Joining boards for ash cills

[EdK]

Morning all !
Got some lengths of ash to make window cills from. Got 38mm PSE and about 125mm wide.

A mate lent me a biscuit jointer and some biscuits. He's a joiner and told me to :
- cut the wood just over sized for each cill
- cut biscuits every 300mm
- glue it all up with flipped grain ie :
(
)
(

To avoid/reduce cupping

- clamp up
- when dried then round off the edge with a router (or his spindle moulder with a larger cutter)
- cut some 5mm deep slots on the back of the cills again to reduce cupping / allow movement

- drill through into the inner leave of the blockwork and plug.

- I was going to either finish them with lots of coats of linseed/tung mix (used before) or look at Osmo products (not used before).

Can anyone think of anything that would make this a 'future mistake' ! Or anything I've left out...

Thanks for any advice!
Ed

 

[archersam]

In addition to what you have mentioned already this is what I also do:

Alternate the clamps, one above, one below, one above etc to even the pressure.

Use F or G clamps at the ends to help keep the boards aligned, don't use too much pressure.
Sam

 

[EdK]

Many thanks, had a few committments over the weekend but managed to biscuit up (it that is a verb ?!) the boards and ended up matching the grain and not flipping the wood :
)
)
)

Not sure if it still ok but it looks alot better.

Not yet glued up so will bear that in mind.

Realise that I am woefully short on clamps.... will ask in another section on good ones to get but had listed these : Bessey K body R : http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Bess ... 788976.htm

Thanks Ed

 

[archersam]

Very nice clamps, but how much? :shock:

I use basic old skoool stuff like these:
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp? ... =1&jump=44
these:
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp? ... =1&jump=44

 

[joiner_sim]

The ring pattern MUST be alternating.
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)
(
)

 

[Ross K]

I disagree.

As long as a table top/panel/cill or whatever is secured, whether with buttons or a groove or whatever, both methods work.

In theory the
)
)
)
method may want to cup over the whole width across the grain but supporters of this method say that that is preferable to the "wave" cupping that you can get with the
(
)
(
method.

Sometimes the hardwood I have available means I have to use either one method or the other.

As with many things in woodwork, there are few hard and fast rules.

Here's an example of a piece I did via method one above, essential to show off the heartwood of the olive ash in this case. The table is one of five I made for a busy cafe gallery ages ago, the tables are subject to a lot of abuse, lots of soapy water and wide ranging temps and humidities and the top is still fine.

 

[pitch pine]

I have nothing to add to the )))(((( debate but I do like that table top Ross!