is glue enough?

[rocky brown]

i'm assembling a hutch tomorrow and i'm wondering- is glue enough to hold it all together or do i need screws or dowels?

i'm using maple plywood edged with cherry and every joint is a dado.


thanks!

rb

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

i'm assembling a hutch tomorrow and i'm wondering- is glue enough to hold it all together or do i need screws or dowels?

i'm using maple plywood edged with cherry and every joint is a dado.


thanks!

rb

End grain joinery is not going to be terribly robust. You may want some screws.

[Jim Kountz]

With plywood you would be good to go. There really is no actual end grain in plywood so to speak. You could toenail a few brads in through the shelves and partitions just for some extra "umpfff".

[frank shic]

dados and glues are not strong enough long-term especially on something that will be bearing weight like a hutch. put in some screws and rest easy.

[Jim Kountz]

dados and glues are not strong enough long-term especially on something that will be bearing weight like a hutch. put in some screws and rest easy.

They are if your joinery is done properly and fitted well. I have pieces made over 20 years ago that are just as tight today as they were the day I made them. Depends on the joint though and if its made properly. Sometimes you cant just go driving screws into everything you build. Especially when you dont want them or a plug to show on the finished product.

[frank shic]

jim, you may have something there. i just looked at wood magazine's recent "torture test" and...

Wood Magazine Pull Apart test:
Biscuit miter joint 220 lbs/force; Dado 559 lbs/force - screws did not help.
For a Mortise & Tenon Joint, the wood failed but not the joint. It took 4,733 lbs/force nearly 2½ tons to pull apart.

thank you for challenging my previous notions. i don't use dado joints much except for cabinet backs. i'll keep this in mind in the future!

[Jim Kountz]

Hey Frank, not so much a challange as just some of my own observations. I saw that video on Youtube about the joint test. That was some amazing stuff to say the least!

[frank shic]

can you believe that we actually get excited watching wood joints failing (intentionally)? :D

[glenn bradley]

I have shop cabinets that are 3/4" ply in proper fitting dados with glue only that support a lot of weight, on wheels, over uneven flooring. No failures. I used TB-II and clamped for 24 hours. Any good PVA glue and undisturbed curing period should give similar results.

If there are locations where you could add a little support via screws, cleats, brads or whatever; I wouldn't hesitate to do it as long as it didn't hurt the looks of the piece or the design you're after.

[glenn bradley]

can you believe that we actually get excited watching wood joints failing (intentionally)? :D

Frank,

It is only through the open sharing and honest confessions of my fellow forum members that I am able to hold my head up knowing that I am not alone and that . . . yes, I do get excited watching joints fail, Thank you, thank you for letting me share that :D :D :D .

[frank shic]

all together now: HI GLENN! thunderous applause ensues... :p

[rocky brown]

thanks, guys. all the joints are tight and everything fits together smoothly when i dry fit it, so i'm going with glue only except for the back where i'll glue and brad nail it.

thanks again,
rb

[frank shic]

yo rocky, don't forget the pics, ok?