Woodworking question.

[gavroche]

I am assembling two planks of wood together to make a worktop for the kitchen. It is 1300 mm long and wonder how many biscuits I will need for strength. Would one every 200mm be enough or is it too close together? Many thanks.

 

[sheddy]

and use clamps (or straps) with outdoor PVA (waterproof) on the joint

 

[gavroche]

and use clamps (or straps) with outdoor PVA (waterproof) on the joint

Thanks for reminding me to buy some long clamps as well.

 

[Andy_R]

1 every 200mm is only 6 biscuits. I would recommend at least 1 every 100mm which works out at half a packet of digestives or about 850 calories. That should be enough to keep your strength up. What are you using to fix it together apart from glue?

 

[slowmotion]

I use even the largest biscuits at closer centres than that. 100mm should be fine. BIscuits are just a modern equivalent of spline joints which are continuous thin strips of solid wood. If the planks are thick, use two or more parallel rows of biscuits.


Use loads and loads of clamps.

Edit: cross post with @Andy R

 

[gavroche]

1 every 200mm is only 6 biscuits. I would recommend at least 1 every 100mm which works out at half a packet of digestives or about 850 calories. That should be enough to keep your strength up. What are you using to fix it together apart from glue?

Just biscuits and glue and the surface covered with a roll of protective something.

 

[ColinJ]

Interesting - I had never heard of biscuit joiners.

 

[Andy_R]

Interesting - I had never heard of biscuit joiners.

Kitchen fitters use them all the time for joining worktops

 

[slowmotion]

Interesting - I had never heard of biscuit joiners.

Interesting - I had never heard of biscuit joiners.

You can make the biscuit joints without the special tool if you get a couple of cutters for a router.

 

[screenman]

Kitchen fitters use them all the time for joining worktops

I thought they used worktop clamps, I know I always do.

 

[gavroche]

You can make the biscuit joints without the special tool if you get a couple of cutters for a router.

That's true but I don't have a router table so I have bought a biscuit jointer. It will come in handy for other jobs as well anyway. Besides, I like having a good variety of tools.

 

[irw]

Kitchen fitters use them all the time for joining worktops

*mental note* Hide the bourbons when I have the kitchen worktops done....

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Did someone say biscuits?

 

[Andy in Germany]

Kitchen fitters use them all the time for joining worktops

I thought they used worktop clamps, I know I always do.

We use both: the biscuit joints provide a bigger surface for the glue and help positioning, the clamps provide the compression.

Incidentally, we don't tend to measure the distance between the joins. We hold the two pieces of wood together, make a pencil line across both in the middle and about 100mm from the ends, then one in the middle between those marks, and then again, and keep doing it until it looks about right, then use align the triangle on the tool to the pencil marks.

 

[MikeG]

I am assembling two planks of wood together to make a worktop for the kitchen. It is 1300 mm long and wonder how many biscuits I will need for strength. Would one every 200mm be enough or is it too close together? Many thanks.

Biscuits aren't so much for strength as for alignment, when edge-jointing. The glue is plenty strong enough without any biscuits, dowels, floating tongues, or Dominoes, and the only point in using them is to prevent the boards slipping as you clamp them together. I never use them now, using cawls to hold the alignment and doing a plain and simple "rubbed" join.