Glue as a solo assembly aid?


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What are the opinions of those of you that have been doing this much longer than I concerning glue (Tite-Bond in this case) as the only means of holding parts together. The parts are square, planed, and match without gaps. The glue is applied to both parts and spread evenly, the joint is clamped until squeeze out and the squeeze out is cleaned off the joint. The joint will be under minimal stress, no terrible load will be applied and there will be no risk to life and limb. The joint will be left to cure a few hours, or should it be longer?

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If we are talking edge grain to edge grain joint then not only is it fine but its the preferred method of joinery. Fancy stuff like dovetails, tenons, half-laps, etc etc are really designed to hold wood together in situations where you don't have an edge grain to edge grain situation or where the available space for glue is very small etc. A good ol fashioned butt joint with edge grain on both sides is great. 

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Rocks will probably be thrown but, I would mark the outline of the board on top of each leg and then drill a couple of pilot holes thru the top of each leg to locate the desired location from the bottom. Then drill countersink holes from the bottom and use screws to secure them, followed by plugs to cover the holes.

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2 minutes ago, K Cooper said:

Rocks will probably be thrown but, I would mark the outline of the board on top of each leg and then drill a couple of pilot holes thru the top of each leg to locate the desired location from the bottom. Then drill countersink holes from the bottom and use screws to secure them, followed by plugs to cover the holes.

I'm with you on that, I was thinking dowels, but the problem is exact placement so that the upright bisects the base. If holes are drilled from the bottom there would be no need for plugs. I'm kinda committed as I have one gingerbread support already glued to the upright post. If I can clamp the upright to the base and work from the bottom, I may be able to sneak the dowels in from the bottom. The support pieces are somewhat thicker than those used in the picture. Picture is 3/4" stock and the ones used are closer to 1" +.

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A proper glue joint is stronger than the wood it glues together.

 

That said, you have a few things going on here. End grain to face grain, weak wood, and the liability to be kicked. You sincerely need some mechanical joint for this to be sturdy for the long haul. Gluing will work, but a good kick and its probably just gonna rip the fibers out of the face grain. Aside from screwing, you can domino, T & G (given your other picture, that middle piece comes right off, putting in a groove would be incredibly simple), or even dowel to gain much needed strength.

 

Also, simply gluing those pieces on wont really add that much stability to the honking 4x4 stud down the middle.

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Something to consider. I assume that this is a table base and not a hat tree.  If so, then it appears that the worst case load on the end grain to side grain joint will occur if someone leans or sits downward on the edge of the table.  The larger the table top the worse the effect on the joint.  If screws are driven from the bottom up, the tension on the screws (trying to pull the screws out of the end grain) could larger than the force on the table.   Downward force on the table edge x the distance from the center of the table to the edge divided by the distance between the screws = the pull out force.    Example: 100# x 24"/12" = 200#.  I would consider 2 screws on each piece and locate as far from the post as possible.

 

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