On 1/15/2014 2:23 PM, Greg Guarino wrote:
While I'm still a novice at Sketchup, I fear I have gotten good enough
with it to design things that outstrip my woodworking skills (or my
available woodworking *time*. I've been committing ideas to "paper",
figuratively speaking; enough to take a year for me to translate into
actual wood-and-glue reality.

I'm curious if any of you do something like this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdguari...57639547178715

... when you're designing a piece, and if there's any simpler way other
than copying and pasting.

This would be an end table, which is still deep in the "musing" stage,
but I like the general idea. With my tool complement and skill set, I
see a couple of issues. The first is how to fasten the 1x2 "pickets" at
each end to the rails above and below. (together, they make a roman
numeral "III"). I don't have a Domino, and I question whether I would
live long enough to cut mortises and tenons for each one, something I've
never tried.

I'm thinking of using this BeadLock jig,

http://www.rockler.com/3-8-beadlock-basic-starter-kit

... but not in the usual way. (the usual way being to drill 5 holes that
mate with their proprietary tenon stock). I would just drill two
adjacent holes and use dowels. Like this:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdguari...7639547178715/


Assuming no one has any objections (ha), how would you glue something
like that? I only ask because it should not be under any stress at all.
Would you: Not use glue at all? Only put glue on the dowels? Or make
sure all the mating surfaces have glue?

It's OK to let slats/spindles float, without glue. However, with chairs
I use loose tenon joinery and glue just the mortises and tenons, after
pre-finishing:

https://plus.google.com/photos/11135...473?banner=pwa

A lot can be gleaned from studying these photos. If you have any
questions, just ask.

Is there some other way to join these pieces that's not too "advanced"?
I plan to use pocket screws for some of the other joints, but these
would show.

All you need is a plunge router for loose tenons. Since you don't have a
table saw to make the loose tenons, make them 1/4" thick and buy project
board for a BORG.

That brings me to the next issue. Each "leg" would consist of a 1x3 and
a 1x2 joined at a right angle, probably with a slight shadow line. I
assume biscuits would do the trick here, and a biscuit joiner is not out
of the question, but I'm wondering what other options there might be.

I will remind you that I don't have a table saw, and that my skills are,
um, "developing".

Use loose tenon joinery, with a router jig like this:

http://e-woodshop.net/Jigs.htm#MortJig1

I built the _prototype_ for this chair using just a plunge router for
the loose tenon joinery:

http://e-woodshop.net/Projects10.htm

--
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Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
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KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)