How would you join and clamp this table base?

[Glenn de Souza]

Hi,
I'm thinking about building a variation on this table, and I'm looking for advice on how to join, and more importantly, how to glue up the table base structure. I was thinking about dominos or multiple dowels as the method of joinery for the angled brace members to the main column and feet, but it raises the question of how to assemble perpendicular joints simultaneously, and also how to clamp the joints once assembled.
I thought about gluing on a sacrificial clamping block to each angled member and sawing/planing it off after glue up?
Maybe join the upper and lower braces in two separate glue-ups?
For assembly purposes, maybe only one side of each brace can be assembled and glued at a time? For example, join the brace to the column first, and to the foot in phase 2.
(I call them braces because they remind me of truss braces).

Thanks for any advice,

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[Jim Dwight]

I think mortise and tenons would be a great joint for the connections. A domino joint is just a loose mortise and tenon that is unusually quick to make. To clamp this, I think I would glue on small blocks to the angled braces with hot melt glue or with regular glue but with a piece of heavy paper in the joint. The goal is the block is on there good enough to hold the clamp but can be knocked off when the glue is dry on the mortise and tenon joint. If it works right, a little sanding where the block was and you're ready for finish. You might want to try it on a mock up first, however. The risks are not enough strength to hold the clamp or that part of the angled brace comes away when you remove the block. Cutting the blocks off (maybe a flush cut saw?) might be a good idea.

[brian noel]

Cut a tenon on the bottom of the angled kickers straight down into the feet, use cauls just like Jim said and it should work fine. Another option might be to come back from the underneath side and drill in a dowel into the kicker? Jeff Miller wrote about a chair making tenon (PWW Feb 2014)saw that would work great for doing the tenons on the angled parts and it's not too hard to make one.

[Jerry Miner]

Good advice above. If you don't want to glue on a clamping block, you could attach a couple of angled blocks to a strip of wood (or plywood) to make a clamping block like this:

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[glenn bradley]

I'm with Jerry. Floating tenons and clamping one pair at a time as shown.

[Prashun Patel]

Good advice above. If you don't want to glue on a clamping block, you could attach a couple of angled blocks to a strip of wood (or plywood) to make a clamping block like this:



+1. I used this kind of jig to clamp mitered sides of a bench. It works wonderfully. Put 150g sandpaper on the face.

[Glenn de Souza]

Very clever! Thanks for the advice,