Oak table with table leg wedge joint and brass details

[Ctech83]

Hi,

My first woodworking project is a oak table where I'm going to have the table legs connected to the table with a wedge joint (joint being visible through the table top). I have a few questions below that i hope might be able to help.

1. How tight should the wedge be? should the table leg slide into its respective hole in the table with a gentle push, or should it be so tight that it require a hammer to help it in? If it is too loose there will be a gap between the table and the leg even with the wedge, but too tight will squeeze out most of the glue making the joint weaker... any good tip on how to handle a circular wedge joint?

2. I have angled the table legs by 8.5 degree which mean that the hole I've drilled in the table top is slightly oval rather than circular. Atleast this is my assumed reason for why I have a hairline gap between the table leg and the table top. Any view on how to compensate for this? I guess one way would be to angle the wedge so that it expands the table leg in the "oval" direction... any other thoughts?

3. The wedge will be oak or cherry. However I'm planning to replace the top part of the wedge with a 3 mm x 3 mm x 30 mm strip of brass as design element. I'm planning to use Epoxy to hold the brass strip in place. Does this seem like the right approach?

4. I'm planning to finish the table with white oil - do I need to have a separate finish on the brass strips to stop oxidation?

I've attached a photo of a dry test of the table. In addition to a test joint that I've made (note wedge is just a quick and dirty version to test the look, I'll make the fitting better)

 

[Racers]

There should be no difference between the leg and the hole as either don't know anything about the angle that has been drilled, its a round hole with a dowel in.

I would make the wedge wedge shaped and drill a hole through it so the epoxy forms a tenon and stops the wedge from pulling out.
I do this on key fobs and haven't had one come loose yet.

Pete

 

[Brentingby]

Use caution if you are placing the wedges at an angle as in your test joint. They might cause the top to split if driven too tight. The top may not split right away but it could later. Generally it is best to orient the wedges so they are square to the grain of the board with the holes in it.

 

[thetyreman]

rule no1, always make the wedge 90 degrees from the top long grain.

 

[Mr T]

One issue you may have with this design is that any warping or twisting of the rather thin top may change the angle of the legs leading to instability.

Chris

 

[Ctech83]

Thanks for input and support guys. Here is the final result after one layer of wax-oil (natural).

 

[Mr T]

Looks good.

Chris

 

[rafezetter]

Wedge with brass decorative infill sounds eerily familiar....

If you wanted the brass effect at the top of the wedge you could use a normal hardwood wedge cut below the surface and just add a thin strip of brass to the top?

Ahh it was you who asked about that table design - have to say the end result looks very good.

 

[Ctech83]

If you wanted the brass effect at the top of the wedge you could use a normal hardwood wedge cut below the surface and just add a thin strip of brass to the top?

Thanks for the tip, very happy with the end result

 

[DTR]

Nice table =D>

drill a hole through it so the epoxy forms a tenon and stops the wedge from pulling out.
I do this on key fobs and haven't had one come loose yet.

Interesting tip, thanks.

 

[gasman]

I think your table looks beautiful. However, and its only a design point, I would be surprised if it would withstand any 'racking' at all - i.e. lateral pressure on the table such as when someone pushes the table across the carpet. Thats why tables have rails etc. Looks lovely tho
Cheers
Mark