A question about end grain joining...

[moosepig]

...no, not how to get a strong endgrain joint, but instead how to make the endgrain joins in a (e.g.) worktop gap-free.

I'm thinking of using offcuts glued up to make bigger boards, much like so-called solid oak kitchen worktop is made; is it just a case of sanding the ends of the offcuts flat and square or are there any tricks or specific techniques for achieving this sort of result where the endgrain joins are spot-on? (Hoping a picture will appear below)

Tried searching but the correct terminology is eluding me.

 

[Fitzroy]

I think most commercial kitchen tops have finger joints at the end of each block. They run up lengths of blocks to make ‘boards’, which are then edge jointed to make tops.

Fitz.

 

[Cabinetman]

Hi Moosepig, I think the question should be, why would you want to do that, the worktop you showed has at most £50 worth of timber in it, the work involved to replicate that with little bits joined together in my opinion just isn’t worth the effort, and surely it would look much better without all the joins? Ian

 

[julianf]

Photos -

Would it be worth it for something "standard" - no.

To make (real) mahogany planks, still possibly not... unless people want to pay you proper money for them.

 

[moosepig]

Thanks for replies. I'm particularly interested in the techniques that might be employed. It looks from the photos in julianf's post as though sanding square is sufficient.

Btw I'm not looking to make a worktop, the photo was just to illustrate what I was struggling to describe I'm merely a hobbyist with an enquiring mind

I like to make full use of offcuts and recycled timber (e.g. oak flooring) however these tend to be too short and too thin, and am looking at this technique to make longer and/or fatter pieces. It's only for 'shop furniture for my shed and for the learning process; I'm still relatively new to this game and enjoy trying stuff out for the sake of it.

 

[marcros]

you need to get the ends square. `There are various methods for doing so.

what machinery do you have, what size are the offcuts (section) and what quantity are you aiming to do at a time? You could guillotine them, use a shooting board, a disk sander, chop saw, table saw or other methods. The process is not important, the result is. Presuming that you dont want to go out and spend a fortune on kit, it would help to understand the options that you have.

 

[moosepig]

I have table saw, mitre saw and bandsaw; the only sander I have is a hand held ROS.

Of the saws the mitre is the most accurate in terms of squareness. I have a 60 tooth neg rake blade installed which produces a nice finish, I guess if I use that and take steps to eliminate tearout that ought to be enough Just wondered if there was some sort of trick to getting it spot on other than sheer accuracy, but it seems that the simple answer is quite often the best.

 

[julianf]

The ends need to be square, but I'd say that your most important consideration is how to clamp them to exert pressure on the end grain joint.

That is the hard bit. If you just clamp from the sides, you will end up with visible glue lines. Which may not bother you but will be the difference between a nice job and somthing that looks a bit scrappy.

I did the ends on a table saw, but then thicknessed after, which cleans up the edge of the end cut also. But you'll also see that I only thicknessed the side mating faces. Some tear out etc on the other edges is acceptable as, no matter how hard you try to keep the job flat on glue up, it won't end up flat, and you'll likley need to skim the top after gluing.

Maybe not if your parts are larger. Mine were 25mm wide, and the job finished up at about 17mm thick (I don't mean 25 going to 17, I'm talking about the two different planes)

I don't know how you would finish it with the tools that you have, unless your bandsaw is large enough to do vaneer style cuts... It will take forever to sand back to flat with a ROS I think. But again I was working with old flooring...

A hand held belt sander would be better. Or of course some skill with a hand plane, but I'm rubbish with tools that don't use electricity.