Couch/Entry Hall Table

[Dave Verstraete]

I am posting this design for your critique/comments. I am planning to use the live edged bubinga that I received in December for my birthday for the top and doors. Ebony will be used to tie the top and walnut carcass together.

I have some questions on joinery. This is the most difficult part of the design, for me.
1. If I use a mitered 45 for the joint of the top and side, do I need additional dowels, biscuits or possibly an exposed ebony dovetail to strengthen the joint. Thoughts please.
2. The carcass will be made of walnut. Do I miter the joints? dowel them?
3. Connecting the carcass to the top with pieces of ebony. I think that I want to use screws to attach these. Thoughts....!!!

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/blog_attachment.php?attachmentid=33&d=1230477319

[Jamie Buxton]

Just to make sure I understand, the thing at the upper left in your drawing is a front view, and the upper right in your drawing is a side view, right?

1. Yes, I'd do something more than a mitered glue joint between the top and the sides. Without any other joinery, you have glue faces which are primarily end-grain. End-grain glue faces aren't anywhere near as strong as face-grain faces. Your idea of ebony dovetail inserts would work well, both structurally and visually.

2 Hunh? What's the "carcass" here? I thought the miter joint in your first question was the one between the top and the sides. Those make up the carcass in my mind.

3 You could use screws to attach the top to the ebony, but where are the screw heads? Are they visible on the top surface?! I'd at least submerge them and plug the hole, probably with more ebony. I'd use a rectangular plug, so it looks like a through-mortise, rather than a round plug, which looks like a drilled hole.

[Dave Verstraete]

Jamie
Yes, It is a front and right side view. (Like I did in mechanical drawing class soooo many years ago).

What I called the carcass might be called something different. I am referring to the "box" of walnut that is angled on its right side. This will actually be a complete hardwood box that will then be attached to the top/side of the table. I can screw it to the ebony pcs. from the inside of the box after I attach the ebony to the top with screws from the inside??? I hope I described this right. I do like the thought of the through mortise look for the ebony...hmmm

[Paul Girouard]

Is it free standing ? Or screwed to a wall like a cabinet?

Either way with solid wood and disimilar wood types , wood movement will / may be your enemy. Those panels look to be what 12" wide?? If I'm reading your cut list right.

That being said a hardwood rift or quarter sawn spline would be my idea for strengthening those miters. I'm not much into the contemporary design . type build your doing , but if I was forced due to client design issues I think I'd be spline-ing them.

[Jamie Buxton]

Ah, maybe I'm seeing...

The joint you're addressing in your question #1 is at the upper left of the drawing. If I understand correctly, it is between two pieces of bubinga. The carcass joints in your question #2 are lower down.

If so, my answer #1 covers all of those joints. They are all end-grain to end-grain, and should get something more than glue to hold them together. Real dovetails would work. Those faux-dovetail things would work (and could look really cool). Finger joints would work. Splines or biscuits (which are really small splines) aren't quite as sturdy as dovetails and fingers, but would work.

[Dave Verstraete]

Paul
Yes, it is a freestanding piece.

I see what you mean about the different wood types and the movement being different between the species.

I wasn't into contemporary design either until this project. I was told by the LOML that I needed to think "outside the box". So, what do I do? Why, of course, build another box.

Jamie
You are correct. On the upper left corner of the project, where the two pieces of bubinga join, I want a miter so that the "waterfall" flows along the top and ends at the floor. I guess that is the "point" of the whole project. I will need to strengthen that joint because of the end grain-to-end grain issue. I have never put a dovetail across a miter like I am thinking. I guess that I'm about to learn that technique. I have included a sketch of what I am talking about.

Thank you both for your ideas!

More thoughts are appreciated

[Earl Kelly]

Dave,

Just cut a groove in your miter and spline it. 1/8-1/4" is plenty. That way you will have no interruption of the grain and the joint will be plenty strong. Shoot even biscuits will work considering how the Bubinga is supported by the carcass below. Main issue is to get the miter joint pulled very tightly together, when clamping this up.

Earl

[Jamie Buxton]

If what you want is the bubinga grain flowing continously over the edge, it might be that the dovetail ends bother you. Here's another way to make the joint: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showpost.php?p=195538&postcount=42. (That's a post in the middle of a thread. If you remove the postcount from the URL, you can read the whole thread.)

[Chris Padilla]

Paul
Yes, it is a freestanding piece.

I see what you mean about the different wood types and the movement being different between the species.

I wasn't into contemporary design either until this project. I was told by the LOML that I needed to think "outside the box". So, what do I do? Why, of course, build another box.

Jamie
You are correct. On the upper left corner of the project, where the two pieces of bubinga join, I want a miter so that the "waterfall" flows along the top and ends at the floor. I guess that is the "point" of the whole project. I will need to strengthen that joint because of the end grain-to-end grain issue. I have never put a dovetail across a miter like I am thinking. I guess that I'm about to learn that technique. I have included a sketch of what I am talking about.

Thank you both for your ideas!

More thoughts are appreciated

I was going to suggest the Kehoe Jig (http://www.dovetailspline.com/) for your application but Jamie's blind finger joint is much more elegant and won't disturb the grain flow.