Edge Gluing thin stock for Scrolling

[Blaughn]

This is my solution for salvaging thin stock.  I ran into a bunch of imperfections in the 8/4 Jatoba I was working with which would have rendered useless nearly 3 feet of 8/4 x 5" stock.  After cutting away the imperfections, I ended up with 6 pieces that were 3 - 4" wide x 15.5" long.  The pieces are just over 1/4" thick and trying to clamp them with traditional methods would be impossible.  So, I spent the day making a clamping board.  This consist of 24" x 24" x 1.5" MDF  (two 3/4" pieces glued together) with formica top and a plywood bottom to reinforce the stiffness of the MDF.  I used a 1 3/8 forstner bit for the holes and 1 3/8" poplar dowel for the stops.  The wedges are cut from hickory with a 5 degree angle.  The gluing cauls are fabricated from oak but you could just as easily use pine.  The clamping cauls have one perfectly straight edge and the other edge is curved.  Youtube has several videos showing how to use the clamping board and how to fabricate the cauls.  

The surface of the formica has a thin coat of paste wax applied.

You use this device by applying the glue to the edges of your thin stock, pressing them together and then use the wedges above and below the cauls to apply pressure.  You can then use a piece of scrap lumber to protect the surface of your work piece while you tap the pieces flush with each other on the surface and along the edges

The multiple holes in the clamping board are to make it easy to vary the width of the panel being glued.  Using multiple wedges on top allow you to easily and quickly adjust for different widths. The final picture is the finished panel as it came off the clamping board - no planing nor sanding.

I have to say, after trying to do this with traditional clamps, this method makes gluing thin pieces a breeze.  The flat surface of the clamping board keeps everyting registered as you clamp.

Edited November 11, 2017 by Blaughn

[Karl S]

Your results speak for themselves. Joints look perfect . Great job on the fixture and nice results,  that makes a great combination, Well done.

 

[SCROLLSAW703]

I agree w/ karl. Your results speak for themselves! A fine job! I do a lot of glue ups, & I don't usually mess w/ 1/4". But I like the way yours turned out. I may have to give it a try. Thanks for the pics!

[WayneG]

great idea, I have struggled edge glueing thin stock and now I can try this.

 

well done and thanks for sharing!

[Lucky2]

Nicely done.

Len

[hawkeye10]

I have glued 1/8" pieces together and it came out nice. One thing to get them to come out right is don't clamp them very tight. I think using the wedges would be enough.

[oldhudson]

 A  very fine fixture for glue-ups. Plus the pics and text were first rate. The only problem I see is if the stock was significantly larger or smaller then you'd be making a new fixture. Still you know your work and sizes needed.

[Blaughn]

54 minutes ago, oldhudson said:

 A  very fine fixture for glue-ups. Plus the pics and text were first rate. The only problem I see is if the stock was significantly larger or smaller then you'd be making a new fixture. Still you know your work and sizes needed.

You are correct - this is designed specifically for my saw and the work I typically do.  With a 20" saw the width dimension for a golden mean plaque works out to be 12.36"  That is what this design yields with the cauls pictured above.  In a pinch, I could make another set of cauls that are 2" wide which would give me capacity of 15.5" .

This fixture is also compact enough and light enough to hang on the wall and out of the way. 

Since I have more tools (a legacy of 70 years of collecting) than I have floorspace in my shop that was a huge consideration.  If I had unlimited space I would build a birch laminated bench top with the retractable bench stops which would serve the same purpose.

All the best!!!!

Bruce

Edited November 11, 2017 by Blaughn

[amazingkevin]

On 11/10/2017 at 5:39 PM, Blaughn said:

This is my solution for salvaging thin stock.  I ran into a bunch of imperfections in the 8/4 Jatoba I was working with which would have rendered useless nearly 3 feet of 8/4 x 5" stock.  After cutting away the imperfections, I ended up with 6 pieces that were 3 - 4" wide x 15.5" long.  The pieces are just over 1/4" thick and trying to clamp them with traditional methods would be impossible.  So, I spent the day making a clamping board.  This consist of 24" x 24" x 1.5" MDF  (two 3/4" pieces glued together) with formica top and a plywood bottom to reinforce the stiffness of the MDF.  I used a 1 3/8 forstner bit for the holes and 1 3/8" poplar dowel for the stops.  The wedges are cut from hickory with a 5 degree angle.  The gluing cauls are fabricated from oak but you could just as easily use pine.  The clamping cauls have one perfectly straight edge and the other edge is curved.  Youtube has several videos showing how to use the clamping board and how to fabricate the cauls.  

The surface of the formica has a thin coat of paste wax applied.

You use this device by applying the glue to the edges of your thin stock, pressing them together and then use the wedges above and below the cauls to apply pressure.  You can then use a piece of scrap lumber to protect the surface of your work piece while you tap the pieces flush with each other on the surface and along the edges

The multiple holes in the clamping board are to make it easy to vary the width of the panel being glued.  Using multiple wedges on top allow you to easily and quickly adjust for different widths. The final picture is the finished panel as it came off the clamping board - no planing nor sanding.

I have to say, after trying to do this with traditional clamps, this method makes gluing thin pieces a breeze.  The flat surface of the clamping board keeps everyting registered as you clamp.

Simplicity at it's best ,good thinking!