Which joint to use?

[Matt Woessner]

I am building a coffee table and I am at the point that I attach the lower stretchers. I have tapered the legs at a slight angle. So I will need to match that angle on the ends of the stretchers. I am using 3/4 stock for the stretcher that is 2 in wide. I am a beginner and not setup for tenons and mortises. I thought of using dowels, I can drill a hole easy enough, then I thought of using a glue block with a screw in the leg, and a screw though the front and side stretchers? Currently I am leaning toward the glue block with screws. Anyone have a better suggestion? Thanks for the help.

[Greg Hines, MD]

Dowels would work, if you have a jig to place the holes. The whole trick to using dowels is to have them match up and be square to the end of your stretchers and legs.

I don't think that glue blocks and screws would keep your aprons in alignment very good. On the other hand, pocket screws would do the job well, and Kreg sells their smallest jig for about $20.

Doc

[glenn bradley]

Given no M&T I'd go pocket holes. Lowe's sell the Kreg mini as Greg describes, $20 = drill, jig, collar and allen wrench. Be careful though. Once you do your first pocket holes you'll find all kinds of ways to use them. Pick up some screws too. 1-1/4" pan head for your 3/4" material. Longer would be better but you don't say what size the leg is where the attachment will take place.

[Mike Cutler]

I am building a coffee table and I am at the point that I attach the lower stretchers. I am a beginner and not setup for tenons and mortises. I thought of using dowels, I can drill a hole easy enough Anyone have a better suggestion? Thanks for the help.

Matt
I'm not trying to be flip, or smug here. But what is preventing you from doing an M&T joint?
The most critical attribute in making an M&T joint is to be able to accurately lay it out. If you have a tablesaw, bandsaw, or handsaw, and any tool capable of drilling a straight hole, in conjunction with a chisel. You can make an M&T joint.
There really is no "setup" per se, and there are many methods and techniques to do them that don't require hundreds of dollars be spent on a new tool, jig or fixture.
A M&T joint is really the joint that you want to use in this application. There are other solutions, but the M&T offers the most long term strength and stability.

Post a pic of the two members that need to be joined and I'll be more than happy, as will others, to step you through the process. The first few M&T joints can be intimidating, but once you do one or two the "mystique" is lost, and you just start doing them as second nature.

[J. Z. Guest]

Matt - This might be a good time to invest in a Dowelmax, if you can spare the money. (~$300 shipped) This is the precision sort of tool that will be useful in all manner of future projects.

Barring that, I'll add another vote for pocket screw joinery, though the $40-60 range of Kreg jigs is going to be much more versatile than the $20 one. Less setup and the ability to drill multiple holes at once.

I think these days, M&T is not worth the trouble. I did M&T on a project of mine. I dado-cut the tenons, drilled out the waste in the mortises, and cleaned them up with chisels. The edges of the mortises are not very smooth, even being careful. One could argue that this is more due to my technique than problems with the joinery, but no matter how good I am, it would not approach the smoothless of a plunge-routed mortise. But then there is the set-up. From now on, I'm only going to use M&T when there is a good reason NOT to use modern options.

[Frank Drew]

Jeremy,

Not to be argumentative, but in my opinion mortise and tenon is always a better joint than dowelling, which isn't to say that it's always absolutely necessary for a given situation.

As for glue blocks and pocket screwing, these aren't the best looking choices for furniture work.

[Greg Hines, MD]

Just out of curiosity, why can't you do mortise and tenons? The whole trick to them in getting the mortise tight, and with a router and a simple jig attached to it, or an edge guide, you can do that. A dado stack, or the same router across the ends, makes acceptable tenons. That is how I do apron-to-leg connections.

Doc

[Matt Woessner]

I would love to use an M and T joint, but I have several issues to work with. I do not have a dado blade,tenioning jig, plunge router, or a band saw worth using(small table top, cheap brand). I attempted a M and T last night to see if I could even do one, and it was not good. That is when I decided to roll with another option. I would love to do quailty work, but it is very difficult when I do not yet have the tools. The other thing I am facing is that it meets at an angle, adding more difficulty for my first M and T joint. I will try to get some pics and see what everyone thinks. Thanks for the advice and help so far.

[Chris Padilla]

Can you cut a mortise with your router? You could go with a floating tenon instead of an integral one. Gee, didn't I just suggest this in another thread?! ;)

[NICK BARBOZA]

I was in your shoes a few years ago. just starting out with minimal equip and knowledge/experience. I mad a few coffee tables with biscuits and pocket screws. as stated above the pocket screw isnt the "prettiest" joint, BUT, it is a practical and very functional joint.

i would say go pocket screws. They help you focus on the construction process as a whole (which early on is quite daunting in it's own right) rather than making a more difficult M&T joint.

You have to start somewhere and typically for most of us, its not at the top. Your on the right path; leave the M&T joints for the next project.

Good luck!
Nick

[Dan Lautner]

This sounds like a good reason to buy a Domino. I have had mine about six months and the thing has more than paid off. The Domino is truly a revolutionary tool imnsho.

Dan

[Peter Quadarella]

I vote Domino if you're willing to invest money, regular M&T if you're willing to invest time, and pocket screws via the $34 Kreg kit if you're willing to invest nothing. Dowelmax if you're willing to invest some money, but not as much as a Domino.

[mreza Salav]

If you have a few chisels and enough patience you can do perfect M&T by hand. In my recent project (posted here http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=83398) I did all the joints with M&T and did some of the larger ones (the cross boards which are 60" long) by hand, both the tenons and the mortices. Lay out them carefully and take your time in fine tuning them.

[Chris Friesen]

I do not have a dado blade,tenioning jig, plunge router, or a band saw worth using(small table top, cheap brand).

A dado blade is not necessary...two cuts with a combo blade (one for the shoulder, one for the cheek) works just fine. A tenon jig can be constructed fairly easily...I built one that straddles the fence, others run in a mitre slot. A non-plunge router can be used for the tenon as well...just don't take too much off at once. In conjunction with a home-made fence, it could also be used for the mortise...you just have to angle it in by hand instead of plunging.

The fact that it's an angled joint does make it a bit trickier, but it's still doable. May not be worth the time required, however. That judgement is up to you.

[Matt Woessner]

Thanks for all the advice, I have several options to consider. I get my self into these things but not using plans or not really having a plan. I can just see the finished product, and that is what I go on. I overlook sometimes the technical parts, and think oh I can do that, when I can't (yet), in reality it takes time and practice I am finding out quickly.

[J. Z. Guest]

mreza makes a very good point. If you have patience, you can do it with the tools you already have. Problem is that not all of us have this patience. (I'm guilty)

As you can see by the photos in mreza's link, patience is the key to beautiful work.

[Matt Woessner]

I don't even have the hand tools to make the joint. Man I need to buy some stuff. ;) Wait new baby will be here in a couple weeks maybe not for a little while.

[J. Z. Guest]

Wait new baby will be here in a couple weeks maybe not for a little while.

Well, that makes it an easy decision. Kreg kit for $20 and another $10-20 worth of pocket screws.

Meantime, you can rest easy knowing that your tool money is going into diapers. :p