Woodworking

[Eric]

I'm currently designing a project to build a custom topper for our leather ottoman, which by itself is firm enough to support plates but a little too giving to trust with glasses or stemware. The minimal idea would be a flat piece of stain-grade plywood (probably a hardwood species, exact TBD) flush with the top of the ottoman, framed on the sides with 1x4 of the same species with a groove joint cut into the inside of each frame piece to capture the plywood (leaving a 1/2" or so lip above the surface) and 45-degree picture frame corner joints.

 

However, I'm not high on the picture frame joinery on the 1" face since it requires near-perfect cutting and doesn't afford much (if any) depth for hidden strengthening such as dowels or biscuits. Visible strengthening such as through dowels or nails seems to defeat the purpose of pretty joints.

 

Any suggestions for design improvements to make this a piece worth looking at? 

[Shocker]

Have you considered biscuit joints, those should give you a good stability, without to high demands on skills

https://www.woodworkingtrade.com/biscuit-joints-in-woodworking/

[Eric]

I did, but I don't know that I would have enough depth to really take advantage since the joint is currently envisioned on the narrow side of the 1x4; top-down the corner looks like this:

 

 

So at the center of the joint, the depth into each piece is 3/8"-ish, which is far from ideal. I may have to come up with a better design for the frame.

[Shocker]

Do you expect that corner to be holding any significant amount of weight? If it is largely for decorative purposes, you might get way with just bonding it using yellow carpenters glue (or something like Titebond 2). For something a bit more sturdy you would better look at a gorilla glue like system, and clamp it well. 
Those will still require precise 45 degree cuts, but not as difficult as actual joinery. 
 

for anything that is meant to hold weight, you will likely have to resort to making actual joints, (e.g dove tail or rabbet joint). 
 

Your plans for holding the frame to the actual panel, is going to impact your options. 

[Eric]

The thought on the panel-to-frame junction was to use a groove joint, like this picture. It would provide some level of stability by preventing the frame pieces from shifting vertically and resisting lateral and rotational movement. In theory the frame shouldn't be bearing any weight, but rather be supported all the way around the rectangle on the groove ledge.

 

Looking at it from this perspective, maybe I could find some non-metallic corner braces to go under the panel...

[Inash]

Dovetails?

 

You could 3-d print some corner braces if you want something non-metallic, though you would have to be careful about the direction of the layers.

[Colin]

The groove joint should be fine, I was going to be doing a similar project this summer until our new pup decided the ottoman is her dog bed in the living room.

 

For the corner joint for the frame, you could do a splined miter joint (or two or three of them) if you wanted it together a bit better (and also can look a bit fancy) than just a miter joint with glue. Seconding Shocker, using Titebond 2 or 3 or Gorilla Wood Glue is going to have the wood fail before the glue fails. With the groove joint glued up as well, the miter joints will hold together just fine.

 

Splined Miter Joint Example

 

[Eric]

Dovetails is probably the "right" call from a carpentry perspective, but I don't have the routing table to make them. I could probably do finger joints with the equipment I have. The groove for the panel would have to be cut with more precision with either, since part of the interior of all four boards would be visible at each corner (where the picture frame would only show the ungrooved exterior face). I did find some ABS corner braces that would meet the need, so hopefully I don't have to resort to printing 😄 (though Colin would probably tell me "do it!")

 

EDIT: Speak of the Colin... 😄 That does look like a pretty option, too...

 

[Colin]

33 minutes ago, Eric said:

hopefully I don't have to resort to printing 😄

 

You’d need to get seduced tricked coerced sold on getting a 3D printer first. 😛
 

Might be easier to target your eldest with such ideas instead though, then she can print you things…

[Eric]

1 minute ago, Colin said:

Might be easier to target your eldest with such ideas instead though, then she can print you things…

Elder Spawn is not really the builder though. Greater Spawn (who is now bigger than Elder Spawn), on the other hand...

[Mick the Rogue]

Had some scrap wood. Made a mallet. Handle needs work but for a first attempt I'm happy. I plan on working the handle more for ergonomics and to make etch/burn the head decoratively. Maybe a leather wrap around the handle

 

Was satisfying to make

[Eric]

That's a pretty nice joint there!