butt joint 3/4 oak faced mdf

[steviem]

hi - ive been a lurker for a while but its time for a question.
ive been commissioned to make some study furniture and intend to make free standing pieces bridged by an l-shaped work top made from 3/4 oak faced mdf.
ill have to butt joint the pieces and im not sure i will get the finish i need. anybody got any ideas on making sure the join is a neat one. id thought about inlaying a piece of oak but am open to ideas

cheers
steve

www.isaachirst.co.uk

 

[jasonB]

A table saw will give a decent joint if you have one with a slidingtable/carrage. Failing that use a router to trim the mating edges.

You will want to keep the two pieces level so some biscuits or a spline will take care of that.

Try to have the joint supported by one of the carcases or add a 100mm wid ebutt strip under it.

Jason

 

[Oryxdesign]

Hi Steve. What do you mean by an l-shaped worktop?

Si

 

[steviem]

Hi Jason thanks for the reply.
I'm not too worried about getting the edges square and aligned. I just figure the thin veneer of oak might not give me the edging finish that two solid pieces would give me. i was thinking about routing out a strip down the joint and inserting a piece of oak to add interest to the join.
im not a big fan of mdf but the cost of this job demands it.
cheers

 

[steviem]

hi si
the desk part is actually fitted into a corner of the room and so is L - shaped.
sorry didnt make myself clear :roll:

 

[Oryxdesign]

How about making the joint an interesting shape. Maybe you could draw inspiration from a traditional joint like a french dovetail.
Is that your furniture on the isaachirst website?

 

[steviem]

Thats a nice idea about the dovetail.
Yes the furniture is mine

 

[Oryxdesign]

Nice, like the liberty wardrobe.

 

[steviem]

Thanks Si - nice of you to say.