Nickhxc4life Posted January 20, 2020 Report Share Posted January 20, 2020 Ok, so picture below will be the rough style I am going for. My wife will be using this for her styled photo shoots so She needs to be able to tear it down an reassemble without too much work or frustration. I’m also trying to keep any bolts etc as concealed as possible, especially from the front view. Open to all ideas. Shoot ‘em at me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted January 20, 2020 Report Share Posted January 20, 2020 Bridle joints and through dowels. Not bridal, not a pun...bridle, like horse tack. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted January 21, 2020 Report Share Posted January 21, 2020 Or do half laps and use black drywall screws from the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickhxc4life Posted January 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2020 If I do bridle what’s the best way to notch out the inner piece? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted January 21, 2020 Report Share Posted January 21, 2020 I cannot answer that for you. “Best” is going to rely on your tooling and skill set. I don’t have a band saw, so I hand saw and chisel. I would chisel the bottom of the “notch” to lock the assembly to the correct angle. I don’t suppose the half laps mentioned would be a bad way either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickhxc4life Posted January 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2020 Half Laos would be super easy. I just wonder about the rigidity of the assembly if I got with half-laps in lieu of bridle joints. Maybe I could find some decorative bolts to use with the half lap instead of dowels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickhxc4life Posted February 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 Ok so I figured there would be some trial and error with this so I started early. Basic construction was (2) 2x4s screwed and glued together with half laps to connect each side. I used tee nuts on one side so I could bolt it from the back which isn’t going to be visible in the pictures. I then built what I’m going to call “cases” these cases wrap around the 2x4 sides and look a lot nicer. Everything went well with final assembly. We stood it up and it stood on its own. The problem came when my wife and I went to lay it back down for disassembly. Just before we could get it to the ground we heard a loud snap. The bottom part where the legs attach snapped right where the bolt goes through the half lap. See pictures attached. Thoughts on what I could do differently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 4, 2020 Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 I assume you were tipping it over to disassemble when it split? Lots of force on that joint when moving laterally. I would suggest at least 2 screws or bolts per joint to distribute the force over more area. Even then, the area of a half-lap at that angle isn't much. After seeing this, I would lean toward cutting bridles in the 2x4s and using a plywood spline to join them. Cut the bridles a little deeper and let the spline 'hang over' the inside corner, so it can mate with a larger surface in the bridle. Anything over the outside of the corner can be trimmed flush. Glue & screw the spline into the bottom half, screw from the back only to assemble the top half. I would also consider assembling the top and bottom sections separately, then lift the top half onto the bottom half, tather that tipping it over. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted February 4, 2020 Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 That’s a big hole for that kind of wood and stress. It should not need such big fasteners. The joinery should set the structure shape, the fasteners just keep the joinery engaged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickhxc4life Posted February 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 I think the hole is fine. It’s a 3/8 hex bolt. I just wasn’t anticipating the stress that would be on the base side. I’m going to try the suggestion of making plywood backs for the two bottom joints. Those seem to be the only joints that had an issue with the stress. Also will try assembling the the bottom half and then setting the top half in place. A lot of things I could do differently but this was a down and dirty project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted February 4, 2020 Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 Given the location and size of the hole and the material, it's no surprise the wood split. That bolt should not be subject to any torsional forces. The bolt should only be in tension; just to hold the piece in place. Other elements of the joint need to provide the strength that will hold up to twisting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickhxc4life Posted February 4, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 Yes hindsight I would have made the joints a lot tighter but due to how it needed to move to be assembled I couldn’t make them but so tight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted February 4, 2020 Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 1 hour ago, Nickhxc4life said: I think the hole is fine. It’s a 3/8 hex bolt. I just wasn’t anticipating the stress that would be on the base side. My comment about that hole was paired with a comment on species. That hole, in that location, in pine...can sometimes lead to that split. Not so much in teak or maple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted February 4, 2020 Report Share Posted February 4, 2020 Perhaps rather than using construction lumber, rip some strips of Baltic Birch plywood & laminate them to the desired thickness. That would be far stronger and splitting would not be an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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