I'm building a Shaker Chest of Drawers and want to put breadboards on the
ends of the top - and now that I accidently cut the non breadboard top a tad
short, I'm not really left with a choice (I know, measure twice, cut once)
I'm worried about wood movement over time but don't really want to do a
tounge and groove operation if I can avoid it because they don't ever seem
to line up perfectly (at least for me). Any suggestions or do I have to
bite the bullet and do it like Normie does it?
Don
Thanks for all the feedback. I essentially heard from about everyone what I
already knew should be done - it had to be done so I did the tounge and
groove method with the dowels and it worked fine. While it was a little
more work than I wanted, I'm glad I didn't take a shortcut. Thanks again to
all who replied.
Don
"loutent" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:171020041038404285%[email protected]...
> Hi Don,
>
> I think the easiest way is tongue & groove. I like Norm's method of
> centering the groove by running the edge through the dado twice to
> "guarantee that it is centered" but not to groove all the way to the
> end - that is, lower the wood onto the dado & then pick it up before it
> passes through the other end.
>
> On the tongue side, clip the ends to fit the groove. Use elongated
> dowel holes in the tongue.
>
> Of course, you probably know all this being a Normite already.
>
> Lou
>
> In article <[email protected]>, D. J. Dorn
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > I'm building a Shaker Chest of Drawers and want to put breadboards on
the
> > ends of the top - and now that I accidently cut the non breadboard top a
tad
> > short, I'm not really left with a choice (I know, measure twice, cut
once)
> > I'm worried about wood movement over time but don't really want to do a
> > tounge and groove operation if I can avoid it because they don't ever
seem
> > to line up perfectly (at least for me). Any suggestions or do I have to
> > bite the bullet and do it like Normie does it?
> >
> > Don
> >
> >
Hi Don,
I think the easiest way is tongue & groove. I like Norm's method of
centering the groove by running the edge through the dado twice to
"guarantee that it is centered" but not to groove all the way to the
end - that is, lower the wood onto the dado & then pick it up before it
passes through the other end.
On the tongue side, clip the ends to fit the groove. Use elongated
dowel holes in the tongue.
Of course, you probably know all this being a Normite already.
Lou
In article <[email protected]>, D. J. Dorn
<[email protected]> wrote:
> I'm building a Shaker Chest of Drawers and want to put breadboards on the
> ends of the top - and now that I accidently cut the non breadboard top a tad
> short, I'm not really left with a choice (I know, measure twice, cut once)
> I'm worried about wood movement over time but don't really want to do a
> tounge and groove operation if I can avoid it because they don't ever seem
> to line up perfectly (at least for me). Any suggestions or do I have to
> bite the bullet and do it like Normie does it?
>
> Don
>
>
Of course, with a chest, the answer is to pin in the front, where you can
see or bump into it, and float behind, where you can't.
"mindesign" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> there are a range of methods to achieve breadboard ends that are fully
> functional and none that will avoid shrinkage
>
> if both sides are going to be visible it sounds like a dowelling job to me
>
> One way to reduce the visual impact of shrinkage is to first of all make
the
> piece so that the ends are "just a wee bit" shorter than the table's width
> ... I am talking 2 millimetres at each end at the most - then chamfering
the
> corner where it meets the table .... but just a little and the table
corner
> as well .... say a 3 mm chamfer on both ... it just "knocks the hard
corner"
> off each and when the movement happens - and it probably will - you have a
> bit of leeway. Finally, I wrote out the exact brand, mixture etc of stains
I
> used on the top and glued it to the underside for future reference so that
> when I need to, I am not hunting for the correct stuff to get an exact
> match.
>
Weakness there is that the end may pull away from the top. Thus the
advantage of dovetail or tongue pinned through elongated holes.
"Wayne Whitney" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 2004-10-16, D. J. Dorn <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > I'm building a Shaker Chest of Drawers and want to put breadboards on
the
> > ends of the top
>
> The method my first woodworking instructor taught us was to use
> biscuits: Cut a series of mating biscuit slots in the top and the
> breadboard end. Glue the biscuits into the top, but on the breadboard
> only put glue in one biscuit slot. No glue on the edges, of course.
> Then the breadboard is fixed at one point, and the rest of it is free
> to expand or contract. The biscuits should keep the two pieces
> aligned vertically. Biscuit slots are designed to alow a bit of
> lateral movement, so you shouldn't even have to elongated the slots.
>
> However, it's been a couple years and I ended up not doing breadboard
> ends, so I may have forgotten something. Perhaps someone else can let
> us know if they have done it this way or whether it will work.
>
> Cheers, Wayne
>
there are a range of methods to achieve breadboard ends that are fully
functional and none that will avoid shrinkage
if both sides are going to be visible it sounds like a dowelling job to me
One way to reduce the visual impact of shrinkage is to first of all make the
piece so that the ends are "just a wee bit" shorter than the table's width
... I am talking 2 millimetres at each end at the most - then chamfering the
corner where it meets the table .... but just a little and the table corner
as well .... say a 3 mm chamfer on both ... it just "knocks the hard corner"
off each and when the movement happens - and it probably will - you have a
bit of leeway. Finally, I wrote out the exact brand, mixture etc of stains I
used on the top and glued it to the underside for future reference so that
when I need to, I am not hunting for the correct stuff to get an exact
match.
Cheers
Steve - Melbourne Australia
"D. J. Dorn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm building a Shaker Chest of Drawers and want to put breadboards on the
> ends of the top - and now that I accidently cut the non breadboard top a
> tad
> short, I'm not really left with a choice (I know, measure twice, cut once)
> I'm worried about wood movement over time but don't really want to do a
> tounge and groove operation if I can avoid it because they don't ever seem
> to line up perfectly (at least for me). Any suggestions or do I have to
> bite the bullet and do it like Normie does it?
>
> Don
>
>
On Sat, 16 Oct 2004 15:20:17 -0500, "D. J. Dorn" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>I'm building a Shaker Chest of Drawers and want to put breadboards on the
>ends of the top - and now that I accidently cut the non breadboard top a tad
>short, I'm not really left with a choice (I know, measure twice, cut once)
>I'm worried about wood movement over time but don't really want to do a
>tounge and groove operation if I can avoid it because they don't ever seem
>to line up perfectly (at least for me). Any suggestions or do I have to
>bite the bullet and do it like Normie does it?
>
>Don
>
If you don't want to do a tongue-and-groove or a spline, then forget
doing the breadboard edge. If you don't allow movement, the top may
split. Be aware of cross-grain, else the wood will fail.
On 2004-10-16, D. J. Dorn <[email protected]> wrote:
> I'm building a Shaker Chest of Drawers and want to put breadboards on the
> ends of the top
The method my first woodworking instructor taught us was to use
biscuits: Cut a series of mating biscuit slots in the top and the
breadboard end. Glue the biscuits into the top, but on the breadboard
only put glue in one biscuit slot. No glue on the edges, of course.
Then the breadboard is fixed at one point, and the rest of it is free
to expand or contract. The biscuits should keep the two pieces
aligned vertically. Biscuit slots are designed to alow a bit of
lateral movement, so you shouldn't even have to elongated the slots.
However, it's been a couple years and I ended up not doing breadboard
ends, so I may have forgotten something. Perhaps someone else can let
us know if they have done it this way or whether it will work.
Cheers, Wayne