I’m building a chair and I’ve undercut my tenons such that they slide in and out of the mortise too easily. I thought I read somewhere that if that happens that one could glue brown paper to the tenon cheeks to close the gap. Is this practical or are there other solutions (other than being more careful next time).
Thanks for any suggestions.
Replies
A lot of people use veneer instead of paper. There was a post about this a while ago. If you do a search you can probably find it.
Jim
202GF glue
Do not use paper. It will make for a weak joint. In fact, a technique used to attach removable clamping blocks is to sandwich the joint with paper. That way, the blocks can be knocked off easily.
As already suggested, use some veneer or use a handplane to make some thin curls. Wrap the tenon with the curls and glue them on. Then sand the tenons to fit properly.
Thanks to all for your helpful suggestions, especially not to use paper!
Yes veneer!
And remember that you can make your own for this purpose. Just cut a thin slice off of a handy board with your table saw and glue it on (both sides). Trim to fit when dry.
Mike DP.S.
I would recommend against veneer tape if it's the self stick variety, AND if the joint is under fairly continuous pressure like it would be if it is part of a chair, BECAUSE self stick tape uses a rubber-like glue that will creep over time under pressure. In a table, I'd think no problem.
Edited 10/16/2009 5:40 pm ET by Mike_D
I have used veneer successfully before. It is not only accaptable, but is structually sound as well.
Woodworking is not about never making mistakes, but how you fix those mistakes so that no one knows. The use of veneer will never be known.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled