I've got a set of IKEA bookcases. Each one is roughly 30H x 30W x 14D
and is divided into 4 square sections. There are 4 and a half of them,
the "half' being half as wide, with only two sections.

They are lined up against a wall in our family room and come within a
couple of inches of taking up the whole wall, about 13'.

They are probably ten years old, and are thus somewhat better than the
current crop of IKEA stuff. It's their "Beech" finish. But for the
tops, which have gotten a little scratched up, they don't look too
bad.

I'd like to make a top that spans the whole set. I'm thinking of using
ceramic or porcelain tile with a wood 1x2 border around it. My
original idea would be reasonably easy, I think. 3/4 ply with the 1x2
glued around the edge to make a "tray" that the tiles would sit in.
Maybe I'd get fancy and rout out a dado in the 1x2 (oak, probably) for
the edge of the ply to fit into.

I might not even bother to use thinset or grout, perhaps just laying
the tiles in, or maybe using some construction adhesive. I have a tile
saw, BTW. I would use large tiles that span the entire depth with one
tile.

I think I'd have to build it in situ. There would have to be two
lengths of ply to cover the distance, and other than the "border" and
the furniture underneath, I don't know how I could fasten them
together well.

But then I had another idea, a wrinkle that I can't get in my head how
to accomplish. I have a bunch of prefinished IKEA kitchen molding,
3/4" thick, maybe 3" wide, straight except for a 1/4 round on one
side. It matches the cabinets well. I was thinking of using that,
laying flat, as the border. The benefit is that I wouldn't have to try
(and fail) to match the finish.

The problem is how to attach molding that thin to some sort of base
for the tiles. I'm thinking I could make a rabbet on the underside of
the molding to accept 1/4" or maybe 3/8" ply and then glue it up.
There'd almost certainly be a lip; the tiles wouldn't be exactly flush
with the surface of the molding. This might still look OK though.

Any thoughts? I'm not a complete idiot around wood and tools, but my
skills are modest, so be gentle.

Are these book cases 1) mounted high on the wall or are they 2) on the
floor, such that the top surfaces are used table-like/countertop-like,
hence their being scratched?

I'm thinking, just a sheet of 1/4" or 3/8" luan, finished nicely
(durable finish), would do fine, with simple molding around the
edges. Any future damage can be more easily repaired or replaced.
Ceramic tile, directly applied onto wood, doesn't sound like a secure/
fail-safe surface, to me.

Sonny

wrote:
I've got a set of IKEA bookcases. Each one is roughly 30H x 30W x 14D
and is divided into 4 square sections. There are 4 and a half of them,
the "half' being half as wide, with only two sections.

They are lined up against a wall in our family room and come within a
couple of inches of taking up the whole wall, about 13'.

They are probably ten years old, and are thus somewhat better than the
current crop of IKEA stuff. It's their "Beech" finish. But for the
tops, which have gotten a little scratched up, they don't look too
bad.

I'd like to make a top that spans the whole set. I'm thinking of using
ceramic or porcelain tile with a wood 1x2 border around it. My
original idea would be reasonably easy, I think. 3/4 ply with the 1x2
glued around the edge to make a "tray" that the tiles would sit in.
Maybe I'd get fancy and rout out a dado in the 1x2 (oak, probably) for
the edge of the ply to fit into.

I might not even bother to use thinset or grout, perhaps just laying
the tiles in, or maybe using some construction adhesive. I have a tile
saw, BTW. I would use large tiles that span the entire depth with one
tile.

I think I'd have to build it in situ. There would have to be two
lengths of ply to cover the distance, and other than the "border" and
the furniture underneath, I don't know how I could fasten them
together well.

But then I had another idea, a wrinkle that I can't get in my head how
to accomplish. I have a bunch of prefinished IKEA kitchen molding,
3/4" thick, maybe 3" wide, straight except for a 1/4 round on one
side. It matches the cabinets well. I was thinking of using that,
laying flat, as the border. The benefit is that I wouldn't have to try
(and fail) to match the finish.

The problem is how to attach molding that thin to some sort of base
for the tiles. I'm thinking I could make a rabbet on the underside of
the molding to accept 1/4" or maybe 3/8" ply and then glue it up.
There'd almost certainly be a lip; the tiles wouldn't be exactly flush
with the surface of the molding. This might still look OK though.

Any thoughts? I'm not a complete idiot around wood and tools, but my
skills are modest, so be gentle.

bisquits for alignment and glue

On Oct 1, 10:57*am, Sonny wrote:
Are these book cases 1) mounted high on the wall or are they 2) on the
floor, such that the top surfaces are used table-like/countertop-like,
hence their being scratched?

They are on the floor

I'm thinking, just a sheet of 1/4" or 3/8" luan, finished nicely
(durable finish), would do fine, with simple molding around the
edges. *Any future damage can be more easily repaired or replaced.
Ceramic tile, directly applied onto wood, doesn't sound like a secure/
fail-safe surface, to me.

I was actually thinking the opposite; that a dozen plain maybe $2 each
porcelain (floor) tiles would be about as teenager-proof a surface as
I could imagine. Did I mention the teenager in the house? And I
wouldn't have to sand and finish quite a large area of wood. I could
even keep a couple of extra tiles around in case something really
untoward happens. Even just gravity, coupled with a tight fit should
hold them in, wouldn't you think?

On Oct 1, 9:24*am, " wrote:
I've got a set of IKEA bookcases. Each one is roughly 30H x 30W x 14D
and is divided into 4 square sections. There are 4 and a half of them,
the "half' being half as wide, with only two sections.

They are lined up against a wall in our family room and come within a
couple of inches of taking up the whole wall, about 13'.

They are probably ten years old, and are thus somewhat better than the
current crop of IKEA stuff. It's their "Beech" finish. But for the
tops, which have gotten a little scratched up, they don't look too
bad.

I'd like to make a top that spans the whole set. I'm thinking of using
ceramic or porcelain tile with a wood 1x2 border around it. My
original idea would be reasonably easy, I think. 3/4 ply with the 1x2
glued around the edge to make a "tray" that the tiles would sit in.
Maybe I'd get fancy and rout out a dado in the 1x2 (oak, probably) for
the edge of the ply to fit into.

I might not even bother to use thinset or grout, perhaps just laying
the tiles in, or maybe using some construction adhesive. I have a tile
saw, BTW. I would use large tiles that span the entire depth with one
tile.

I think I'd have to build it in situ. There would have to be two
lengths of ply to cover the distance, and other than the "border" and
the furniture underneath, I don't know how I could fasten them
together well.

But then I had another idea, a wrinkle that I can't get in my head how
to accomplish. I have a bunch of prefinished IKEA kitchen molding,
3/4" thick, maybe 3" wide, straight except for a 1/4 round on one
side. It matches the cabinets well. I was thinking of using that,
laying flat, as the border. The benefit is that I wouldn't have to try
(and fail) to match the finish.

The problem is how to attach molding that thin to some sort of base
for the tiles. I'm thinking I could make a rabbet on the underside of
the molding to accept 1/4" or maybe 3/8" ply and then glue it up.
There'd almost certainly be a lip; the tiles wouldn't be exactly flush
with the surface of the molding. This might still look OK though.

Any thoughts? I'm not a complete idiot around wood and tools, but my
skills are modest, so be gentle.

A couple of boxes of either cork or bamboo flooring. Prefinished.
Really cool textures and colours.

On Oct 1, 5:14*pm, Robatoy wrote:
On Oct 1, 9:24*am, " wrote:



I've got a set of IKEA bookcases. Each one is roughly 30H x 30W x 14D
and is divided into 4 square sections. There are 4 and a half of them,
the "half' being half as wide, with only two sections.

They are lined up against a wall in our family room and come within a
couple of inches of taking up the whole wall, about 13'.

They are probably ten years old, and are thus somewhat better than the
current crop of IKEA stuff. It's their "Beech" finish. But for the
tops, which have gotten a little scratched up, they don't look too
bad.

I'd like to make a top that spans the whole set. I'm thinking of using
ceramic or porcelain tile with a wood 1x2 border around it. My
original idea would be reasonably easy, I think. 3/4 ply with the 1x2
glued around the edge to make a "tray" that the tiles would sit in.
Maybe I'd get fancy and rout out a dado in the 1x2 (oak, probably) for
the edge of the ply to fit into.

I might not even bother to use thinset or grout, perhaps just laying
the tiles in, or maybe using some construction adhesive. I have a tile
saw, BTW. I would use large tiles that span the entire depth with one
tile.

I think I'd have to build it in situ. There would have to be two
lengths of ply to cover the distance, and other than the "border" and
the furniture underneath, I don't know how I could fasten them
together well.

But then I had another idea, a wrinkle that I can't get in my head how
to accomplish. I have a bunch of prefinished IKEA kitchen molding,
3/4" thick, maybe 3" wide, straight except for a 1/4 round on one
side. It matches the cabinets well. I was thinking of using that,
laying flat, as the border. The benefit is that I wouldn't have to try
(and fail) to match the finish.

The problem is how to attach molding that thin to some sort of base
for the tiles. I'm thinking I could make a rabbet on the underside of
the molding to accept 1/4" or maybe 3/8" ply and then glue it up.
There'd almost certainly be a lip; the tiles wouldn't be exactly flush
with the surface of the molding. This might still look OK though.

Any thoughts? I'm not a complete idiot around wood and tools, but my
skills are modest, so be gentle.

A couple of boxes of either cork or bamboo flooring. Prefinished.
Really cool textures and colours.

Interesting idea. More expensive, to be sure, at least for the bamboo,
which is a significant concern right now. You are suggesting tongue &
groove slat material, I assume? Would you use some thin ply underneath
and glue the slats down? What would you do for the edges?

I ask because I do eventually have to repair a damaged bit of floor
that consists of some sort of Brazilian Rosewood engineered flooring.
I'll have to buy a box of maybe 30-40 square feet to get the few slats
I need.

The more I think about it, I sort of like this idea, but for a
different set of cabinets in our living room. I could even imagine
using 3/4 ply under the flooring to enable me to make an overhang in
the front for a wider countertop.

Back to the edges. The flooring I'm talking about is maybe 1/2" thick,
essentially plywood with a "cap" layer of nice wood. The cap is maybe
1/16"- 3/32", not just a veneer. I like the idea of a prefinished
material, but I wouldn't be able to match the finish. I'd have to make
a deliberately contrasting border, I guess. Ideas?

On Oct 1, 11:42*am, "chaniarts" wrote:
wrote:
I've got a set of IKEA bookcases. Each one is roughly 30H x 30W x 14D
and is divided into 4 square sections. There are 4 and a half of them,
the "half' being half as wide, with only two sections.

They are lined up against a wall in our family room and come within a
couple of inches of taking up the whole wall, about 13'.

They are probably ten years old, and are thus somewhat better than the
current crop of IKEA stuff. It's their "Beech" finish. But for the
tops, which have gotten a little scratched up, they don't look too
bad.

I'd like to make a top that spans the whole set. I'm thinking of using
ceramic or porcelain tile with a wood 1x2 border around it. My
original idea would be reasonably easy, I think. 3/4 ply with the 1x2
glued around the edge to make a "tray" that the tiles would sit in.
Maybe I'd get fancy and rout out a dado in the 1x2 (oak, probably) for
the edge of the ply to fit into.

I might not even bother to use thinset or grout, perhaps just laying
the tiles in, or maybe using some construction adhesive. I have a tile
saw, BTW. I would use large tiles that span the entire depth with one
tile.

I think I'd have to build it in situ. There would have to be two
lengths of ply to cover the distance, and other than the "border" and
the furniture underneath, I don't know how I could fasten them
together well.

But then I had another idea, a wrinkle that I can't get in my head how
to accomplish. I have a bunch of prefinished IKEA kitchen molding,
3/4" thick, maybe 3" wide, straight except for a 1/4 round on one
side. It matches the cabinets well. I was thinking of using that,
laying flat, as the border. The benefit is that I wouldn't have to try
(and fail) to match the finish.

The problem is how to attach molding that thin to some sort of base
for the tiles. I'm thinking I could make a rabbet on the underside of
the molding to accept 1/4" or maybe 3/8" ply and then glue it up.
There'd almost certainly be a lip; the tiles wouldn't be exactly flush
with the surface of the molding. This might still look OK though.

Any thoughts? I'm not a complete idiot around wood and tools, but my
skills are modest, so be gentle.

bisquits for alignment and glue

I'm sure this is an excellent idea, but as I currently own a router,
and not a biscuit joiner, I may go the dado route instead. As I
mentioned in another post, some relatively inexpensive materials I can
handle, but buying fun things like new tools is not in the program
right now.

On Oct 1, 9:13*pm, " wrote:
On Oct 1, 5:14*pm, Robatoy wrote:





On Oct 1, 9:24*am, " wrote:

I've got a set of IKEA bookcases. Each one is roughly 30H x 30W x 14D
and is divided into 4 square sections. There are 4 and a half of them,
the "half' being half as wide, with only two sections.

They are lined up against a wall in our family room and come within a
couple of inches of taking up the whole wall, about 13'.

They are probably ten years old, and are thus somewhat better than the
current crop of IKEA stuff. It's their "Beech" finish. But for the
tops, which have gotten a little scratched up, they don't look too
bad.

I'd like to make a top that spans the whole set. I'm thinking of using
ceramic or porcelain tile with a wood 1x2 border around it. My
original idea would be reasonably easy, I think. 3/4 ply with the 1x2
glued around the edge to make a "tray" that the tiles would sit in.
Maybe I'd get fancy and rout out a dado in the 1x2 (oak, probably) for
the edge of the ply to fit into.

I might not even bother to use thinset or grout, perhaps just laying
the tiles in, or maybe using some construction adhesive. I have a tile
saw, BTW. I would use large tiles that span the entire depth with one
tile.

I think I'd have to build it in situ. There would have to be two
lengths of ply to cover the distance, and other than the "border" and
the furniture underneath, I don't know how I could fasten them
together well.

But then I had another idea, a wrinkle that I can't get in my head how
to accomplish. I have a bunch of prefinished IKEA kitchen molding,
3/4" thick, maybe 3" wide, straight except for a 1/4 round on one
side. It matches the cabinets well. I was thinking of using that,
laying flat, as the border. The benefit is that I wouldn't have to try
(and fail) to match the finish.

The problem is how to attach molding that thin to some sort of base
for the tiles. I'm thinking I could make a rabbet on the underside of
the molding to accept 1/4" or maybe 3/8" ply and then glue it up.
There'd almost certainly be a lip; the tiles wouldn't be exactly flush
with the surface of the molding. This might still look OK though.

Any thoughts? I'm not a complete idiot around wood and tools, but my
skills are modest, so be gentle.

A couple of boxes of either cork or bamboo flooring. Prefinished.
Really cool textures and colours.

Interesting idea. More expensive, to be sure, at least for the bamboo,
which is a significant concern right now. You are suggesting tongue &
groove slat material, I assume? Would you use some thin ply underneath
and glue the slats down? What would you do for the edges?

I ask because I do eventually have to repair a damaged bit of floor
that consists of some sort of Brazilian Rosewood engineered flooring.
I'll have to buy a box of maybe 30-40 square feet to get the few slats
I need.

The more I think about it, I sort of like this idea, but for a
different set of cabinets in our living room. I could even imagine
using 3/4 ply under the flooring to enable me to make an overhang in
the front for a wider countertop.

Back to the edges. The flooring I'm talking about is maybe 1/2" thick,
essentially plywood with a "cap" layer of nice wood. The cap is maybe
1/16"- 3/32", not *just a veneer. I like the idea of a prefinished
material, but I wouldn't be able to match the finish. I'd have to make
a deliberately contrasting border, I guess. Ideas?

No beveled edge planks or tiles. Cork comes in a lot of colours and
when you put an 1-1/2" oak edge around it, in a complementary aniline
dye (Lee Valley) Like a lemon cork with a ochre dyed oak edge...can be
cool.
http://www.corkfloor.com/tiles.html

wrote:

bisquits for alignment and glue

I'm sure this is an excellent idea, but as I currently own a router,
and not a biscuit joiner, I may go the dado route instead.
---------------------
Think 5/32" slot cutter & #20 biscuits with that router.

Lew

On Oct 1, 10:10*pm, "Lew Hodgett" wrote:
wrote:
bisquits for alignment and glue

I'm sure this is an excellent idea, but as I currently own a router,
and not a biscuit joiner, I may go the dado route instead.
---------------------
Think 5/32" slot cutter & #20 biscuits with that router.

Lew

Every time I post something here I get answers to questions I didn't
know enough to ask. Now I have a few more questions.

My router is hand-held. No table. Round base. Low end, if you must
know. Ryobi. How would I go about lining up the slots on the mating
pieces? How precise do they have to be?

Since you've suggested a $20-$30 bit I assume you think that whatever
the disadvantages of using a router for this task, a really cheap
biscuit joiner like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Homier-Profess...987808&sr=1-10

....would be even more frustrating due to general crappiness. Even to
my untutored eye, that plastic "plate" looks pretty unimpressive.

Assuming sufficient care, do you think I'd be successful putting maybe
10 biscuits in a 13 foot span, getting them all to mate?

On Fri, 1 Oct 2010 19:10:51 -0700, "Lew Hodgett"
wrote:


wrote:

bisquits for alignment and glue

I'm sure this is an excellent idea, but as I currently own a router,
and not a biscuit joiner, I may go the dado route instead.
---------------------
Think 5/32" slot cutter & #20 biscuits with that router.

Lew


A router can be used for biscuits - or better yet, a spline. Plywood
or tempered hardboard as a spline both work quite well.

wrote:


My router is hand-held. No table. Round base. Low end, if you must
know. Ryobi. How would I go about lining up the slots on the mating
pieces? How precise do they have to be?
-----------------------
Piece of cake, simply set router to depth and lock it.

http://www.amazon.com/Homier-Profess...987808&sr=1-10

Good luck.

....10 biscuits in a 13 foot span, getting them all to mate?
-------------------
See above.

Lew

On Oct 1, 11:37*pm, "Lew Hodgett" wrote:
wrote:
My router is hand-held. No table. Round base. Low end, if you must

know. Ryobi. How would I go about lining up the slots on the mating
pieces? How precise do they have to be?
-----------------------
Piece of cake, simply set router to depth and lock it.

http://www.amazon.com/Homier-Profess...scuit-Jointer/...

Good luck.

....10 biscuits in a 13 foot span, getting them all to mate?

-------------------
See above.

Lew

Not to pester, but I meant lining them up laterally. I'd love to be
able to use biscuits without having to buy what for me would be a
seldom-used tool.

I haven't used a biscuit joiner, but I assume there's a straight
"fence" on it with a mark that marks the center of the biscuit. With a
round router base and a cutter that will be a good 2" behind the edge
of the base, how do you go about lining up the slots on the two mating
pieces?

On 10/1/10 10:43 PM, wrote:
On Oct 1, 11:37 pm, "Lew wrote:
wrote:
My router is hand-held. No table. Round base. Low end, if you must

know. Ryobi. How would I go about lining up the slots on the mating
pieces? How precise do they have to be?
-----------------------
Piece of cake, simply set router to depth and lock it.

http://www.amazon.com/Homier-Profess...scuit-Jointer/...

Good luck.

....10 biscuits in a 13 foot span, getting them all to mate?

-------------------
See above.

Lew

Not to pester, but I meant lining them up laterally. I'd love to be
able to use biscuits without having to buy what for me would be a
seldom-used tool.

I haven't used a biscuit joiner, but I assume there's a straight
"fence" on it with a mark that marks the center of the biscuit. With a
round router base and a cutter that will be a good 2" behind the edge
of the base, how do you go about lining up the slots on the two mating
pieces?


You can do the same thing on the router by marking the boards and the
router fence.
It might be easier to mount the router in a table. Keep in mind that the
holes don't have to line up perfectly and can be longer than the
biscuit. Biscuits are really for up and down alignment, not side to side.

In any case, a google search turns up a lot of info.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On Oct 2, 12:13*am, -MIKE- wrote:
On 10/1/10 10:43 PM, wrote:

Keep in mind that the
holes don't have to line up perfectly and can be longer than the
biscuit. Biscuits are really for up and down alignment, not side to side.

Ah. Now I see. This is a very interesting development. I made a
"temporary" desktop... six or seven years ago... that I've been
thinking of dressing up with a hardwood edge. One cheap trip to HD and
I could be using biscuits to attach it. Thanks.

wrote in message
"temporary" desktop... six or seven years ago... that I've been
thinking of dressing up with a hardwood edge. One cheap trip to HD and
I could be using biscuits to attach it. Thanks.

For a number of years, I've used an invisable nailing kit for attaching trim
and face frames.
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/pag...at=1,230,41182

Alternatively, I've just hammered in a finishing nail, countersunk it and
then filled the hole with a wax filler stick fractionally darker than the
wood itself. It results in a hard to recognize attachment point and is about
as easy to use as it gets.
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/pag...at=1,190,42997

There's always alternative ways to attach things.

On Oct 2, 7:14*am, "Upscale" wrote:
wrote in message
"temporary" desktop... six or seven years ago... that I've been
thinking of dressing up with a hardwood edge. One cheap trip to HD and
I could be using biscuits to attach it. Thanks.

For a number of years, I've used an invisable nailing kit for attaching trim
and face frames.http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/pag...at=1,230,41182

And I thought that was a plane for elves. Go figure.

Alternatively, I've just hammered in a finishing nail, countersunk it and
then filled the hole with a wax filler stick fractionally darker than the
wood itself. It results in a hard to recognize attachment point and is about
as easy to use as it gets.

Sure. That method I've used already. Plus the "just glue and a
crapload of clamps and hope what the high school shop teacher said
about glue was true" method. But this "biscuits without paying for the
special tool" idea appeals to me.

On Fri, 1 Oct 2010 20:07:52 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

On Oct 1, 10:10*pm, "Lew Hodgett" wrote:
wrote:
bisquits for alignment and glue

I'm sure this is an excellent idea, but as I currently own a router,
and not a biscuit joiner, I may go the dado route instead.
---------------------
Think 5/32" slot cutter & #20 biscuits with that router.

Lew

Every time I post something here I get answers to questions I didn't
know enough to ask. Now I have a few more questions.

My router is hand-held. No table. Round base. Low end, if you must
know. Ryobi. How would I go about lining up the slots on the mating
pieces? How precise do they have to be?

With the edge guide, and they have to be fairly precise. Here's a pic
of a router with a guide installed: http://fwd4.me/h6J You could use
it to do a dado groove.


Since you've suggested a $20-$30 bit I assume you think that whatever
the disadvantages of using a router for this task, a really cheap
biscuit joiner like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Homier-Profess...987808&sr=1-10

I have a Harbor Fright bisquicker. It works well as long as I keep the
trigger pulled. If not, it widens the slot. I picked it up for $30 on
sale. I removed one of the too-tight springs and it works much more
smoothly now. I'd respring it and find and install a plate shim if I
used it more often. It's probably very similar to the Homier model.
http://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-...ner-38437.html


...would be even more frustrating due to general crappiness. Even to
my untutored eye, that plastic "plate" looks pretty unimpressive.

Assuming sufficient care, do you think I'd be successful putting maybe
10 biscuits in a 13 foot span, getting them all to mate?

You should have no problem, G.

--
Know how to listen, and you will
profit even from those who talk badly.
-- Plutarch

wrote in message
about glue was true" method. But this "biscuits without paying for the
special tool" idea appeals to me.

Then you shouldn't have too much trouble. All you need do is find someone
like me, or Leon, or a number of others who have bought that 'extra special
tool' like the Domino and buy our biscuit joiner from us. I'll sell you mine
for $50 and toss in a box of 2000 various sized biscuits.

On 10/2/10 6:14 AM, Upscale wrote:
wrote in message
"temporary" desktop... six or seven years ago... that I've been
thinking of dressing up with a hardwood edge. One cheap trip to HD and
I could be using biscuits to attach it. Thanks.

For a number of years, I've used an invisable nailing kit for attaching trim
and face frames.
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/pag...at=1,230,41182


Wow. This is why usenet still has some value to me. I've tucked away
that little trick in my brain for future use.

...... and like most things in that catalog, you don't really need that
little plane to do it.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On 10/2/10 6:46 AM, wrote:
On Oct 2, 7:14 am, wrote:
wrote in message
"temporary" desktop... six or seven years ago... that I've been
thinking of dressing up with a hardwood edge. One cheap trip to HD and
I could be using biscuits to attach it. Thanks.

For a number of years, I've used an invisable nailing kit for attaching trim
and face frames.http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/pag...at=1,230,41182

And I thought that was a plane for elves. Go figure.

Alternatively, I've just hammered in a finishing nail, countersunk it and
then filled the hole with a wax filler stick fractionally darker than the
wood itself. It results in a hard to recognize attachment point and is about
as easy to use as it gets.

Sure. That method I've used already. Plus the "just glue and a
crapload of clamps and hope what the high school shop teacher said
about glue was true" method. But this "biscuits without paying for the
special tool" idea appeals to me.

I don't know if this pertains to your current thought process or not,
but as has been discussed in here on several occasions, biscuits are
intended for alignment and don't add any discernible strength to most
joints.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On Oct 2, 11:44*am, -MIKE- wrote:
On 10/2/10 6:14 AM, Upscale wrote:

*wrote in message
"temporary" desktop... six or seven years ago... that I've been
thinking of dressing up with a hardwood edge. One cheap trip to HD and
I could be using biscuits to attach it. Thanks.

For a number of years, I've used an invisable nailing kit for attaching trim
and face frames.
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/pag...at=1,230,41182

Wow. *This is why usenet still has some value to me. *I've tucked away
that little trick in my brain for future use.

..... and like most things in that catalog, you don't really need that
little plane to do it.


The LeeValley catalogue is often inspirational. "Shiat!, *I* can do
that!"
Many will just order the tool. Good on Robin when they do.

On Oct 1, 9:43*pm, Robatoy wrote:
On Oct 1, 9:13*pm, " wrote:



On Oct 1, 5:14*pm, Robatoy wrote:

On Oct 1, 9:24*am, " wrote:

I've got a set of IKEA bookcases. Each one is roughly 30H x 30W x 14D
and is divided into 4 square sections. There are 4 and a half of them,
the "half' being half as wide, with only two sections.

They are lined up against a wall in our family room and come within a
couple of inches of taking up the whole wall, about 13'.

They are probably ten years old, and are thus somewhat better than the
current crop of IKEA stuff. It's their "Beech" finish. But for the
tops, which have gotten a little scratched up, they don't look too
bad.

I'd like to make a top that spans the whole set. I'm thinking of using
ceramic or porcelain tile with a wood 1x2 border around it. My
original idea would be reasonably easy, I think. 3/4 ply with the 1x2
glued around the edge to make a "tray" that the tiles would sit in.
Maybe I'd get fancy and rout out a dado in the 1x2 (oak, probably) for
the edge of the ply to fit into.

I might not even bother to use thinset or grout, perhaps just laying
the tiles in, or maybe using some construction adhesive. I have a tile
saw, BTW. I would use large tiles that span the entire depth with one
tile.

I think I'd have to build it in situ. There would have to be two
lengths of ply to cover the distance, and other than the "border" and
the furniture underneath, I don't know how I could fasten them
together well.

But then I had another idea, a wrinkle that I can't get in my head how
to accomplish. I have a bunch of prefinished IKEA kitchen molding,
3/4" thick, maybe 3" wide, straight except for a 1/4 round on one
side. It matches the cabinets well. I was thinking of using that,
laying flat, as the border. The benefit is that I wouldn't have to try
(and fail) to match the finish.

The problem is how to attach molding that thin to some sort of base
for the tiles. I'm thinking I could make a rabbet on the underside of
the molding to accept 1/4" or maybe 3/8" ply and then glue it up.
There'd almost certainly be a lip; the tiles wouldn't be exactly flush
with the surface of the molding. This might still look OK though.

Any thoughts? I'm not a complete idiot around wood and tools, but my
skills are modest, so be gentle.

A couple of boxes of either cork or bamboo flooring. Prefinished.
Really cool textures and colours.

Interesting idea. More expensive, to be sure, at least for the bamboo,
which is a significant concern right now. You are suggesting tongue &
groove slat material, I assume? Would you use some thin ply underneath
and glue the slats down? What would you do for the edges?

I ask because I do eventually have to repair a damaged bit of floor
that consists of some sort of Brazilian Rosewood engineered flooring.
I'll have to buy a box of maybe 30-40 square feet to get the few slats
I need.

The more I think about it, I sort of like this idea, but for a
different set of cabinets in our living room. I could even imagine
using 3/4 ply under the flooring to enable me to make an overhang in
the front for a wider countertop.

Back to the edges. The flooring I'm talking about is maybe 1/2" thick,
essentially plywood with a "cap" layer of nice wood. The cap is maybe
1/16"- 3/32", not *just a veneer. I like the idea of a prefinished
material, but I wouldn't be able to match the finish. I'd have to make
a deliberately contrasting border, I guess. Ideas?

No beveled edge planks or tiles. Cork comes in a lot of colours and
when you put an 1-1/2" oak edge around it, in a complementary aniline
dye (Lee Valley) Like a lemon cork with a ochre dyed oak edge...can be
cool.http://www.corkfloor.com/tiles.html

Thanks for the cork link, which happens to be local for me. Do I write
with a New York accent? Some of their products look like they would
fit the bill nicely. I might order a sample or two.

One question: In my application there'd be no "basebaord molding" to
cover up the cut edges; the tiles would be flush up against (and
possibly level with) the oak border. Can they be cut neatly? How?
Razor knife? I guess I could make a deliberate lip by routing a notch
in the oak, But I think that bit of complication might sway me back to
the porcelain tile.

On Oct 4, 8:48*am, " wrote:
On Oct 1, 9:43*pm, Robatoy wrote:





On Oct 1, 9:13*pm, " wrote:

On Oct 1, 5:14*pm, Robatoy wrote:

On Oct 1, 9:24*am, " wrote:

I've got a set of IKEA bookcases. Each one is roughly 30H x 30W x 14D
and is divided into 4 square sections. There are 4 and a half of them,
the "half' being half as wide, with only two sections.

They are lined up against a wall in our family room and come within a
couple of inches of taking up the whole wall, about 13'.

They are probably ten years old, and are thus somewhat better than the
current crop of IKEA stuff. It's their "Beech" finish. But for the
tops, which have gotten a little scratched up, they don't look too
bad.

I'd like to make a top that spans the whole set. I'm thinking of using
ceramic or porcelain tile with a wood 1x2 border around it. My
original idea would be reasonably easy, I think. 3/4 ply with the 1x2
glued around the edge to make a "tray" that the tiles would sit in.