Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 17

Thread: Edge joinery with tongue and groove

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Location
    Northeast WI
    Posts
    571

    Edge joinery with tongue and groove

    So i need to make a "cabinet" of sorts for my mother. It will have 2 swing open doors in the front, a solid top, and needs to be on wheels. Dimensions are 24x36x24 roughly. I plan on using 1x6 stock for the "carcass". I have been debating how to construct it. I want to avoid plywood, and to be honest i kind of want to play with my new tongue and groove plane.

    If i do tongue and groove though, i am stumped on how to join the edges. Obviously a dovetail wont work, and i have been thinking about rabbet joints with nails or nice screws. I dont want the inside to have big ugly framework when you open the doors. I am starting to think it may be unavoidable though. Should i use (4) 2x4's standing vertically to nail the slats to, or what is the traditional construction method?

    I am trying to avoid this looking like something someone slapped together in a garage with a cordless drill, table saw, and construction lumber. Its not a family heirloom, but i want it to be nice.

    Any ideas or suggestions are welcomed. Thanks for the help!
    Last edited by Jason Buresh; 10-20-2020 at 12:07 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    twomiles from the "peak of Ohio
    Posts
    12,120
    groove.JPG
    A groove...meets a tongue..
    cutting a tongue.jpg
    To form a square corner..
    square corner.jpg
    And is easy to glue together.
    tongue.JPG
    Or just stack them up as a panel..
    stacked panels.jpg

    Corner joints?
    July Project, drawer front joints.JPG
    I used this to make a few drawers..
    July Project, 2 sides, bottom, back.JPG

    Where the "tongue" is just a rebate, that fits into a dado....

    IF you go to The Woodwright's Shop site...and look up "Campaign" furniture building....and watch C. Schwarz make a "dovetail" corner, that looks just like a lap joint from the outside...as the half blind dovetails are concealed inside the joint...IIRC, this is in the first of the 2 episodes....skip the second, as it only deals with installing all the brass hardware.....

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Location
    Northeast WI
    Posts
    571
    Steven,Thank you! It never occurred to me to use a rabbet and a dado to join the corners. This seems like a good option for both strength and speed.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2019
    Location
    The old pueblo in el norte.
    Posts
    1,844
    I have a bookshelf that was made quite some time ago (probably the 1930s, I know my great uncle made it before he joined the war). The basic construction is that the two sides are stop-rebated for the shelves, and those shelves are then glued and nailed into place. From there, the back is tongue and grooved and those have a chamfer and are set so that there's a small gap for movement. Those are then nailed to the shelves. The top and bottom are nailed on to the carcass. All the nailing is with headless finish nails that are sunk. It's a fairly common building technique, or at least was. This allows the larger piece that is the back to move, and still maintain a solid appearance.
    ~mike

    happy in my mud hut

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    West Simsbury, CT
    Posts
    384
    Quote Originally Posted by steven c newman View Post
    groove.JPG
    A groove...meets a tongue..
    cutting a tongue.jpg
    To form a square corner..
    square corner.jpg
    And is easy to glue together.
    tongue.JPG
    Or just stack them up as a panel..
    stacked panels.jpg

    Corner joints?
    July Project, drawer front joints.JPG
    I used this to make a few drawers..
    July Project, 2 sides, bottom, back.JPG

    Where the "tongue" is just a rebate, that fits into a dado....

    IF you go to The Woodwright's Shop site...and look up "Campaign" furniture building....and watch C. Schwarz make a "dovetail" corner, that looks just like a lap joint from the outside...as the half blind dovetails are concealed inside the joint...IIRC, this is in the first of the 2 episodes....skip the second, as it only deals with installing all the brass hardware.....
    Steven, do you ever wish for a dedicated t&g plane or the 45 is all you need? Do you use it for dados, as well?

    Thanks.
    Kevin

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    twomiles from the "peak of Ohio
    Posts
    12,120
    All I need is the 45.

    Was using it for dados, then the #39 showed up.....

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    In a lot of case work the backs were often thin pieces ship lapped without being glued to allow for expansion during changes of weather.

    If you do use finish nails you may want to try "blind nailing" > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?232798 < This was a small cabinet with a simple molding made using a Stanley #45.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2019
    Location
    The old pueblo in el norte.
    Posts
    1,844
    Yea, I've made quite a few pieces like that. I suppose that really the only reason I brought up the one my uncle made is it's now almost 90 years old.. and still going strong.

    Also, sort of now a 'family heirloom' I guess. Nails totally have their place in furniture making
    ~mike

    happy in my mud hut

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Missouri
    Posts
    2,151
    Miter the edges so the tongue and grooves line up. Then you could use your t&g plane to cut a groove for a spline to reinforce the miter joint. Match your boards and you will have a bit of a waterfall effect.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Location
    Big Bend/Panhandle, FL
    Posts
    122
    I am likely missing something important, but I’ll ask the question anyway...

    Generally speaking is a M&T frame and panel design out of the question for a build like this? OP could still use the T&G plane to create/assemble the panels for the sides and backs.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Location
    Northeast WI
    Posts
    571
    Tim,

    This is certainly an option, but i didnt know if there was a way to join the panels without a bunch of interior framework. Steven suggest the rabbet and dado, and i might five this a shot.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Location
    Big Bend/Panhandle, FL
    Posts
    122
    Floating panels that sit inside grooves plowed in the inside of the frame pieces. Just a thought.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by Tim Best View Post
    Floating panels that sit inside grooves plowed in the inside of the frame pieces. Just a thought.
    That sounds like the traditional construction of case work.

    Then there is at least a dozen ways to make the panels.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Dickinson, Texas
    Posts
    7,655
    Blog Entries
    1
    You might consider a biscuit joiner. They work really well for edge glue joints. You might have to do some sanding occasionally.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jul 2019
    Location
    Northeast WI
    Posts
    571
    This also never occurred to me, and is probably the best choice for what i am trying to do

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •