Craig Behnke
08-13-2013, 2:03 PM
I'm going to make an end grain butcher block in the pattern seen in the picture below. Will I need to biscuit or dowel the rows together?
When I made the edge grain board pictured below I just did a basic glue up with no other joinery. Since then, I have read that some people use biscuits or dowels that penetrate through the stripping to hold the rows together because the thin strip separating the rows (see the black arrow) is a weak point that compromises the strength.
Is it a pretty safe bet that a basic glue up is just fine and the extra joining is overkill?
The block will be hard maple and walnut, with walnut strips about 3/32 thick in between the rows. The block will be 12 x 18 x 2.25.
It will be a wedding gift for a friend, so I want it to last at least as long as the average marriage, about 3.6 years (joke, I'd like it to last a lifetime).
Input appreciated. Thanks.
268429
When I made the edge grain board pictured below I just did a basic glue up with no other joinery. Since then, I have read that some people use biscuits or dowels that penetrate through the stripping to hold the rows together because the thin strip separating the rows (see the black arrow) is a weak point that compromises the strength.
Is it a pretty safe bet that a basic glue up is just fine and the extra joining is overkill?
The block will be hard maple and walnut, with walnut strips about 3/32 thick in between the rows. The block will be 12 x 18 x 2.25.
It will be a wedding gift for a friend, so I want it to last at least as long as the average marriage, about 3.6 years (joke, I'd like it to last a lifetime).
Input appreciated. Thanks.
268429