Advice on butt joints for simple furniture

aarondown · 13 Jun 2010

Hi there,

Having previously made a kitchen cupboard out of MDF I utilised butt joints that were screwed from the external face. This was fine as the cupboard was then covered in wallpaper as it's final finish.

However, i am now making a low kitchen cupboard and some bedside tables out of fair faced ply. The bedside tables will essentially be two same sized pieces for top and bottom, overlapping the side and rear panels.
I love the edges of good quality ply and want to show this off.
Therefore I'd like to keep all of the fixings internal/hidden.
I've not used them but what do you think about modesty blocks?
Or maybe corner battens screw fixed in the same way as a modesty block?

Unfortunately i do not have a workshop (although enough tools to fill one!). Therefore I am somewhat limited in my options.

Would appreciate any thoughts/comments/links.

Thanks in advance.

aarondown · 17 Jun 2010

BUMP!

Just a pointer in the right direction if this is a really basic question. A link or something maybe??

aarondown · 17 Jun 2010

Here's some pictures to help explain:

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aarondown
17 Jun 2010
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aarondown
17 Jun 2010
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and the bedside cabinet (without the drawers shown)

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aarondown
17 Jun 2010
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Hope this helps!

big-all · 17 Jun 2010

the trouble is you trying to mix and match materials in a design that not sutable for the materials
faced ply needs all exposed edges coverd with a wood lipping

why not design a unit that looks less like a mass produced kitchen give it some caricter

make the cabinets box like at the back front with 2x1"par with shaker style doors within the 44mm framework !!

aarondown · 17 Jun 2010

Big-all,

I'm proposing NOT to mix materials. These are ply units.

Ply does not necessarily need to be lipped, see below. This is the kind of finish I'm looking for.

Untitled

aarondown
17 Jun 2010
1

Untitled

aarondown
17 Jun 2010
1

make the cabinets box like at the back front

Not sure what you mean here.

shaker style doors within the 44mm framework !!

I live in a 6 year old flat which is all about clean lines and simple finishes. Shaker is definately not my cup of tea!

big-all · 18 Jun 2010

not that easy to get a good finnish on the edge off the ply
in a kitchen you need a wipe clean surface which will be difficult with the exposed edge off the ply

aarondown · 18 Jun 2010

Good quality ply already has a good finish in my experience.

There will actually not be much worktop use of this. The idea is that it will hold all of the clutter and machines that currently crowd the island worktop. The top will be birch faced ply with a matte varnish finish.

My thoughts are pushing towards battens where necessary, screwing directly into the timbers where they'll be hidden. I like the idea if being able to dismantle this unit at some point in time (for moving etc) but I'm worried that I should be using glue on all of these joints.

Any thoughts anyone?

big-all · 18 Jun 2010

why not design free standing units that can but up together or individualy free standing

if you build as fitted units you must leave them in the house when you sell it unless you tell them they are not fitted units and will be going

so if you build individual units that are butted up to each other they can give a uniform kitcken look with only the sink and white goods cabinets being fitted so staying

ladylola · 19 Jun 2010

I can see where both sides are coming from here, as Big-all says ply is generally lipped both for cosmetic and hygine reasons and I can understand where you are coming from in its asthetic appeals.
As to using butt joints I would be inclined not to use them. They would require internal blocking or screws through the face all of which to me scream cheap. What I would do is utilise through mortise joints to give me the ply end grain on both faces or if this isn't what you want then a stopped houseing both to give rigiditiy and to look well made and thought about.

aarondown · 21 Jun 2010

The flat is rented and so it would come with us or sold to our landlord if/when we move.

The query was really whether, if I'm already using screws and battens, glued joints will be required.

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Advice on butt joints for simple furniture

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