Can I Make Striped Boards Using Only Glue?

[Steve H Graham]

Now that I have my woodworking tools functioning, I want to make a box. Just a box. No specific purpose. I want to try some dovetails and just basically prove that I can do something.

I am looking at the wood I have available, which is some black walnut and some mahogany I cut myself. I can make a walnut or mahogany box, or I can make two sides with one wood and two from the other, but I think it would be kind of boring to look at.

I had an idea for livening it up, and I am posting to see if it's practical. If I have strips of wood 3/8" thick, can I joint them and fasten them side by side with glue and expect the joints to be strong enough to stand up to further work? Having a couple of strips of mahogany in a piece of walnut would make it visually more interesting.

I made a Telecaster-style guitar just by jointing wood and gluing it together without fasteners or biscuits or anything, so I figured I could do the same thing with a box.

[daryl moses]

yes................

[Art Mann]

Yes, what you are wanting to do is very common. I have done it myself on several occasions. I have also glued up panels and then planed them to 1/4 inch thick. If you use good gluing, clamping and curing technique, and then do a destructive test, you will probably see the material split somewhere besides the glue joint.

[Jerry Miner]

yes. It's done all the time

[Steve H Graham]

Cool. I slapped a few bits together, and tomorrow I'll see what I can do with it.

[Steve H Graham]

As long as I'm feeling brave, is it totally unrealistic to do this with shapes that have curves in them? I realize getting two curves to match within a couple of thousandths would be a wee bit time consuming.

[Jay Jolliffe]

Another thread:http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?186465-How-to-rout-matching-curves-in-two-mating-boards

[Joe Jensen]

To say more, with modern glues it is not necessary to do more than make sure the edges are straight and square. Any other joints are really only useful to help align the boards. If your wood is flat and square you don't need the alignment aids.

[Matt Day]

Steve, 600 posts and you're just now asking if a glue joint is strong? Yes! :-) The only glue joint that isn't strong is an end grain joint. Edge and face grain are fine.

Gluing curves is okay too of course. Perfect alignment isn't necessary if you make the parts a bit oversize and sand the joint.

[Steve H Graham]

Steve, 600 posts and you're just now asking if a glue joint is strong?

I heard someone say there was a prize.

[Matt Day]

Lol!

My comment was in jest, as I think you know. Please keep asking these types of questions as I'm sure many will learn from them, not just you.

[Pat Barry]

... If I have strips of wood 3/8" thick, can I joint them and fasten them side by side with glue and expect the joints to be strong enough to stand up to further work? Having a couple of strips of mahogany in a piece of walnut would make it visually more interesting..
Yes - glue will work for this - good thinking. Its not a new idea though.