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Thread: Solid Walnut bookshelf dados - is glue enough?

  1. #16
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    The back will only prevent racking. It will not help resist the sides bowing outwards.

    You need a brace which pulls the sides inwards. This is why I suggested a stretcher (hidden below a shelf) at the centre, which is anchored at each end.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  2. #17
    Yes 1/4 in back in a rabbet. , I was going to use quarter inch crown staples five eights inch long and maybe a little glue. Wondering how much glue if any and if I glue or staple the back to the shelves or just the rabbet.

  3. #18
    And yes I’m waiting for a woodworking son-in-law for glue up. I know better than killing the marriage over this one😐

  4. #19
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    If you don’t want the brace below the shelf, a fairly common approach is to include a couple of through tenons at the ends of the shelves, extending beyond the dados. If you wedge the tenons into mortises wider toward the outside of the case, it can resist a large amount of pullout force. I believe Peter Korn referred to this as an Alan Peters joint.

  5. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    The back will only prevent racking. It will not help resist the sides bowing outwards.

    You need a brace which pulls the sides inwards.
    We agree. You need something to pull the sides inwards. That's a back. A back is usually a big sheet of plywood fastened all the way around. Staples work. Glue works. Okay, you have to put a clamp or two on the sides to make them straight while you fasten the back on.

  6. #21
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    If you can remove the bowing with light finger pressure, you should be good to go. Between the glue and the back panel the sides should stay in place. If it were my project, I would glue it asap with a helper. Dry assemble it so your clamps are all pre-adjusted to the size you will need.

    Most important that you check the diagonal dimensions once you have it clamped before the glue sets up. DAMHIKT.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

  7. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Drew View Post
    ...glue up will be a bit of a challenge to get everything correct...An extra set of hands would be helpful...
    Epoxy makes this easy.
    "Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."

  8. #23
    Use cauls to evenly clamp front to back on each shelf. One your glue is dry, your golden.

  9. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by andy bessette View Post
    Epoxy makes this easy.
    Only at the glueup stage.

    At the finishing stage it’ll become a nightmare dealing with the inevitable squeeze out in the corners , and working inside a carcass.

  10. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Sabo View Post
    ...At the finishing stage it’ll become a nightmare dealing with the inevitable squeeze out in the corners , and working inside a carcass.
    Nah. This cleanup is taken care of at the glue-up stage, before the epoxy cures.
    "Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."

  11. #26
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    You could try the Norm Abrams method, where he sets the shelf in a dado and then uses a pin nailer to shoot nails through the shelf and into the side. The pins are tiny, and the head is right up against the vertical side, so they are pretty much invisible. This will mechanically fasten the shelf to the side and help provide resistance against the side pulling away from the shelf. Norm used this method on a lot of carcasses he built for different projects.

  12. #27
    Johnny, I've seen cauls on youtube. Sometimes people put a little curve in them. Do you think that is necessary?

  13. #28
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    Bill, curved cauls exert more pressure in the middle where there can be no clamps. That keeps things flatter while the glue sets. An alternative is a taller caul that has more strength in that direction.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  14. #29
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    The sides are probably bowed. While Derek's approach is better, I would not hesitate to throw a few number 8 wood screws and into the center of the bow, which ever shelf that is, with the holes countersunk and plugged. Screwing into end grain is an acceptable technique, and was used in a Paul Sellers rocking chair I recently built, to attach the rockers to the end grain of the legs.
    Regards,

    Tom

  15. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Brammer View Post
    Johnny, I've seen cauls on youtube. Sometimes people put a little curve in them. Do you think that is necessary?
    I make my cauls straight and then use a shim or two in the middle to create pressure btween the clamps. The cauls should be stiff enough to press out the cup, but flexible enough to bend and crapply pressure at both clamps.

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