Thread: Joining end to end

Dovetailed would look good too.

I'd just use biscuits.

Or good ol' T&G/M&T butt-joints. For slightly better strength (and a different visual effect) you could cut the butt ends at 45° or so to get a bit more glue-up area.

Finger joint works well.
use a waste piece clamped each side of the cut to prevent chip out as the timber goes thru the cutters.
Horizontal joint will show only a pencil line, not the fingers.

If the joint is to be exposed, then I'd go with Bob W's suggestion of using dovetails.

A different solution might be to use a scarf joint as used by wooden boatbuilders to fabricate very long lengths. It's simply a form of mitre joint, but with very long edges at 10 ~ 15o which provides a long glue line almost on the long grain.

Strongest and keeping it simple would be a halflap joint about 3-4" long, to add extra strength you could angle the ends and shoulders.

Instead of joining two 3.5mt tops together, why not stagger the 2x4`s. It will make transport harder as you will have one long bench, but it will be stronger and look heaps better

Overlap each second one by sat 150 mm kind of like stitching and from each outside edge drill 2 holes as far as you trust yourself to drill straight and put in a dowel. You could also do it in sections from the centre out and insert dowels as you go overlapping till you get to the width you need.

Ross

Actually I thing Lignum has described it better than I but for the inclusion of dowels

Ross

I like the staggering idea from Lignum.

My idea of staggering it would look random just like a hardwood floor looks.

But if you want to make it cleaner and a smart look, the way Ross described would be better. Have your first 4 x 2 at 3.65mt and the next but joined at 3.35mt, the two peices directly behind would be at 3.35mt and 3.65mt. Just keep going like that untill the desired width has been reached. It would be like a giant finger join, and very, very strong, and look real smart. It would be nice if you could contact the timber yard and try and get a 7mt peice just for the front to keep the lines clean, but if you cant it wouldnt matter, but would look nice

Use these to pull butt join together,you can do it on job having drilled your 35mm holes to accomodate.

Quite good to use on breadboard ends,you don't have to glue.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y79...ButtJoiner.jpg