Domino table buttons

[CDM]

With most of the rest of my D select pine stock I made a second less-whimsical table (see the "Whimsical beginning-woodworker practice table" thread).  The most interesting part for me was making home-brew table buttons out of off-cuts and Domino tenons.  See below.

I made these in a batch by cutting a series of through-mortise holes along the top of a leftover board, after which I rip-cut to thickness and then cut to length with my TS/55.  I eased the edges with a block plane.

Installation was on previously-finished parts, so I marked where I wanted each hold-down block on the table aprons, sanded off the finish there, and glued the blocks flush with the top apron surface.  Then I put the table frame on the top (flipped over), marked where the corresponding blocks would go and sanded off the finish in those areas.  Finally, I glued the tenons into the blocks along the table aprons, slipped the remaining mortised blocks over the tenons, and glued those blocks to the table top, clamping with an ad hoc bridge.  One of the tenons running parallel to the grain is glued to both mortised blocks to pin the table top.

This structure could also be implemented with mortises placed directly in the table apron.  But, um, for small tables that only works if you plan ahead and haven't glued the table base up before planning fully how to attach the top.

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[Administrator_JSVN]

Thanks for sharing your project and your use for the Domino. It reminds me of this post by Bill Esposito where he did something similar.

 

[fritter63]

I've been planning to do like bill-e did, but with this product instead:

Woodcraft table fasteners

I used these on the "childrens" desk that I made, but cut the slots with a biscuit jointer back then.

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CDM, how sturdy is your approach in actually holding the top down? Ie, can you lift the piece by the top edges and have it stay together?

 

[CDM]

CDM, how sturdy is your approach in actually holding the top down? Ie, can you lift the piece by the top edges and have it stay together?

I can.  In fact, since my wife's not here, I will go and move her stuff off the table so I can give it a good shake.

...

Everything held, both when I shook holding the top and when I shook holding the base.

The top is only 20" x 13" and the table is 21" tall, all in pine, so it's not that heavy.  There are four of the individual assemblies, one on each side, and the glue joints are all long grain to long grain.  For a heavier structure, any of the following modifications might be appropriate: (1) longer blocks to allow screws on either side of the mortise holes, (2) more of the assemblies, (3) a stronger or thicker wood for the mortised blocks, and (4) using larger Domino tenons.

I would say an advantage over the approach in the Bill Esposito post is that this way you can use the Domino Joiner to mortise the apron block or the apron and with little extra effort the block that attaches to the table top as well.  With a separate rabbeted table button there's additional work to match the depth of the mortise hole top below the apron edge to the height of the rabbet in the button stock.