all thread use in workbench building

[Chris Carruth]

I am almost done building the base of a shaker style workbench (reduced scale, of course).

As I am new to ww, I attempted T&M but find the joints a bit too loose. Plan to pin the tongues, but still would like to run all thread at least lengthwise to help keep the joints tight. It may be overkill but I do not want to go back later and fix.

Anyone have suggestions on how thick a diameter the all thread should be? I would prefer the smallest diameter. Tongues are 3/4 inch thick, with 1/4' shoulders.

Thanks for the advice...

[fredfighter]

(reduced

I do not understand 'thread' in this context.

But a loose fitting M & T joint can be fixed by gluing shims (veneer works) to the tenon or using a thick epoxy glue to fill the gap.

[Roger amd Missy Behnke]

I think he means threaded rod run the length of the stretchers.

Roger

[Andy Dingley]

My bench has ties of 1/2" threaded rod going through it. Like most bolts in timber they should be large, not because of the strength of the bolt, but to allow the use of large nuts and washers, so as to avoid crushing the timber beneath them.

Avoid long metal bolts running cross-grain. You'll get problems with moisture movement in the timber.

There's little need for long tierods. For clamping a joint together then a short tie bolt into a barrel nut can be just as effective.

When tieing a mortice and tenon, two bolts are better than one. Although strength will be good, the rigidity of a single bolt that relies on clamping forces into a small joint face will be low.

Remember to make the bench dismantleable for transport. Usually rigid end frames with wedged tenons are bolted onto the long rails. Make the tenons in the rails as deep as possible and use two bolts. When planing, this is a joint that takes a lot of racking stress.