IKEA Finger Joints

[Teejay]

Hello there, I have two IKEA mid-sleepers to modify and make into one. I want to make one but taller.

I see that the legs are made of wood which is finger jointed from smaller pieces of wood along its length and wondered if I could use that method to extend to legs further.

Can anyone recommend the best adjustable finger jointed for a 1/2 inch table router please that can accommodate 42mm thickness?

 

[Setch]

I'd suggest a scarf joint. Easier to accomplish, stronger, no special tooling required.

 

[Teejay]

Thanks for your reply. Is that when you cut both pieces diagonally so that each piece has an end that is triangle shaped? If so, how is that easily and accurately achieved? Can it be done without additional bracing too?

 

[Jacob]

Thanks for your reply. Is that when you cut both pieces diagonally so that each piece has an end that is triangle shaped? If so, how is that easily and accurately achieved? Can it be done without additional bracing too?

There's lots of variations. Simplest is just a plain scarf http://wiki.dtonline.org/index.php/Scarf_Joint
which has to be at a long shallow angle to give a good glued surface. Strong enough for bed posts I would imagine. You'd make the added on piece over size and shape/reduce it plane/spokeshave after glue gone off.

 

[Teejay]

Cutting perfect angles like that sounds like a lot of work. That link actually refers to tapered finger joints as well.

I can't see the end result being accurate or quick to achieve with a plain scarf.

 

[Jacob]

Cutting perfect angles like that sounds like a lot of work. That link actually refers to tapered finger joints as well.

I can't see the end result being accurate or quick to achieve with a plain scarf.

The others are all more difficult.
Whichever joint - the trick is as I mentioned above - make the added-on piece over size then shape it to fit existing after you've joined it up

 

[Inspector]

42mm is pushing the lengths you can find in a finger joint router bit. Unless you plan of doing a lot, the scarf mentioned is easily the best. Depending on the tools you have they can be cut a variety of ways including with a hand saw followed by hand planing. To plane, clamp together them so the slope is up and plane them as one. As for strength, airplanes had scarfed wing spars and sailing boats had masts, booms, keels and hull planking for hundreds of years before them. Finger joint scarfing came about to use poorer quality wood and was never meant to show. Standards change.

https://www.amazon.ca/Cutting-Reversibl ... 682&sr=8-5

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Reversible-1-2- ... 341446382b

Pete

 

[MikeG.]

Thanks for your reply. Is that when you cut both pieces diagonally so that each piece has an end that is triangle shaped? If so, how is that easily and accurately achieved? Can it be done without additional bracing too?

Any end-to-end join in timber is a scarf joint. There are hundreds of varieties. Many (if not most) have rectilinear arrangements (ie no sloped faces). If you can cut a mortise and tenon, you can cut a simple scarf. Here's one:

Here's another:

I'm not 100% sure this thread should be in the tool review section of the forum.

 

[Teejay]

Thanks for your replies.

I clicked on the wrong section when submitting this thread, you are right.

Those examples are good but I can't see it being easy or quick.

The router bits mentioned were some of the ones I have looked at myself, just looking for people who have experience with these types of cutters and which are the best.

 

[dzj]

On the other hand, four new legs of adequate length will probably cost less than a Chinese router bit.