Struggling to Dominos for book cases

[Joe Jensen]

I am making a set of 13 book cases for our church.  I decided to use the Domino instead of dados as I thought it would easier based on the design.  I have to say that after glueing up the largest case, (three verticals, a back, and three shelves, all 20" deep) I'm not looking forward to doing the rest.
1) Cutting the Domino is clearly much slower than dados
2) Gluing 70 tenons, gluing the edges, and getting it all clamped and square was a pain

I am using a narrow brush to spread glue around inside the mortise, and holding the tenons between my fingers to get glue on them.  Is there an easier (faster) way?  I'd obviously like to minimize glue squeeze out as I'm using veneered ply.

I see several who are using Dominos for carcases.  Given my experience so far, I can't imaging doing kitchen cabinets this way?

Am I missing something major?

 

[honeydoman]

I use them alot for bookcases.

1st 12" case I domino the ends 3 times, end and middle for the middle I use a pencil line to line up and also use the small slot for the ends.  then 2 pocket screws.  then on the top I use the middle size, again pencil line.  make sure that you register off the same end. so the ends line up.

shelves I use the adjustible holes.  if you want them perminent then definetly set up your dado on the table saw and 1/4 -1/3" deep dado would be faster on that many bookcase especially if all the same size. set fence and go.

for the backs you can either staple on or route out a rabbit for it depending if the edge would show.  for the bottom I use 1x material to set the bottom on that is attached to the inside of the sides and then pocket screw up from underneath or you can also use the dominos again for this.  3 on the 1x and 3 on the face of the bottom.  that would be strong.

if you cannot use pocket screws because of showing, you can also use the little plugs they sell to hide the hole.  I like the pocket screws because they add clamping power and are much quicker then setting up clamps.

explain more details as to what you are doing and I can add some more

size of bookcases..... finished look.... stain paint  prefinished particle board.

where are you dominos?

 

[Joe Jensen]

The large book case has three shelves, 20" deep.  I have 5 dominos on each end.  I also have a toe kick, and on the large book case, 3/4" ply back that extends above the top shelf to look like a backsplash.  Setting up for each series of cuts was about the same amount of time as setting up for the biscuit joint, but gluing took a lot longer as I was pretty sloppy with biscuits and not with the tenons.  My issue is more with the time it took to get all the tenons glued.  I'd say I worked nearly an hour to get the large case in the clamps. 

 

[semenza]

Hi,
  For the backs I like to rabbet, regardless of weather the edges show. It helps keep things nice and square. Actually I glue and staple the backs into the rabbet. I have seen so many boocases with the backs getting pushed out/off that I take no chances on them.

Seth

 

[Joe Jensen]

I normally rabbit the backs and will for the other 12 book cases.  The first large one had a design that didn't lend itself to a back fastened that way.  Dados were always faster with the table saw, but they always created some chipout.  Biscuits were slower, with no tearout problems.

With 3 tenons per end on 12" deep shelves, I'll end up with 36 tenons.  Gluing them all up and clamping will take a good 30 min I assume.  We'll see Saturday 

 

[James Biddle]

The dominos fit tight enough that I've been just applying glue to the domino and not the mortise.  Also, what edges are you applying glue to?  Probably don't need it on the domino edges.  Also, think about cutting a pice of wood long enough to line up with the top or bottom and use it as a jig to cut the middle shelf dominos.

 

[Warrior]

I like to stand up all the dominoes that I am using for a joint into a shallow dish of glue. Then pick up one at a time by the dry end slam it into a mortise. After all of the dominoes are in the mortises with the glued ends in I then squirt glue across that side of the joint with the dominoes sticking out. I then brush that out to make sure all of the dominoes and joint surface have a pretty thick and even coat. I dont bother with glue on the other side unless its a miter or another end grain to end grain joint.  I  do make sure there is enough glue for transfer.  Slam the joint together and clamp.

I'll post a pictoral of my patented procedure  ;D in the next few days or so. This method has cut my glue up time in half.

thanks,

Eiji Fuller

 

[John Stevens]

I am using a narrow brush to spread glue around inside the mortise, and holding the tenons between my fingers to get glue on them.  Is there an easier (faster) way?

I use these:
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=20225

Before that, I was using an acid-brush with a bit of tape wrapped around it to make the bristles fit better into the hole.  The poly spreaders are much faster.  I use the spreader for the mortises and the tenons.  I like Eiji's idea for the tenons, but I think that it's important to get the tenon thoroughly coated with glue for a good bond, even if glue is spread inside the mortise before inserting the tenon.  (Jesse Cloud posted the results of some testing he did on this problem.)  Perhaps Eiji will comment as to whether his method does this.  I guess one quick way to test would be to pull out a tenon after shoving it in.  Good luck with that. 

Sorry for rambling, but I hope this helps.

Regards,

John

 

[CharlesWilson]

I am using a narrow brush to spread glue around inside the mortise, and holding the tenons between my fingers to get glue on them.  Is there an easier (faster) way?

I use these:
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=20225

I also use those spreaders and prefer them to acid brushes.

Charles

 

[Warrior]

I'm pretty sure I get enough glue on the tenons. They are sitting in a dish of glue about 1/3 to 1/2 depth of the tenon before being inserted into the mortise.

I use this method mainly for panel glue ups where I want to get more strength in the joint than the standard edge joint offers. I use 5mm for the joints so the mortices are almost to small to get a brush in there anyway.

In domino joints that demand more strength (ie. the dominoes version of the  M & T) I'll use a larger tenon and coat both the mortice and tenon surfaces. I dont know if that is absolutely necessary but I do it anyway.

 

[Eli]

For the wham bam thanks for the check work I've been doing around the house, I've been using a water activated glue? I think it's a poly glue. Anyway, about a month ago I was reading the bottle (of glue) and noticed it was water activated. So I started using a squirt bottle of water on the mating surfaces before adding a slop of glue in each mortise and dry fitting the dominos. Forget spreading it, if you use more than a drop it comes out like expanding foam. Haven't destructively tested anything, but I did stress opposite corners of a bookcase. Seems fine. Really fast for whacking things together. Of course I'm not going to use it for fine furniture, but the foamout comes right off melamine and sands easily off wood, so then again, maybe I will. Brand name here in Aus is 'Aquadhere', made by Selley's I think.

 

[Steve Jones]

Eli

Just in case it's a similar formula (or product) we have something in the U.S. called "Gorilla Glue" for years they claimed to be "The strongest glue in the world", and I used it (even though it dyes your fingers purple) Of course in Texas you don't have to wet the joint first, one advantage of humidity.

Then one of the woodworking mags actually did a test-to-destruction on joints using different types of glue, Gorilla glue came in last!

Now claim on the bottle is "The Toughest glue in the world!"

Ain't marketing wonderful?

 

[Eli]

Oh, I'm sure the formulation isn't the strongest. But it does avoid me permanently fixing another glue brush to my work surface. No brush, no problem.