Wooden nails

[John Danner]

Hello all. I'm happy to have stumbled apon this site, tons of good info. I have a baby on the way so I am transitioning hobbies from fishing to woodworking to stay at home as much as possible. Please excuse any terminology/jargon mistakes. I am making one of my first projects which is a set of tables/platforms for my washer and drier. My wife wants a table for next to our swing rocker so these platforms are more or less practice for that table but with some design differences to use up some crap wood since I will be painting the platforms. For the top I am making a 26x27 inch frame with a center support (looks like this --> [|] ) and I plan on putting some MDF (actuall some old cabinet doors that were oak veneer) as an inlay. For the frame I am using lap joints. I wonder if it would add strength to put in a couple wooden nails for these joints. I know I could use screws or nails but I like the idea of building things without a ton of metal. Do people use wooden nails often? The frame is made from pine 2x4's and the nails would be oak.

[Myk Rian]

1/4" dowels would do nicely.

[Richard Wolf]

Take a look at the Miller Dowel System. It is well designed and works very well.

http://www.millerdowel.com/

Richard

[Chris Padilla]

John,

Welcome to The Creek!

This platform for your w/d--is it to simply raise them up a little bit so they are more accessible? I guess I'm a bit confused exactly what the table/platform is for.

[John Danner]

Yes, the point is to get them up higher. Right now if I have a laundry basket in front and open the door the door hits the basket. The tables will allow me to store the baskets below the washer and drier also. They are both front loading.

[Bill White]

IO used some wooden pegs in a table several years ago. Made from 100 + yrs. old white oak from an old tobacco barn. Cut 'em, trimmed 'em to a taper, and the darned things drove just like nails (into predrilled holes of course). Dang, that stuff was hard.
Bill

[Lee Schierer]

As others have indicated, you can use dowels (wooden nails) but in lap joints they are totally unnecessary and add little strength. Consider them decorative.

Good luck with your design and the new baby.

[Brett Nelson]

A little off-topic but in regards to building with wooden nails. In my neck of the woods, this building is famous for having been built without metal nails and fasteners, including the dome roof. Unfortunately I can't add much insight as to how they achieved the necessary holding power.
http://mormonsoprano.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/tabernacle-03312008-getty-images.jpg
http://www.media.utah.edu/UHE/Pictures/p0000192.jpg

[Chris Padilla]

Yes, the point is to get them up higher. Right now if I have a laundry basket in front and open the door the door hits the basket. The tables will allow me to store the baskets below the washer and drier also. They are both front loading.

Ah, okay. I built a similar platform for my front-loading w/d.

I built a 2x4 frame with a 3/4" plywood top: think of a wall but laying down. I then inserted tee-nets with carriage bolts (smooth round head) to level the platform since my w/d are in a garage with a sloped floor.

I painted it and then poly'ed it. I have no space under my platform, however as it is nearly sitting on the garage floor.