# How techniques would you use to join these



## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

*What techniques would you use to join these*

Hi,

I made this for my wife a while ago I just used glue and brad nailer gun. What is the best was to join this? I am going to make another one with oak. It will be the same except it will come down the other side. Like an upside down V.

Would glue alone be enough? Rabets and glue?


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

I would go with rabbets and glue.









 







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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

+1 rabbets and glue.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

First I would turn the direction of the shelves perpendicular to these so you don't have end grain showing to the front. Rabbeting the shelves in would make it stronger but the outer parts I would miter the corners so it looks better.


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## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

I mitered the cuts this time. Now....I was thinking glue and dowels fro joining the pieces.

Suggestions on clamping the pieces (the mitered ones)


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## tc65 (Jan 9, 2012)

You might want to get some 90 degree corner clamps. One each on the top/bottom (or front and back) of each miter/corner will hold them stable enough to drill and glue them. Most big box stores carry them if you don't have a WW store near you.

BTW - nice job on the shadow boxes/shelves, that's an attractive design.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

It sounds funny but a well fitted mitered joint can be just be held together with masking tape until the glue is dry. If you have a nail gun you could also shoot a few brads in it.


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## jeffsw6 (Nov 24, 2012)

It looks to me like you would need about 12 corner clamps if that's what kind of clamp you wanted to use. Seems silly when you could just use 7 bar clamps. Your shapes are rectangles so any kind of clamp that is wide enough to span the rectangles will work.

It really depends on what kind of clamps you already own, but corner clamps are IMO not the easiest way to assemble that project. They are very useful, but everyone should have plenty of bar clamps!


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

I'm with Steve on this one. Blue tape and maybe one brad for alignment. Very easy and cheap. Nice design by the way.


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## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

Just about done joining all my pieces. Yeah, yeah, I am slow. But I want to make sure the thing comes out perfectly square.

I started with the middle and worked my way down on each side. No nails or brads. Just glue and dowels. (Dowel jig from Woodcraft, It seems to be dead on).

Anyway, here is a couple of pics of two joints that did not mate up perfectly (they are already glued.) Would you plane these down or sand them down?

Note: These are on the back..the front is pretty much flush. I am asking this question in case I run into this problem on the front of a piece after it has been glued.

And yes, I do know that if i was paying attention this would not have happened in the first place:laughing:


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## Sorrowful Jones (Nov 28, 2010)

mengtian said:


> Anyway, here is a couple of pics of two joints that did not mate up perfectly (they are already glued.) Would you plane these down or sand them down?


Put a little bit of glue in the crack and sand it before it dries.


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## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

Sorrowful Jones said:


> Put a little bit of glue in the crack and sand it before it dries.


Thanks for the advice. I did that for a few cracks I had. But the joints in the pics are not cracks. They are pieces that did not line up and one is higher than the other. About 1/16th of an inch to close to 1/8th in the perpendicular piece.

I am not sure if I I had to if I should try to plane it down or sand it down.


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## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

Almost done LOL. I was going to do a final sanding and finish but thought that since this is a practice project I might as well try out doing inlays. First time for everything huh? Inlay is Mahogenny. They are on each side.


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

Nice job on the inlays. And you could plane or sand those joints flush. I like using my lo angle block plane, but whatever you have will work.


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## bzguy (Jul 11, 2011)

Run more wood thru planer with jig to get it that thin, glue it in, use masking tape to hold it in place, then sand perfectly flush.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

If you use a hand plane you could get some tear out when you get down to flat. You could use a scraper, or a block with sandpaper.









 







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## mengtian (Nov 8, 2012)

Thanks for all the advice. I did put glue in all of the spaces between joints and sanded when wet. It created gap free joints. The big imperfections were on the back so I sanded one and plane and sanded the other. I found out that each has its place (well, as far as my skills right now LOL). I had fun with the inlays. Mush easier than I thought. Oh, it was Brazillan Cherry, not Mahogonney.


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