To pocket or not to pocket?
 

SWMBO wants two end tables and luckily for me the design is fairly
simple. This is what she wants me to build

http://www.thomasville.com/Item4819/...End-Table.aspx

The assembly instructions show that the legs are the standard
knockdown style with the mitered block behind the apron. I will of
course attach the legs to the apron using M & T joints. The shelf is
attached to the legs using pocket screws.

Is there a better way to secure that joint?
If I do use pocket screws how much material do I need to leave on the
Maple legs?
Any other ideas or design tweak suggestions?

I am planning on having the legs taper from 1 1/2" to 7/8" over 22"
leaving 3" untapered for the aprons.

To pocket or not to pocket?
 

"RayV" wrote in message
ups.com...
SWMBO wants two end tables and luckily for me the design is fairly
simple. This is what she wants me to build

http://www.thomasville.com/Item4819/...End-Table.aspx

The assembly instructions show that the legs are the standard
knockdown style with the mitered block behind the apron. I will of
course attach the legs to the apron using M & T joints. The shelf is
attached to the legs using pocket screws.

Is there a better way to secure that joint?

Dowel pins.

To pocket or not to pocket?
 

I see a few options:

1. Notch the legs: this would suppot the shelf well but offer little interms
of resitance to "splaying" of the legs.
2. Pocket hole: perfectly functional, but less classy. protrusion of a
standard 1.25" pocket hole screw is .75" into the leg.
3. M&T: the mortises (one per leg) would face each other onling the long
grain of the shelf. It's a bit of a tricky joint to render, especially since
the "pocket" in the shelf next to the tennon whould have to have two
shoulders to properly mate with the tapered leg. That does depend, however,
on of it's four-sided taper or a two-sided taper on the inside or outside.
As best I can tell, the photo looks like an interior two-sided taper.
4. Dowel: basically a cylindrical loose tennon much the same as #3, but
perhaps a bit easier to implement.



-Steve



"RayV" wrote in message
ups.com...
SWMBO wants two end tables and luckily for me the design is fairly
simple. This is what she wants me to build

http://www.thomasville.com/Item4819/...End-Table.aspx

The assembly instructions show that the legs are the standard
knockdown style with the mitered block behind the apron. I will of
course attach the legs to the apron using M & T joints. The shelf is
attached to the legs using pocket screws.

Is there a better way to secure that joint?
If I do use pocket screws how much material do I need to leave on the
Maple legs?
Any other ideas or design tweak suggestions?

I am planning on having the legs taper from 1 1/2" to 7/8" over 22"
leaving 3" untapered for the aprons.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

To pocket or not to pocket?
 

On Oct 9, 10:14 am, RayV wrote:
SWMBO wants two end tables and luckily for me the design is fairly
simple. This is what she wants me to build

http://www.thomasville.com/Item4819/...End-Table.aspx

The assembly instructions show that the legs are the standard
knockdown style with the mitered block behind the apron. I will of
course attach the legs to the apron using M & T joints. The shelf is
attached to the legs using pocket screws.

Is there a better way to secure that joint?
If I do use pocket screws how much material do I need to leave on the
Maple legs?
Any other ideas or design tweak suggestions?

I am planning on having the legs taper from 1 1/2" to 7/8" over 22"
leaving 3" untapered for the aprons.

I'd dado the legs so the shelf was resting on a ledge then use pocket
screws to hold everything in place. I'd want at least 3/4" of screw
buried.

R

To pocket or not to pocket?
 

I like a loose tenon and pocket holes.

This job is made for that snazzy($$$$) Domino.

RayV wrote:

SWMBO wants two end tables and luckily for me the design is fairly
simple. This is what she wants me to build

http://www.thomasville.com/Item4819/...End-Table.aspx

To pocket or not to pocket?
 

Notch the legs and use pocket screws. I've seen 100 year old pieces
(Stickley) with exactly that detail.

On Oct 9, 7:14 am, RayV wrote:
SWMBO wants two end tables and luckily for me the design is fairly
simple. This is what she wants me to build

http://www.thomasville.com/Item4819/...End-Table.aspx

The assembly instructions show that the legs are the standard
knockdown style with the mitered block behind the apron. I will of
course attach the legs to the apron using M & T joints. The shelf is
attached to the legs using pocket screws.

Is there a better way to secure that joint?
If I do use pocket screws how much material do I need to leave on the
Maple legs?
Any other ideas or design tweak suggestions?

I am planning on having the legs taper from 1 1/2" to 7/8" over 22"
leaving 3" untapered for the aprons.

To pocket or not to pocket?
 

"Pat Barber" wrote in message
...
I like a loose tenon and pocket holes.

This job is made for that snazzy($$$$) Domino.

RayV wrote:

SWMBO wants two end tables and luckily for me the design is fairly
simple. This is what she wants me to build

http://www.thomasville.com/Item4819/...End-Table.aspx


While I agree some what, I mentioned a dowel. I have the Domino and it came
to mind immediately but after looking at the picture I felt that the tennon
would be too wide for a narrow leg if made the same size.

To pocket or not to pocket?
 

"RayV" wrote

The shelf is
attached to the legs using pocket screws.

Is there a better way to secure that joint?

IMO, "notch" the legs across the diagonal to hold the beveled shelf corners
.... then use pocket screws to hold the shelf in the notches.

If I do use pocket screws how much material do I need to leave on the
Maple legs?
Any other ideas or design tweak suggestions?

I am planning on having the legs taper from 1 1/2" to 7/8" over 22"
leaving 3" untapered for the aprons.

With that taper, and with the shelf at 6" above the floor (the picture seems
to have the shelf a bit lower), and using a 1/4" notch in the leg, you will
have approximately 1 1/4" of diagonal cross section "meat" to screw into
before going through the opposite corner of the leg.

You will want to select your notch/screw size carefully with that diagonal
cross section in mind.

The old pieces that I've seen built like this did not use very long "pocket
hole" screws ... then again, I've only seen a few.

FWIW ....

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 9/30/07
KarlC@ (the obvious)

To pocket or not to pocket?
 

On Oct 10, 8:23 am, "Swingman" wrote:
"RayV" wrote

The shelf is
attached to the legs using pocket screws.

Is there a better way to secure that joint?

IMO, "notch" the legs across the diagonal to hold the beveled shelf corners
... then use pocket screws to hold the shelf in the notches.

If I do use pocket screws how much material do I need to leave on the
Maple legs?
Any other ideas or design tweak suggestions?

I am planning on having the legs taper from 1 1/2" to 7/8" over 22"
leaving 3" untapered for the aprons.

With that taper, and with the shelf at 6" above the floor (the picture seems
to have the shelf a bit lower), and using a 1/4" notch in the leg, you will
have approximately 1 1/4" of diagonal cross section "meat" to screw into
before going through the opposite corner of the leg.

You will want to select your notch/screw size carefully with that diagonal
cross section in mind.

The old pieces that I've seen built like this did not use very long "pocket
hole" screws ... then again, I've only seen a few.

FWIW ....

--www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 9/30/07
KarlC@ (the obvious)

How did you calculate this?

I got curious and tried it myself and came up with a diagonal
measurement of 1.47849599702639" at 6" up on that taper which would
give the ~1 1/4" of "remaining meat" on the diagonal you came up
with. It took me almost an hour to remember how to do it.

Mr Spiker (8th grade math teacher) can now tell me "I told you that
you would need to know this one day..."

To pocket or not to pocket?
 

"RayV" wrote

I got curious and tried it myself and came up with a diagonal
measurement of 1.47849599702639" at 6" up on that taper which would
give the ~1 1/4" of "remaining meat" on the diagonal you came up
with. It took me almost an hour to remember how to do it.

Mr Spiker (8th grade math teacher) can now tell me "I told you that
you would need to know this one day..."

LOL ... at one time I would have broken out the slide rule and given you the
answer in a minute, or less.

Today ... I use CAD! :)

I used to hate tapering legs so much that I would do anything not to screw
one up and be forced to redo it ... and I was sitting on the front porch and
just happened to be working, over my morning coffee, on the design of a
piece I'm thinking of building when I saw your post and already had the
program open.

Sorry to burst your bubble. G

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 9/30/07
KarlC@ (the obvious)