Butt joint glue up without clamps?

Sep 18, 2005 5 Replies

I had 4 small kitchen doors that were butt jointed together to make one larger one with biscuits about every 6" on center. I had the wrong clamps, also away from my shop, so glue was set without it. Glue line is about



1/16". Any experience if the butt joints with biscuits would fail faster without the aid of clamps? Pocket screws look pretty good right now.

What do you mean "Glue line about 1/16"? Do you mean there was 1/16" gap???? Don't even count on the joint holding if that's the case.

Bob

Yep, the biscuit is unsupported in the gap, and thus much weaker

John

snipped-for-privacy@interoz.com top-posted so I cut and pasted it here:

Maybe you should saw the panels apart, rejoint them at the glue joint and try again. A rope turniquette can be used for a clamp. Aside from the fact that what you have now will soon break apart on its own, doesn't it look like crap?

Its been a few days and still holding up ok even when I try to flex it back and forth - must be from biscuit reinforcement. Pullout force must be a few hundred pounds as is bending force along the glue line is what I worry about even assembled with clamps. Actually doesn't look like crap with a little help from Bondo, sandpaper and paint.

Unsupported biccies are still fairly strong, if their grain runs the right way. I've made slatted crudeware (ventilated storage bins) by putting #20 biscuits into #0 slots before now.

OTOH, it must look terrible. I'd re-saw, re-joint and re-assemble.

Find pictures of a "Plano" glue-up clamp, then make yoru own workshop copy of it. Mine is aluminium window extrusions (from a scrapyard) and G clamps.

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