Looking for advice, horizontal boring, edge joining with dowels and glue

[woodhead52]

Hello Shopsmithers,

I'm thankful for the fact that this Shopsmith group seems dedicated to actually to doing and discussing woodworking as opposed to just the the buying, renovating and selling of Shopsmiths. Not that I don't appreciate that as well, but I love using my Shopsmith to make things and in many ways I'm still a newbie woodworker that has many questions. I've finally, with the help of at least 1 good Shopsmith related and several non-shopsmith related videos (mostly non-Shopsmith), and lots of practicing learned some good milling techniques to achieve flat faced and square edged boards using a combination of the Shopsmith jointer, a surface planner (a Wen not a Shopsmith) and the Shopsmith table saw. I admit that I've struggled mightily with this process, but it's finally coming together. Just recently I took a badly twisted and cupped rough cut piece of popular and ended up with a board that is flat on both sides, and edges, very close to even thickness end to end (to within .002"), and square on all edges and corners. Not bragging, just relating my pleasure of this accomplishment.

I think now I'm ready to learn how to edge join and glue boards so o can make cutting boards or table tops, etc. To accomplish this I want to get good at horizontal boring, dowel placement and edge glueing. To begin with I intend to just use pine 2x4s for practice. I realize that it will not make a good cutting board. This is just for practice and I can use the 2x4s to practice edge and face joining, surface planing, etc.

I appreciate the opportunity to hear from you folks and discuss your tips, techniques and tricks in order to learn from all of you. I'm hoping learn from you and really hoping that it won't just be crickets, like I'm getting on Facebook.

Regards,
Pete

[edma194]

Get a set of doweling centers like these:
https://www.amazon.com/Saipe-Centers-Ce ... 7447&psc=1

You bore your holes in the end of one board, insert the centers in the holes, then line up the other board and press it in to mark where you need the matching holes.

[algale]

One does not need to use dowels to make a cutting board or a table top. In fact, it is probably a waste of time and effort. As long as your edges are well jointed, glue is all you need. Doweling is for reinforcing joinery where things come in at (usually) right angles. It is an alternative to mortise and tenon joinery.

[edflorence]

One does not need to use dowels to make a cutting board or a table top. In fact, it is probably a waste of time and effort. As long as your edges are well jointed, glue is all you need. Doweling is for reinforcing joinery where things come in at (usually) right angles. It is an alternative to mortise and tenon joinery.

+1

Dowels can be used to help with alignment if edge joining very long pieces, but as Al says, not necessary for strength. If doweling with the Shopsmith, follow the procedure in Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone and you don't even need a doweling jig...just be sure to have the same face of each board down when drilling.

You might want to consider practicing your edge jointing on 1 by stuff instead of 2 by 4's, since I think it will be easier to learn good jointer technique on the thinner material and also the thinner material is probably more like what you will be using in an actual project.

[woodhead52]

Get a set of doweling centers like these:
https://www.amazon.com/Saipe-Centers-Ce ... 7447&psc=1

You bore your holes in the end of one board, insert the centers in the holes, then line up the other board and press it in to mark where you need the matching holes.

Thanks for your help. I actually have a set. A little while back I bought a set of imperial sized Milescraft Centers and I also bought some of their dowel pins.

I'm wondering a few of things though.

1) As far as board thickness I'm guessing that it's important to get all of the boards to an equal thickness before starting to join them, correct?

2) Before boring dowel holes is it a good practice to mark the top side of each of the boards?

3) When boring the dowel holes, aside from using dowel centers, would it make sense for someone less experienced like myself, to set up a series of a few hinged stop blocks along a fence for aligning the
holes along each board?
Even as I ask this, I realize that it might add another set of problems when flipping some of the boards horizontally end to end to drill the opposite side.

[woodhead52]

One does not need to use dowels to make a cutting board or a table top. In fact, it is probably a waste of time and effort. As long as your edges are well jointed, glue is all you need. Doweling is for reinforcing joinery where things come in at (usually) right angles. It is an alternative to mortise and tenon joinery.

+1

Dowels can be used to help with alignment if edge joining very long pieces, but as Al says, not necessary for strength. If doweling with the Shopsmith, follow the procedure in Power Tool Woodworking for Everyone and you don't even need a doweling jig...just be sure to have the same face of each board down when drilling.

Thanks, I'll look this up.

You might want to consider practicing your edge jointing on 1 by stuff instead of 2 by 4's, since I think it will be easier to learn good jointer technique on the thinner material and also the thinner material is probably more like what you will be using in an actual project.

I take your point. Thank you.

Sorry, I meant to quote these all together. While I do realize that dowel pins are probably not necessary for shorter projects. I'm doing this as a learning exercise. So, even though some of it will not be necessary and even redundant it will help me learn and gain confidence.


Regards,
Pete

[woodhead52]

What are your recommendations for glueing the boards together and keeping them flat?
What type of clamps should I be using?
Are there clamping techniques that work best?

[DLB]

Horizontal boring on the SS, usually involving a fence, puts a lot of lateral pressure on the main table. The table is known to exhibit some instability under this type of pressure. This can result in holes that are not true (normal) to the edge. On 510 and later you can reinforce the main table by tying it to the extension table with extension tubes. Precision in all aspects is critical to edge joining with dowels. I've made a desk using that technique, and found it to be very time consuming to achieve the precision needed. I think one of the selling points on the popular domino alternative, or shop made floating tenons for that matter, is that they are somewhat more tolerant. (Also true of biscuits.)

- David

[HopefulSSer]

Horizontal boring on the SS, usually involving a fence, puts a lot of lateral pressure on the main table. The table is known to exhibit some instability under this type of pressure. This can result in holes that are not true (normal) to the edge. On 510 and later you can reinforce the main table by tying it to the extension table with extension tubes. Precision in all aspects is critical to edge joining with dowels. I've made a desk using that technique, and found it to be very time consuming to achieve the precision needed. I think one of the selling points on the popular domino alternative, or shop made floating tenons for that matter, is that they are somewhat more tolerant. (Also true of biscuits.)

- David

And on the 500, the main table can be supported by abutting it against the extension table -- no tubes required. On a 510/520 I'd probably abut the tables AND tie them together.

1) As far as board thickness I'm guessing that it's important to get all of the boards to an equal thickness before starting to join them, correct?

Would make things easier, but not strictly necessary. When drilling the dowel holes, put the tops of the workpieces DOWN, against the table. This should ensure that when flipped over and joined, the top surfaces are even.

[edflorence]

What are your recommendations for glueing the boards together and keeping them flat?
What type of clamps should I be using?
Are there clamping techniques that work best?

The key to keeping panel glue-ups flat is using cauls with the clamps. The clamps apply pressure across the joint and the cauls align the surfaces in a plane. Shopsmith makes a clamp they call a "double bar" clamp that does both jobs at once. Take a look at them and you can see what I think is probably the best way to glue up a flat panel.

https://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cat ... clamps.htm