Laminating Boards

[Darrick Robbins]

Hey everyone--I had a quick question about laminating boards. I have a great (free) supply of 3/4" white oak, but I would like to make a bed for my little girl (her first). I am wondering if there are any concerns with slapping a couple of planks together with glue. I don't think there should be. If they are the same species they should expand and contract at the same rate theoretically. Has anyone ever done this with wide (7-9") boards.

As an aside I love the forum. More than anything the attitude here is great. Could it be that the one true way to tell a likeable person is if they are a woodworker? I don't suppose that is the case but you couldn't tell by this forum! Have a great day everyone.
Darrick:p

[Todd Burch]

Darrick, not all woodworkers are nice people, but this group here is pretty good!! But, one thing I think we all have in common is we're frugal, some to a greater extent than others!!

I face glue boards ALL THE TIME. Go for it. You have different options for face glueing... You can:

- Glue with best sides out
- Glue with both pith sides in or both pith sides out. If you glue with opposite pith sides together, there is a slight more of an opportunity for combined cupping. Read your wood.
- If either of your boards are already cupped, you can flatten them by using the technique here: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=5559&highlight=flattening+cupped+board. Since you are face gluing them, kerf on an inside face and don't even worrry about gluing in the spline.

When you glue them together, offset them purposefully. For instance, if the final width needed is 6", cut them at 6 1/4" each and offset them 1/16" to 1/8". That leaves a straight edge from which you can use to rip on your tablesaw. This way, there is no hassle trying to line them up at slippery slidy glue up time, and your finished edge is perfect. And, you can ignore the dried glue squeeze out.

Todd

[Mark Singer]

It is fine...just make sure they are straight when you glue them or they will make a nice pair of skis

[Steve Clardy]

Looks like Todd and Mark has it covered for you.:)

Welcome.
Steve:)

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Todd, I'm not frugal. I'm cheap, at least that's what my wife says.

[Darrick Robbins]

Thanks guys, I'll give it a try. You all make it sound just like falling off a log!! Thanks again!!

Darrick

[Brad Olson]

Just one consideration. I find that PVA glues suffer from creeping really badly. Thus when I do laminations, I usually prefer to use plastic resin or polyurethane glue which don't creep as badly. It really depends on where the joints will be, but if they will be visible, I would consider using poly or plastic resin glue instead of white or yellow glue.

For just a simple lamination this isn't as big as if it were a bent lamination or a table top glue up, but just thought I'd give you something to consider.

Looks like others are finding SMC as nice as a place as I do.

[Charlie Plesums]

Are you really asking about laminating - gluing the faces together to make a thicker board, or edge gluing to make a wider board?

I wonder what part of a kid's bed needs a 7 inch wide board thicker than 3/4 inch. But if that is really what you are doing, I would worry about glue creep, but more important, I would worry about how to get good pressure across the full surface - this is where vacuum presses are often used, or some fancy cauls and lots of clamps.

If you are just making a wider board (not usually called laminating), then the process is super routine - ordinary carpenter's glue and ordinary clamps work fine. I have seen demos that if your joints are absolutely perfect, you don't even need the clamps, but mine aren't that perfect.

Biscuits are sometimes used to help align the boards when edge joining. If you use them, be sure to allow LOTS of time for the glue to dry. The biscuits expand with moisture from the glue. The joint is strong (the glue is dry) in less than 24 hours, but there is still a lot of moisture in the biscuit, so if you immediately (the first day) sand smooth, you may see a shadow of the biscuit when it fully drys weeks later. This problem is subtle, and might never be an issue in a kid's bed, but it is something to consider with fancy projects like a tabletop.

[Darrick Robbins]

Charlie,

I was talking about laminating. I know it is probably overkill to have side rails thicker than an inch or so but all of the designs I have looked at indicate more than the 3/4" stuff I have. Thus the need for lamination. Thanks for the input everyone.

Darrick

[Charlie Plesums]

I have built a queen size adult bed with side rails made from 4/4 lumber about 5-6 inches wide, with no problem. I may not have planed it all the way to 3/4, but it was not a lot more than 3/4.

I did glue another board along the inside bottom, probably about 3/4 by 1 inch, as the ledge that the mattress boards would rest on, which added substantially to the stiffness of the sides. The 5-6 inch height is amply strong as long as the board remains straight/vertical, which isn't a problem.

I felt confident with this design, because I still have the full size bed that I slept in as a kid (50 years ago), and the side rails are only about 3/4 thick, like my design. I know a lot of bed plans call for rails more than 3/4 thick, so I would probably do that if I were making a bed for sale, but certainly not for a kids bed.