Making the Strongest Joint

[Mike Callihan]

Originally Posted by McRabbet

Thanks for the nice compliments -- I try to share whenever I can... Almost all of my commission work comes from referrals by past customers or through friends that know I produce good quality work.

By the way -- I actually considered making the joint at these corners even stronger by using a pegged bridle joint which would have 8 square inches of glue area, but didn't think it was necessary.

Rob

Nice job, I'm glad I read all the posts before asking you if you thought a bridle joint might have been even stronger. LOL

What type of glue did you use? I have found that even a type II PVA glue will sag with time on large pieces like these doors. Your pegs however should counteract that. When I built the front door for my home, a 2" thick 48" wide 84" high behemoth, I use epoxy. Messy but it won't creep over time.

Thanks for sharing.

Mike

[McRabbet]

Mike, since this is for an outdoor application for providing the public with information about the Kellogg Center and their trails, the eight doors needed to be shatterproof and have maximum clear area for the bulletin boards behind them. The glazing is UV-protected Lexan® that is set in a 1/4" deep saw kerf. It is much lighter than glass and should hold up well (but it is currently over $60 for a 36" x 48" sheet due to the increase in petroleum).

[Mike Callihan]

Rob

Back in days of yore I was a District Sales Manager for GE Plastics and trust me when I tell you they were never bashful when it came to raising prices. Lexan is a great product but they are proud of it.

Your right with Lexan as you're glazing material there isn't much of a load there, that and I'm sure they will spend most of their lives shut.

Mike