Best joinery methods for melamine faced chipboard

[Ntre25]

I'm making two wardrobes with internal drawers out of 18mm Egger laminated melamine faced chipboard. I need to hide the joinery so I cannot use screws.
What is the best method between dowels or biscuit joints or even hidden pocket screws? I haven't got the festool domino or lamello zeta so these joinery methods aren't feasible. Any suggestions?

 

[eribaMotters]

Two options spring to mind.
When I first starting making panel work I cut lengths of 3/4" wide steel that I pre-drilled with 1/4" holes to make jigs for dowel joints. I screwed these into the sheet material and drilled away. Then I discovered the biscuit jointer and this has been my chosen method for probably 25 years. Both work fine but the biscuit jointer would be my choice. Buy a good second hand professional model instead of a cheaper new and you will not regret it. I went with a Bosch as I have small hands.

Colin

ps, you will need some clamps to hold things in place whichever one of the two you choose.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Peter Millard of 10minuteWorkshop does a domino jig. If you making just the two units it might be a good option.

 

[RogerS]

Two options spring to mind.
When I first starting making panel work I cut lengths of 3/4" wide steel that I pre-drilled with 1/4" holes to make jigs for dowel joints. I screwed these into the sheet material and drilled away. Then I discovered the biscuit jointer and this has been my chosen method for probably 25 years. Both work fine but the biscuit jointer would be my choice. Buy a good second hand professional model instead of a cheaper new and you will not regret it. I went with a Bosch as I have small hands.

Colin

ps, you will need some clamps to hold things in place whichever one of the two you choose.

I don't agree with the last sentence. Dowels do not allow any sideways movement of the joint. Downside ...they need precise drilling. Biscuits give movement stabiity but in only one dimesnion. Pocket screws...hidden ? Really? In the absence of, say a Domino, I'd go dowel.

 

[Spectric]

For dowels you need precision, they must be spot on and need precise drilling as @RogerS has said. This is not a problem if you have a decent dowel jig like the Dowelmax or the Jessem, I have used the Dowelmax for many years and once you get your head around the tick mark system it is a doddle to use. I always thought biscuits give alignment and the glue holds the joint together, would not think of a biscuit as adding much strength. Pocket holes might work and you would need to come in from the hidden faces so nothing shows but not sure how good they are in chipboard, the HD version are good for joining heavier timber because they avoid screws into endgrain.

 

[eribaMotters]

Roger, I'm confused. You say you do not agree with my last sentence, but what is it you do not agree with?
Spectric, I agree accuracy with a dowels is imperative, hence I used a steel template.
As regards the function of the glue and the biscuit. I was taught the glue has several functions. It is a lubricant that enables a joint to go together easily. In the case of a water based glue it makes the wood swell and gives a mechanical fix. It also gives a chemical bond between the surfaces.
I would estimate the surface area of a biscuit is greater than a dowel and as such the joint should be stronger. Yes the dowel will go deeper into the timber surfaces, but at the meeting of the surfaces it is smaller in cross section and I'd expect more likely to shear. The biggest issue I had with dowels though was the piston effect when gluing up. If the holes are a little tight or you apply to much glue, then even with fluted dowels the glue can get pushed to the bottom of the hole where it collects and cannot be compressed. As such the joint is difficult to clamp.

Colin

 

[deema]

The Record 148 dowel jig is very good, I have a couple of them I use. They are now very cheap on eBay and place. They use hardened inserts for drill accuracy and can be set to any spacing. I bought silver steel rods to extend them to what ever length I need.

 

[throbscottle]

I end-jointed some chipboard a while ago using a very cheap dowel jig. Considering the cheapness of the jig (Silverline) and the warpedness of the boards, and the lack of trueness in the edges, it went remarkably well!
Which I think is a credit to the dowel method! Regarding shear strength, you can always use more of them.

 

[XTiffy]

If you are using chipboard why not look at IKEA ready finished mdf wardrobes and use a decor panel to face the sides. I have done just that for my bedrooms and as they were built-in, I only needed one decor panel. The decor panels just screw from the inside and cover up any construction fixings. Chipboard always look tatty in time.

 

[Spectric]

If the holes are a little tight or you apply to much glue, then even with fluted dowels the glue can get pushed to the bottom of the hole where it collects and cannot be compressed. As such the joint is difficult to clamp.

Had a few in the early days but now seem to get the right amount of glue and the depth just right so no problems. I have found on sheet goods like MRMDF that you need to clamp the sides of the Mdf during assembly otherwise that just blows out the side of the mdf.

I would estimate the surface area of a biscuit is greater than a dowel and as such the joint should be stronger.

The surface area may be greater but the actual volume of the biscuit is less and you often use multiple dowels, I use five or six 19mm dowels in a three by two. I think the important point is to use the best method for the joint you are doing, no one method will be the best in all situations and for joining boards to make wider ones then biscuits are great,

 

[RogerS]

Roger, I'm confused. You say you do not agree with my last sentence, but what is it you do not agree with?
Spectric, I agree accuracy with a dowels is imperative, hence I used a steel template.
As regards the function of the glue and the biscuit. I was taught the glue has several functions. It is a lubricant that enables a joint to go together easily. In the case of a water based glue it makes the wood swell and gives a mechanical fix. It also gives a chemical bond between the surfaces.
I would estimate the surface area of a biscuit is greater than a dowel and as such the joint should be stronger. Yes the dowel will go deeper into the timber surfaces, but at the meeting of the surfaces it is smaller in cross section and I'd expect more likely to shear. The biggest issue I had with dowels though was the piston effect when gluing up. If the holes are a little tight or you apply to much glue, then even with fluted dowels the glue can get pushed to the bottom of the hole where it collects and cannot be compressed. As such the joint is difficult to clamp.

Colin

I'm confused as well...my apologies for making a pigs ear of the quoting...

 

[recipio]

I made a large wardrobe recently and the perennial problem of course is that you will want to assemble it in the actual room where it is to be fitted. I stuck with pocket hole screws not having a Lamello Zeta. The big problem was getting it square - it will wobble like jelly until the back is secured. For that I used white faced hardboard cut absolutely square and let into a rebate on the back edges. I had to put a long clamp on the diagonal to pull it square but once the back fitted it could be screwed home.
Pocket holes are certainly an aesthetic compromise but once covered with the plastic caps they are almost invisible. With melamine you want to avoid any bodging and keep away from all those cheap IKEA type fixings.

 

[dzj]

I need to hide the joinery so I cannot use screws.

It's MFC. Fine furniture it ain't.
Just cap the screws whichever ones you choose and you'll be fine.
Ikea knockdown fixings are also appropriate for this kind of material, particularly as
they allow you the luxury of doing all the joinery in the shop. Makes transporting
much easier.

 

[TomGW]

I'm making two wardrobes with internal drawers out of 18mm Egger laminated melamine faced chipboard. I need to hide the joinery so I cannot use screws.
What is the best method between dowels or biscuit joints or even hidden pocket screws? I haven't got the festool domino or lamello zeta so these joinery methods aren't feasible. Any suggestions?

Are you concerned about screw heads being visible inside the wardrobes or only on the outside? If you’re ok with screws visible inside, or covered with stick-on covers, I made similar wardrobes years ago and joined the sides to the top & base using 30x30 PAR extending front to back below the base and above the top and screwed through. With a 18mm back panel inset and pocket screwed at the rear they are still rock solid after at least 25 years. The jointing method is hidden by the plinth at the bottom and cornice at the top.

 

[recipio]

It's MFC. Fine furniture it ain't.
Ikea knockdown fixings are also appropriate for this kind of material, particularly as
they allow you the luxury of doing all the joinery in the shop. Makes transporting
much easier.

That hasn't been my experience. They rely on an accurate hole for the cam fitting and a metal post. All are close to the edges and the melamine chipboard likes to chip and break off. Never again.

 

[dzj]

That hasn't been my experience. They rely on an accurate hole for the cam fitting and a metal post. All are close to the edges and the melamine chipboard likes to chip and break off. Never again.

I understand why it might put people off. Drilling any kind of hole that close to an edge
can be a challenge, regardless of joinery method. These things are best done with a jig of some kind.
(if you don't have access to specialized tools/ machinery)
I've personally done it hundreds of times. Folks in IKEA-like places have done it in the millions.
TBH, I avoid any such joint whenever possible and in most cases go for a confirmat screw.
It gets a nice cap if it's visible.

 

[baldkev]

I would suggest what Xtiffy said.... treat it like kitchen cabinets with a decor end panel and then you can screw the cabs together, the decor panels hide the screws....

 

[Kayen]

Adding a decor panel makes the whole job far easier and much better - the decor panel can be scribed over the skirting and to an uneven wall and it hides the door edge giving an inset door look which is a win, win, win situation. If you make a 100mm+ box-type plinth from 3/4 ply and some sort of top cap, pelmet, cornice or infill there's absolutely zero need for any sort of dowel or biscuit between the carcass joints. The back can be made from 8mm MFC which in my opinion should be screwed rather than pinned on.