Thread: Quick Poll

I'm a butt man m'self, but there are times when you know you have to reinforce that butt with some bickies.

Triton's yellow PVA glue is good.

If the size of the panel to be jointed is small then I usually simply butt the edges. But for panels of any real size I use biscuits to assist in the alignment of the panels as they are being glued.

More than anything I think it is important to watch the orientation of the growth rings. I think it is much better if possible to ensure that you get the growth rings to alternate up and down from board to board.

I have found that I can get better results from jointing a lot of narrower boards than I can from a fewer wider boards. I have just finished a coffee table which is about 800 mm wide and I put it together from 100 mm boards. It turned out great and looks fine (to me anyway).

I am going to experiment with a different system next time. I have a 12 inch thicknesser. I intend to joint and thickness the timber slightly over size. I will then joint up sections to just under 12 inches and thickness these sections to true size. I will then joint these sections to make the full panel.

And by the way, we may value and take pride in our work but the value we place in it may not be shared by the great mass of the public who have no idea of the cost of timber or tools or the time it takes to make something beatiful. The coffee table I mentioned above is made from silky oak. It took me countless hours to make and finish and has a few nifty design features to fancy it up. The wife of a friend of mine saw it. She said, "That is really nice. What would it be worth to make one? $150? " My friend is a good man. I let her live.

I am going to experiment with a different system next time. I have a 12 inch thicknesser. I intend to joint and thickness the timber slightly over size. I will then joint up sections to just under 12 inches and thickness these sections to true size. I will then joint these sections to make the full panel.

Chook,

I made my last counter top this way. It makes it a lot easier when you are edge joining lots of boards because you only end up with one or two joins in the final glue up.