped. Where they are used, they typically have rounded bottoms rather than a 'V', but that's just a question of style.

Did you finish plane the edges before glue-up? Also, grain alignment helps hugely with making the join invisible.

Quite often, laminated pieces like this are covered in veneer, carefully mitred at the corners. However, that's an art form in itself...

Another option would be to rout a very shallow and narrow channel over the join, and insert some stringing. Again, difficult to do if you've not done it before, but can be very effective. A bit of practice helps - use some scrap.

[Sprog]

One way to hide the glue lines is to laminate two rectangular pieces of wood, then using the glue line as a corner mark out the square for the leg. Then cut off the corners. The glue line becomes the two of the new corners.
The glue line will be virtually invisible because it is running down the corner of the leg.
The main disadvantage is that more timber used to produce the leg.

See attached picture. Two rectangles laminated. The leg would be the green square.

[echnidna]

A Reeding profile over the laminations may conceal the joins but it will affect your styling

[watson]

G'day SteveB,
I finish planed before gluing, and I can only see the join on one side. So there might be something amiss in the set up with that. I think its more that the one side shows a vast grain difference, whilst the other side there is no great difference in the grain. Thanks for the advice about round bottoms, as I was after what is normally done...(working in the dark as usual).
The veneering and stringing might have to wait until I'm more competent.
Thanks again,
Regards,
Noel

[watson]

Thanks Sprog,
That's an interesting concept, and I probably have enough glued up stock to try it out.
More than one way to skin a cat.
Regards,
Noel

[watson]

G'day Bob,
Styling isn't my forte yet.....so I'm off to check out what a reeding profile is.
Thanks all for your help...I now have several options.
Regards,
Noel

Checked out reeding and understand that. More food for thought!!

[AlexS]

It's a bit late for this one, but when I'm laminating, I usually use epoxy, & tint it with a bit of pigment to match the timber. For Tassie oak, probably a bit of yellow ochre would do the job.

[watson]

Added to my note book for nest time though!
Ta!
Noel

[bsrlee]

Hiding glue lines really has to start in the design process, often once the piece is glued up its too late to do anything about it.

Auld Basson's suggestion about gluing a sheet of veneer on has real merit, and has been done for years in quite high grade furniture, particularly by Gustav Stickley's competition around the 1900's - you just plane a small 45 bevel on the corners so the glue line comes out on a point and that pretty much hides it.

The other way with square pieces is to make them up from 4 sides, with internal bevels this time - its too hard to give a detailed description, but it is shown in several books on 'Mission' & 'Arts & Crafts' furniture. If you select & cut the wood carfully there is little waste, and again if you are careful, you don't need to cut any of the fancy lock shapes, just spline/biscuit & glue up with sticky tape as the clamp.

[watson]

More food for thought there...on a really good look this morning, the problem has been caused by two different grain patterns showing up on one side of the two laminated pieces which I didn't see until it was all together. So your right there...it starts in the design process.
Regards,
Noel