Methods for joining plywood for baseboard / wainscotting

[andrew whicker]

The Tenso connectors "should" work. Only one way to find out for sure- you know you want that $1600 Zeta P2.

The panels aren't flat? How far out are they? How are you going to cut the joints accurately? What is the moisture content? What is the expected movement in service? Are you going to be able to pull the panels in against the wall without breaking the glue joints? Sounds fraught... I would want a bomber edge joint if there were any significant cupping or expected movement in the assembly.

Yeah, I really really like the idea of making the assy at the shop and installing it and trimming it out on site. You did say 3 sheets of drywall... so maybe it's pretty straight?


How thick is the ply veneer? I'd be concerned about getting faces within veneer thickness of each other. Otherwise you can't sand them flush.

[John Goodin]

I would worry the Bessey would lose suction through a tiny pore or imperfection. What about creating and using a very long pipe clamp? My first thought was a shiplap or tongue and groove but that is a lot slower than a domino.

[Jonathan Jung]

The 1/2" material is 3 plies of bamboo of the same thickness, so the faces are quite thick. Assembling the runs in the shop sounds nice but I don't want to transport 25' long pieces. That Lamello is cool, but for one job? Hmm...

I'll ask a couple local countertop places for a solid surface seaming clamp to try.

[Tom M King]

I would stick them up with Powergrab, and use clean removable duct tape to hold them together. With not too much Powergrab, it's not going to move anyway. A battery powered caulking gun helps a lot.

I've built coffered ceilings out of MDF and Powergrab with no fasteners. I didn't want to have to putty so many holes.

[Jim Becker]

Tom brings up a good point...some of today's quick acting adhesives are a boon for projects like this, especially with limited person-power to do the work. One has to be spot on with placement, however, because they do "grab" and don't let go.