Edge Joining Plywood

[scritch]

Don't forget dowels as an alignment option, if you don't have a biscuit joiner.

[dpb]

I'd be _real_ surprised at that indeed...

W/o the continuous surface faces and with the smaller cross-section of length-grain, it makes no physical sense. Even epoxies don't do _that_ well in butt-grain applications.

--

[DanG]

plywood just to extend a small piece an inch or so, I

decided to edge join fill and sand, before painting, since

it the piece will be in a non-load bearing position at the

roof of a cabinet.

Suggestion:

Use a slot cutter on a router. Cut the same slot on both pieces. Make a custom "spline". Masonite makes great splines, use the appropriate cutter. I would probably consider making this joint on two larger pieces rather than splicing on a very narrow piece.

[HerHusband]

Darren,

If you're only extending an inch or two in a non stress situation, I would just use glue and a simple butt joint. No need for fancy joinery. It's no different than gluing a trim strip to the front edge of a plywood shelf, and I've been doing that for years.

I have done exactly what you are trying to do to fix mistakes when I accidentally cut a panel too short for a project. Except for the glue line, you would never know the panel was extended once the project is finished.

For joining larger sections together I would probably use the Lap Joint in your "A" example, or do a variation of "B" with a slot cutter and a wood spline in between. Of course, I've used pocket screws to join panels when the joint wasn't visible and that worked fine also.

Anthony Watson Mountain Software

[Swingman]

Love your website, and, even better, what you've accomplished.

Impressive ...

[HerHusband]

Thank you!

[Unquestionably Confused]

Allow me to second that. VERY nice work, Anthony!

How many acres comprise your little hideaway in God's Country? Looks to be a beautiful area.

[HerHusband]

We have just under two acres in Camas, Washington. We bought the property back in 1991, and lived in a single wide mobile home until 2004. Once we finished the house, we sold the mobile and moved it off the property.

We love the area but it has really grown up in the last 10 years. What was mostly beautiful forest is now littered with million dollar gated McMansions. It is still relatively peaceful, but I miss the wildlife and privacy we used to have up here. Such is progess...

Anthony Watson Mountain Software

[Lew Hodgett]

------------------------------------------------------------------ Other than having the personal satisfaction of knowing every piece that went into the construction a home that was designed and built to meet your every specification which has a value that can't be priced, a couple of questions:

1) Would you do it again?

2) If you spent the same amount of time at your profession earning an income and hiring all the subcontractors rather than do the work yourselves, would it have cost you more than doing it yourselves?

Just curious.

Lew

Who built a boat rather than a house.

[Greg Guarino]

Speaking of which...

A while back (as an experiment) I fastened two pieces of 3/4" ply (each maybe 18" x 6") edge-to-edge along the longer side with three pocket screws. I managed to get the joint lined up quite nicely and it felt pretty solid, even without glue. I don't know if I would trust such a joint for something heavy-duty, but it doesn't sound like the OP needs that. It was quick too.

Official Disclaimer: The source of the above "advice" is a novice.

[tiredofspam]

Yep, I hadn't been watching this thread, but when I peaked and saw the accolades, I took a look. Very nice.

I'm impressed with the wife's ability to work with wood too. You two did a great job, something to be proud of.

[Sonny]

Yeah, he's been holding back on us and just recently (that I recall) showed us their excellent works. He gave us a previous peek, about a week or so ago, in the Redwood Boards thread (I think, it was).

Sonny

[Larry Jaques]

You should have bought 2k acres instead. A few miles to your nearest neighbor. (Don't we all wish...)

-- Good ideas alter the power balance in relationships, that is why good ideas are always initially resisted. Good ideas come with a heavy burden. Which is why so few people have them. So few people can handle it. -- Hugh Macleod

[HerHusband]

Lew,

Absolutely, without question. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and my wife and I really enjoyed working together on it. We have done several major projects since then and will probably continue to do so.

Of course, I'm not as young as I used to be. It seems everything takes a little bit more effort than it did just nine years ago. :)

The only real downside was the time investment. Recreation activities were limited, as every free moment was spent working on the house. Any extra money we had went into building supplies, so we rarely ate out or took vacations. And, I had to cut my business hours in half so I could spend most of each day building. It's a major commitment that you have to stay focused on. If you get distracted by new "toys", socializing with friends, or recreational activities, it could take you a very long time or risk never completing it.

We also made the commitment not to move into the house before it was completed. Once you move in, it's far to easy to ignore the projects that still need to be completed. It's also a lot more work when you have furniture and whatnot to work around.

I have nothing to compare it to, but I think hiring out for the same house we have today would have cost a lot more.

It cost us $60,000 to build our house, starting with a small savings, a little out-of-pocket each month, and a little on the credit card near the end. By the time we finished our credit balance was around $8000, but we were able to pay that off when when we sold our old mobile home a couple months later.

One of the big advantages of building it ourselves out-of-pocket is that we had no mortgage to worry about when we were done. Even if we were to break even by hiring out, the ongoing costs of a loan would have meant a lot more expense.

It takes more time, dedication, and study than most people are willing to give. In our case, it also meant one of us had to keep working a full time job. But for those who can I highly recommend it.

Anthony Watson Mountain Software

[HerHusband]

Yep, I am very thankful she enjoys working on DIY projects also.

She actually built a hope chest for her younger sister that was a virtual copy of the one I made her when we were dating. Of course, she had the luxury of power tools to build hers. :)

Unlike most couples I hear about, we work well together. In fact, we probably get along better when we're buried in a project than we do in daily life. :) I suppose it's a common goal for us to share. We tend to agree rather well on things like paint colors and other details, so that helps a lot too.

Anthony Watson Mountain Software

[Searcher7]

Thanks.

It worked out well and is now one solid piece. I spray painted one side, but think I'd sand it and prime before spray painting again.

And nice work on those projects of yours. Especially your house. It certainly makes my micro project seem insignificant. :-)

It's an inspiration towards doing things for oneself, which results in you getting exactly what you want and cutting out as many middle men as possible. :-)

I guess taking the time to learn can save a lot of money if one is motivated.

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.

[-MIKE-]

think I'd sand it and prime before spray painting again.

makes my micro project seem insignificant. :-)

getting exactly what you want and cutting out as many middle men as possible. :-)

Don't think for a second that just because the project is successfully completed it puts to an end the barrage of people telling you you did it wrong and how to do it better. :-)

Congrats, btw.

[Searcher7]

No, this particular small porti> Don't think for a second that just because the project is successfully

I'd never think such a thing. :-)

Darren Harris Staten Island, New York.