Joining 1 3/4 maple

[jason lambert]

Ok, silly question I am making some amp stands to support some pretty heavey tube amps, the stands will be about 23"X 19" supported on spikes. The perfered wood is thick maple so I have found some 1 3/4 maple. I was planning on using a glue joint router but but all the ones I have are designed for 3/4 wood (I think). So besides a stright glue up which I can do but was hoping for better what is usally done. Do I need a special router bit should I Donimo them?

[Narayan Nayar]

1 3/4 is a lot of wood--I'm fairly certain just a glue joint on two well-prepared surfaces would be more than adequate.

But to ease vertical registration of the boards as well as to provide some strength, Dominos would be a great way to join those boards together (that's what I would do). You could also run a spline down the boards--with a contrasting wood in the end grain, it could be a nice design element.

[Mark Singer]

If its long grain to long grain , its fine just with glue

[jason lambert]

It is long grain to long grain, just wanted to do something better for design as well as strength with out taking off to much wood.

[Ted Jay]

It is long grain to long grain, just wanted to do something better for design as well as strength with out taking off to much wood.

Why not do a 3/4" thick board and add an apron all around, however thick you want it to look. You could also dovetail them in for a more visual design stand.

Depending on whether your using Toe Spikes (not visually appealing), you could add recessed corner blocks and mount them in those. Or if your using the Dayton style spikes (tapered cones) you can make the corner blocks flush so you can see the spikes colors, (gold, shiny chrome, or black chrome).

Good luck,
Post some pics when your done, I wanna see.
Ted

[Eddie Darby]

If I understand you correctly, you are trying to joint on your router very thick maple.

I would use this bit, with a straight template,first with the top bearing removed, and then flip the wood over, and install the top bearing, for the second cut on the other half of the wood.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/Page.aspx?c=2&p=51851&cat=1,46168,46171

[Rob Russell]

My interpretation of Jason's question isn't that he's having a problem jointing the edges of the boards for the glueup - it's that he wants a bit that will cut mating "glue joint" profiles on the jointed boards.

I wouldn't worry about it. 1 3/4" of stock, properly jointed, glued and clamped will need nothing more for strength. If you're worried about alignment, simple biscuits will do what you want. If you don't have a biscuit joiner and don't want to buy one, buy a 1/4" slot cutter and route a groove in the faces of the strips you're gluing up. Stop the slots before they go all the way to the end. Mill some 1/4" thick splines. Thse will work as well as biscuits for registering the strips you're gluing up to each other (just a bit more work).

Rob

[Matt Day]

If I understand you correctly, you are trying to joint on your router very thick maple.

I would use this bit, with a straight template,first with the top bearing removed, and then flip the wood over, and install the top bearing, for the second cut on the other half of the wood.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/Page.aspx?c=2&p=51851&cat=1,46168,46171

I think you may have missed his point. I assume he can get a jointed edge with a jointer (if he's got a Domino, I would think he's got a jointer!:p), and doesn't need to do the flush trim router trick you suggest. But his question is if a simple glue joint will be adequate structurally (I would think yes), and how he should get the jointed boards registered to minimize sanding and add a design element.

Jason, your Domino would work great for this or a simply biscuit joiner. Or as Naryan said, a spline down the middle of each board would do the trick too.

[James Carmichael]

Ditto Rob's reply. Splines will do the job if you're worried about alignment.

If you don't want to mill 1/4" stock, 6mm baltic birch plywood usually fits a 1/4" slot pretty well. Stop short of the ends so it doesn't show.

[Wilbur Pan]

A hand plane would be ideal for smoothing out the edges of 1 3/4" maple boards to get a good tight glue line. You can also use it to smooth out any irregularities in aligning the boards.

This message brought to you courtesy of Jim Becker's Neanderthal stealth campaign (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=784729&#post784729). ;)

[jason lambert]

Thanks Ted I will have to do more research on that but I figured I really wanted nice heafty stands that is why I was using the 1 3/4 not 3/4 maple. Acustical test show ebony to be the best wood and maple the second best for amp stands so I don't want to mess to much with the known facts by adding a aprin, more glue, etc. These will be sitting on top of another stand that will be spiked to the floor. Between these and the other stand I will have some iso berrings or vibrapods, something like that.

I do have a joiner so I will just run them down that, domino and do a simple glue up. Thanks for all the input.

[Rob Russell]

Part of the reason to use maple is because it's dense. I'd definitely stay with the 1 3/4" thickness. If you're tryuing to absorb small vibrations, the extra mass will help.

[Chris Padilla]

buy a 1/4" slot cutter and route a groove in the faces of the strips you're gluing up. Stop the slots before they go all the way to the end. Mill some 1/4" thick splines. Thse will work as well as biscuits for registering the strips you're gluing up to each other (just a bit more work).

Rob

Or if a table saw is available, just run it through, bump the fence, run it through...a nice groove is created for the spline. :)

However, as has been said: long-grain to long-grain with modern glues is an incredibly strong joint assuming proper prep and clamping procedures are observed.... :)

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Heat~!! Tube amps get hot.

Ya might want to think about glues and heat.

I only know one that is heat resistant. Resourcinol.

[Ted Jay]

Heat~!! Tube amps get hot.

Ya might want to think about glues and heat.

I only know one that is heat resistant. Resourcinol.

I think the type of tube amps he is referring most of the heat is coming off the top from the tubes and heavy iron...

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee137/HARDWORKNWORRY/ASLmonsoonF.jpg

[Rob Russell]

Or if a table saw is available, just run it through, bump the fence, run it through...a nice groove is created for the spline. :)


That would work, but would mean that he has to put a skirt on the base to cover up the ends of the grooves/splines.

You could consider using this technique and make the splines decorative. use a wood that will really show up against the maple.