Need help with this joint

[Raymond Fries]

I need some advice on how to join these two pieces so I have a tight joint. I have tried multiple times and cannot get a tight joint every time. How can I locate the hole in the adjoining piece to be exactly where it needs to be?

I would be open to ideas on how to hide any small gap in a dado or similar technique. My goal here is the quickest way to put these together.
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I have tried these two ideas:

Held both pieces in place.
Used a taper drill to drill through the piece that holds the screw to locate the placement of the hole in the other piece.
Complete the drilling and countersink on the bracket.
Drill a pilot hole in the adjoining piece.
(Failed)

I have tried attaching the bracket by running a screw where my thumb is in the second picture so it goes in at a 45 degree angle at the corner of the other piece. (Failed)

What am I missing here?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

[pat warner]

You need to fence-drill the part that receives the screw thread.
Start with a punch mark. Drill on that, whilst the work is firmly clamped against the fence.
Miss the mark? Then move the fence, drill until your parts assemble the way you want.
Reiterate as necessary.
Missing anything? Maybe, drilling x punch, pencil or knife lines is always a guess.
Your problem is universal.
Use a new brad point.
And expect to reiterate or learn new ways of hitting center.
Like measuring, good to excellent material prep, straight square fencing, clamping etc.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Do I understand correctly that your primary concern is that you do not want any gap to show at the joinery location? For sure a dado would take care of much of this, but, that would potentially expose the gap where you are able to look into the dado from one of the ends where this dado is visible.

I expect that the screw will pull the joint down so that there is minimal gap in that direction. The other side of the joint strikes me as more difficult. You could attempt something similar to what is done when you peg a joint and place the mating screw hole in about 1/32". Any other thoughts that I have become more difficult from there.... Things like slightly hollow joint so that the portions of the wood that hit the connection point are slightly proud of the back... Hmm, I don't like that solution.

[Brian Holcombe]

Center punch the hole, then drill a pilot slight off center toward the outside.

[Raymond Fries]

Do I understand correctly that your primary concern is that you do not want any gap to show at the joinery location?

That is correct. Good thought on the visibility of the dado.

Good thoughts Brian and Pat.

[Charles Wiggins]

Center punch the hole, then drill a pilot slight off center toward the outside.

This is what I was thinking. The other thing I might add is making a small V-block to put on the cross-member opposite the joint so you can clamp the joint together to hold everything in position while you sink the screw.

See tip #2 from this Popular Woodworking article (https://books.google.com/books?id=o9QDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA102&ots=tI0GzuJ2xe&dq=v-block%20woodworking%20clamping%20pad&pg=PA102#v=onepage&q=v-block%20woodworking%20clamping%20pad&f=false).

[Greg Hines, MD]

Using a self tapping screw would also help, though given how small your pieces are, you need to pilot drill. But the screws I use with my pocket hole jig will cinch up those kinds of pieces tight.

Doc

[Floyd Mah]

I would notch the cross piece and leave more wood on the piece with the "V". Then the perpendicular piece will have a place to nest in and would be stronger with a less acute notch. Use a pin nailer to stabilize the joint and then drill a pilot hole for the screw. You could also drill the hole and countersink for the screw on the perpendicular piece first, before apposing the pieces.

[Bill Orbine]

Two thoughts comes to mind..... in drilling counter-sink hole in first piece, hole should be big 'nuff for screw to fall thru till screw-head stop. This is so that threads don't catch on the first piece. If threads are catching between two pieces, it is sometimes tough to pull them tight. The other possibility is to drill holes and install screws right where your thumb is in second picture. Me thinks that could pull the first piece tight at an angle against two sides of the other piece.

[Pat Barry]

You need to clamp the pieces and drill the pilot hole first, then follow up by separating the parts and drilling the clearance hole nd the countersink or you can get special drill bits that will do the whole job with one bit like this. (http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/tools/Drills-Drivers-Bits/drill-bits/adjustable-pilot-bit-set?infoParam.campaignId=T9F&gclid=Cj0KEQjwwIKxBRDKhOz7ytT30vkBEiQAT1NaPabLpEwy-wUDrr5QjvQs5SsENaqwofe0yntAq26AIxIaAqOc8P8HAQ)(not e - the clearance hole is important - you must have one to make this work the way you want it although the clearnace hole is not critical dimensionsally - just so the screw is not bound up in the clearance area.)
If you are doing production work then you need to do it this way with the single tool for sure -ts super fast and the most accurate way.

[william watts]

A drop of epoxy or CA glue to hold the pieces together, careful with the glue. Then drill a pilot hole, then the shank hole, no need to separate the pieces. I use this method on small box hinges and it works well.

Bill

[Erik Christensen]

I assume the desire for a "tight joint" is cosmetic vs structural - if that is accurate I would cut a very shallow dado (1/16) in both faces of the cross bar - any gaps in the joint attachment would be hidden by the cheeks of the dado

[John TenEyck]

If the joinery is cut well, I would join them with medium set CA glue and then drill the hole(s) for the screw in one go. I don't see how that could fail.

John

[Mike McGrath]

Many ways to skin a cat or build a joint. I would rout a v groove in a scrap of wood and use a clamp to hold the pieces in position for drilling/screwing. I think an AutoMax clamp from Kreg would make this an easy clamp up.