Biscuits Or A Routed Glue Joint?

OW! My thumb

Piecing some maple together yesterday and thought about it. Ive used both. Biscuits are a lot easier and I dont worry about a joint being too tight that the wood might split but a glue joint seems to have a more solid connection .

Any preferences?

D.Foster

What kind of joint?? Edge, butt, Case? If it is an edge joint you really dont need anything except two true edges,glue and clamps. Anything else would help with allignment or create more surface area, but a good glue joint is stronger than the wood fibers already.

__________________
Do what you would do, as if i won't Do anything after you Did It!

Tom Struble

i see Gary Katz sometimes uses splines in his casing details but i think mostly for alignment

OW! My thumb

Edge piecing, needed 26 inch wide maple plank. Ive been pretty happy with biscuits so far.
Took it to my buddy at a millworks shop he works at. Ran it through a Sandya machine. Nice 80G piece of equipment there.

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Tom Struble

looks like a beut

WarnerConstInc.

You need to get you some better clamps there Mister.

My buddy has the Sandya digital drum sander, sweet little set up.
I think that is his priceiest machine, unless you add up all the cutters and heads plus the cost of the shaper!!

Just get a Domino!!

basswood

I use glue and clamps alone, as Mr. Foster mentioned, for that kind of assembly. I do alternate the tree rings so they curve up on one piece, then down on the next piece (looking at the end-grain)... to help keep the panel flat.

Looks like yours are--))()--vs.--)()(... but that is better than )))).

Maple likes to move seasonally in width more than most woods, so fasteners should be in slotted brackets, or the panel should float in a frame or be fastened at just one edge, etc. to allow movement. If it were fastened along both edges, it is likely to crack.

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OW! My thumb

It all was a matter of what side looked better. I usually try to keep an alternating cup (end grain) but, the pickings were kinda slim at the supply house. I couldnt wait till the next shipment. Culled the best I could.

When you say seasonal, is it more or less because of a change in moisture levels? If its in a controlled environment, say with dehumidifiers, do you think that would still be an issue?

OW! My thumb

Yeah, I know,..but its all I got. So far they have done well. I have a few I-bar clamps that I used to hold the last piece on.

I called it the "Sand-Oh-hell-yeah" machine, totally killer piece of equipment. Wish I had 80 Gs to cough up for one.
Wish I had 80 Gs period.

A Domino can also sand flatter than Kansas?

basswood

Climate control helps minimize seasonal change in moisture levels, but there is still going to be some fluctuation in the moisture content in the wood throughout the year. Any wide wood panel will "move" and it is best to allow for this.

OW! My thumb

So would you recommend a smaller width of wood to join to make a wider piece? Or is it the total width of the plank, with all of its pieces, that becomes a problem?
I use wide pieces to join to keep from having so many seams.

Also, do you think sealing the end grain before installation would help in absorbing moisture?

Gus Dering

Sir Bass is not predicting imminent failure. He is saying that it would be best to plan for a little movement in your fastening technique.

As one example, you could use a drawer front adjuster screw that has a washer head on it through a 5/16" pilot hole. Then the shaft of the screw has a little room to move before there is a shearing action taking place.

He mentioned a slotted hole of some kind. I'm sure there is a host of ways for you to go but the comment is all about implementing one to avoid a problem down the line.

There may be better ideas that can be shared if we knew what you were up to.
It's all good

OW! My thumb

Took everything that was said into consideration when I mounted it today. Left about an 1/8 inch off the sheet rock on the sides and back and pre drilled a hole, a little bit bigger than the screw, through the bottom plywood to attach the top with. It wasnt slotted but do I see the point now, I may try the drawer front screws next time.
Thanks

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Tinstaafl

He's good, but...

They knighted him?!?

Tom Struble

jaros bros.

I have stopped using biscuits and a glue joint for a lot of my glue ups. Clamps and glue work great. I hardly ever glue boards up that are more than 3" wide. I will rip anything down to 3" or less. There's too much movement in the wood with wide boards. Glued up edges are strong. I glued up some maple this last week into panel about 30 inches wide. I cut about an inch of each side and I could get those strips to break, let alone on the glue joint.

__________________
Josh Jaros www.jarosbros.com Remodeling in The Woodlands, Texas

willworkforbeer

Cope the joints, according to the majority here its the best way to do crown so it must be the way go period. Coped joints dont open up

basswood

The amount of movement is determined by the total width of the plank. Your top is about 2' across. If the moisture content varies by just 4% from summer to winter, it will change in size by about 1/8".

Sealing the endgrain is a great idea. It will slow the change down and help prevent "split ends."

basswood

You did good.

mics_54

I have never glue joined wide planks like that..arent you afraid they will cup?