Joining timber for stair treads
Arthur 51
I want to butt/join 2 5" x 1" widths of hardwood to make stair treads.
Someone suggested 'shooting' but I don't know what that is.
Another suggested biscuiting.
What spacing should I use? eg as many as possible or what?
Thanks.
Arthur
ba...@muckleshed.com
Metal Fasteners
Projects can easily be joined by using a number of metal fasteners.
Corrugated fasteners are ribbed metal pieces with one sharpened end,
and they are usually used for fastening rough-framed projects where
appearance is not important. The wood pieces are held tightly
together and the fastener is started in one piece of the wood. Then,
the fastener is started in the other piece and tapped on alternate
sides until it is driven in place. The fastener should penetrate to
about half the wood's thickness. Corrugated fasteners should not be
positioned with the wood grain as they will split the wood, and they
should not be used with hard woods. For proper holding power, drive
corrugated fasteners in from both sides of the stock, staggering them
along the joint line. Chevrons are used in much the same way as
corrugated fasteners. Chevrons are designed to recess below the
surface of the wood, and then they can be covered with wood putty.
They are also available in an L-shape that gives a bit more holding
power on corner joints. "Skotch" fasteners are a flat piece of metal
with sharp feet on both ends. These are simply driven down into the
wood to provide holding power. Teenuts are threaded metal nuts that
are actually driven into the wood: A bolt hole is drilled first, and
then the metal threaded "nut," which has teeth on one side, is driven
into place. Turning the bolt from the opposite side pulls the nut
tightly in place, holding the two pieces of wood together. A similar
fastening device is the Rosan wood insert, which is threaded to
receive a common stove bolt. . Dowel screws are like hanger bolts
except they have wood screw threads on each end. Dowel screws are
installed by boring slightly under-sized holes and then turning the
screw threads into both pieces.
Tongue-and-Groove
One of the most common means of joining wood is with a tongue-and-
groove joint, in which a groove is cut on one piece of wood and a
matching tongue is cut on another piece. When the job calls for
several pieces of wood that must be joined together, a tongue is cut
on one side of the wood with a groove on the opposite side to permit
insertion. Both cuts can be made using a dado head on a radial-arm or
table saw, or with a router or shaper. The tongue should be just
slightly smaller than the groove to allow for a glue line all around.
Biscuit Joinery
Another method of joining wood utilizes a plate or biscuit joiner and
small wooden discs. A plate or biscuit joiner is a portable power tool
that uses a blade pushed into the wood stock to cut a disc-shaped slot
in the joining edges of the wood. Small wood "biscuits" are then glued
into these slots. Quality cutters can be adjusted to cut slots to join
wood in several different joints, including edge-to-edge, butt, T,
miter, flat miter and hinge.
The first step in this process is to align the wood pieces and mark
across the joint to locate the positions for the biscuits. Place the
workpiece on a flat, smooth surface so the bottom of the plate cutter
is flat with the bottom of the work surface. Turn on the plate cutter,
and push it into the wood stock to make the cuts. A stop block
fastened to the bench behind the workpiece will keep the workpiece
from shifting or sliding during the cutting operation. Once all the
pieces have slots cut for the biscuits, the pieces are then glued
together with the biscuits in the slots. The biscuits fit semi-snug
into the slots, which allows for proper alignment of the wooden pieces
and glue.
Doweling
A more precise method of joining wood is the use of a doweling jig and
wooden dowels. Again, the wood pieces are positioned, and pencil marks
are made across the joining surfaces. A secondary mark is made on the
edge at each mark. The doweling jig is positioned over the edge of the
stock, aligning the jig's mark with the pencil mark. A drill bit is
then used to bore a hole for the dowel. The drilling depth should be
slightly longer than half the length of the dowel. Most dowel jigs
have depth adjustment collars. I simply wrap a piece of masking tape
around the drill bit to mark the proper depth. Although you can cut
dowel stock to the lengths needed, precut dowels with glue slots in
them are the best choice. The dowels and boards are then glued
together.
Gluing and Clamping
Regardless of the method used for joining wood with glue, it's
important to make sure all edges are smooth and clean of dirt and
debris. Examine the edges of all stock that is to be joined to make
sure they don't have nicks, burrs and other obstacles that could
prevent a good joint. Also, sight down the board to determine if any
crown or irregular surface will prevent smooth, tight joints. Position
the boards to be joined together. Make sure the grain runs in the
direction you desire and all the joints will come together evenly. You
may need to joint some edges to create perfectly smooth and straight-
joining wood edges. The wood stock and wooden jointery must be clamped
tightly together to create a strong joint. Next, all surfaces should
be coated with a high-quality woodworker's glue. Then, tap the dowels
or biscuits in place, and tap the wooden pieces together using a
wooden mallet on the edges, being careful not to damage the outside
edges of the wood. Tongue-and-groove joints are simply glued and
tapped together. Position the bar clamps on a smooth, flat surface.
Protect the surface from glue drops with newspaper. Place the
assembled wood stock down on the bar clamps, and use thin strips of
wood on each side to protect the edges from the clamp pressure. Make
sure the stock is not twisted or warped, and then gently squeeze the
pieces together until the joint is tight and smooth. Wipe away any
excess glue with a cloth that has been dipped in warm water and the
excess water squeezed out. Allow the glue to set overnight. Use a belt
sander to smooth the joints and remove any dried glue.