# Will this joint work?



## manoweb (Oct 5, 2017)

Hello I came up with this idea to join three parts, I do not know if it even makes sense. The vertical part is like a leg for a workbench; most of the force will be from upside down but it will have to withstand lateral forces too.

I was thinking about 6x6" for the vertical leg and 6x4" for the horizontal parts.

https://imgur.com/a/nARLW


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*yes, it will work, but .....*

It will be a whole lot of work to make the joint, times 4 for each leg.
The size of your timbers doesn't make sense however for a workbench..... overkill by at least an order of magnitude. :wink2: It would look great on a coffee table or some where that would allow it to be exposed.

The joint is reminiscent of the Japanese joinery methods, very cool but requires a Master's touch to execute. :thumbsup:


----------



## Chris Curl (Jan 1, 2013)

Cool looking joint. Looks like alot of work. How about something more like two dovetails?


----------



## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

The joint shown is more for show than for strength. I certainly wouldn’t waste it on a workbench.


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Out of wood I don't like that joint. I think the first time you have some real lateral stress on the joint the fingers are going to break off. It's just too much wood removed from the members. If it were metal it looks like it would last forever.


----------



## Terry Q (Jul 28, 2016)

Interesting, I think it might be worth trying on something of a smaller scale so it would be easier to cut. If it works out you might have a signature woodworking technique that you could use elsewhere. 


In woodworking there is always more then one way to accomplish something.


----------



## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

It is an interesting joint, probably overkill for a workbench, but would certainly be a signature joint as Terry Q says on some furniture pieces.


----------



## manoweb (Oct 5, 2017)

woodnthings said:


> It will be a whole lot of work to make the joint, times 4 for each leg.


6 times 



> The size of your timbers doesn't make sense however for a workbench..... overkill by at least an order of magnitude.


Are you not suggesting I should use half inch size timber :O




> The joint is reminiscent of the Japanese joinery methods, very cool but requires a Master's touch to execute. :thumbsup:


Well it's a hobby, I have time...


----------



## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

I like the joint, if for no other reason than it shows creativity. I agree that 6x6 is too large for legs but I guess that depends on how you intend to use the bench and what stress it is designed to take. Are you going to glue these? And are you cutting these by hand? I am a champion of overkill and love thinking outside the box so go for it!

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

David


----------



## manoweb (Oct 5, 2017)

OK - what is a joint considered very strong to connect three parts at 90 deg to each other? I could start from there and then see if I can complicate it


----------



## manoweb (Oct 5, 2017)

difalkner said:


> Are you going to glue these? And are you cutting these by hand?


To be frank, I do not know yet. I surely admire the "Japanese" style and the concept to not use screws; glue... I have not decided yet! One thing I liked about this design (that I conceived at night, when I cannot sleep) is that the dovetail interlocks the other two pieces and keeps them together

I would definitely use some mechanized help to remove the excess material, relief cuts etc... it's many inches of material if I decide to use 6x6, 6x4... But I am going to finish mostly by hand




> Oh, and welcome to the forum!


Thank you. Sorry I started right away with questions without posting about me, but I really wanted to hear opinions!


----------



## Leo G (Oct 16, 2006)

You'll need to make the dovetail smaller and offset it to the inside so the "fingers" on the outside are substantial enough to take a rocking stress.


----------



## WeebyWoodWorker (Jun 11, 2017)

That's a very fancy joint ya got there. I like it, it's overly complicated but I like it. Definitely would like to see it when it's finished.


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*modify it?*

Remove one of the fingers on the left piece to allow the other two to be thicker. Try it and see how it works.


----------



## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

I'd probably go 4x4 rather than 6x6, unless your bench is huge. That's what I have on my bench, and I've never felt like they needed to be stronger.

The joint is definitely neat, and might work really well, or might not. I'd suggest building a test piece: get a few 2' sections of 4x4 (or 6x6), cut the joint, and then abuse it. I'd probably try screwing the two top rails to something solid and then whacking the leg with a heavy mallet: see where it breaks, if it breaks, and how much pressure it would take to do it.


----------



## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

manoweb said:


> ...(that I conceived at night, when I cannot sleep)...


That's when I do some of my best design work! My wife will ask in the morning, "So what did you design last night because you SURE didn't sleep much." What that means is 'She' didn't sleep much because I was awake - LOL!

I agree with @amckenzie4 on making a test joint and stressing it to the point of breaking or finding that you can't break it. You might also try one like @woodnthings suggested and see if you like it that way. As long as this is a hobby and you're not in production or on a deadline then test away. Just make sure you share the results with us, photos included. 

David


----------



## manoweb (Oct 5, 2017)

OK I'll probably do some modifications and then test it. Yeah this is surely not a production job


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

manoweb said:


> OK I'll probably do some modifications and then test it. Yeah this is surely not a production job


What you have to remember with wood it's going to break in the same direction as the grain. In your initial design I see it being weak here.


----------



## manoweb (Oct 5, 2017)

Yeah the fact that wood is anisotropic (especially the cheap wood I'd use) greatly adds to the challenge.


----------



## jeremymcon (Oct 16, 2014)

What's wrong with mortise and tenon? Drawbore the tenons for extra lateral strength.

It does look like a fun experiment though, I have to admit. Good luck, whatever you decide.


----------

