10
votes
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Changing loft bed's beam to diagonal braces?
I'm really concerned about the stability/safety of what you're proposing. The diagonals seem under-sized to me but even with heavier diagonals I don't think the bed verticals would hold up. A 12 year ...
- 8,537
9
votes
Changing loft bed's beam to diagonal braces?
The lateral support on your bed mostly comes from the two connections at the top creating what is called a moment connection (think of lifting a long stick with both hands). The middle members do ...
- 5,631
8
votes
Join two 2x4" so that screws are not visible?
There are a lot of ways you could go here.
Conceal The Screws
If you just make a simple butt joint like you have in your picture, you can do as @AlaskaMan says in the comments - countersink the ...
- 24.5k
7
votes
Accepted
Max gap size for effective drywall joint compound
You'll be fine, though you might want to go buy a bag of setting type (dry powder, mix with water - sets, rather than drying out like the stuff in a bucket) joint compound, both because it's the right ...
- 166k
7
votes
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What is this wood joint called?
The 2x4s are joined with a half-lap joint (or a variation on a scarf joint). It's unclear from your diagram if there is any joinery holding the 2x4s down to the 4x4 or if they just rest on top of the ...
- 8,714
6
votes
Best joint for pine storm windows? Mostly why not miters?
In a miter joint you're gluing end grain to end grain. That's inherently weaker than most joints.
If you really want this appearance, at least spline the corners so there's significant long-grain ...
- 21.4k
5
votes
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Is polymeric sand necessary for paver joint?
I live in the Pacific Northwest also. I have done several paver walks, I have used regular sand and polymeric sand. What I have found is a good even base is the most important part of the job. Regular ...
- 101k
5
votes
Accepted
\What is the best way to frame a box?
Isherwood's answer is great, however, I'd question why you are using lap joints at all if that's the type of vertical you are thinking about.
It's far less work to not bother with the lap joints and ...
- 2,417
5
votes
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Tape vs corner bead order of installation
Most tapers place the metal corner bead first. This is primarily because if you were to do any taping first you'd have to wait until that dries to install corner bead. It's a matter of efficiency.
It'...
- 115k
5
votes
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How can I hide this imperfection in wood joint?
I would sand the horizontal trim at the top down until it meets the diagonal trim. You'll want to extend the sanding horizontally to make a smooth transition from "full thickness" at the ...
- 37.2k
5
votes
How would I tighten a screwless kitchen shear?
Looks like a pretty normal rivet-and-washer (or rivet-and-burr) joint.
Careful work with with an anvil (or anvil-substitute, such as a sledgehammer head) and a ball-peen hammer (moderately small) will ...
- 166k
4
votes
Accepted
What kind of joints are best used for a loft bed?
The joints in the design you referenced are actually plain lap joints held together by lag bolts or lag screws. If you wanted to get a bit fancier, you could always use half-lap joints or one of the ...
- 15.6k
4
votes
How do I drill a mortise and tenon joint so I can reinforce it with a dowel?
The point of the dowelled/drawbored mortise-tenon joint is not to line up the to parts, but to create a tension that draws the tenon tightly into the mortise.
Therefore, rather than drilling though ...
- 141
4
votes
Dowel bracket fixture
I'm not sure if this exists or not.
Probably not.
However, you have an X Y Problem
I'm trying to build a piece of furniture that I can take apart quickly/easily and set up again in another apartment....
- 24k
4
votes
Accepted
How can I tightly join two perpendicular pieces of wood in a loft bed from the inside corner without access to the outer side?
I'd be cautious with anything holding up the top level that's not a bolt going all the way through the wood. The Ikea stuff tends not be overbuilt at all, so the wouldn't be a lot of extra wood to ...
- 28.6k
4
votes
Straighten and strengthen this joint?
That railing is probably fastened to posts on both to the left and right of your picture.
One scheme to shore up the existing railing would be to come up from underneath the existing railing with a ...
- 62.8k
4
votes
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Edge-to-endgrain butt joint
Would a truss connector plate be what you are looking for? This joint is quite common in a truss.
- 156
4
votes
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How to join two pieces of sheet metal?
Pop Rivets
The easiest way would be with a pop riveter.
Clamp the two pieces together. Drill a hole for the rivet. Install one rivet.
Repeat this for a rivet at the other end.
Drill all the ...
- 3,338
4
votes
Accepted
Joining two desktops - options
I recently added a desk extension so I had the same problem, I needed the two surfaces to be flush and stable. The solution I came up with was to use a dowel jig to drill dowel holes at the same depth ...
- 5,169
4
votes
Will Evo stick interior wood glue hold up to occasional outdoor use?
I think it will hold up as long as the screws are holding for sure. The glue will fail if your paint allows moisture through, but should last plenty of time as long as you keep a decent coat of paint ...
- 6,241
3
votes
Does shear strength increase with the number of fasteners?
If you have a single screw with that level of shear strength, it will also have minimum distance specifications for the material in which it is used. As an example, a fastener of 12 mm diameter should ...
- 10.1k
3
votes
Accepted
Using aluminum to mold drywall mud
The drywall mud is just as likely to stick to the aluminum flashing as it is to the board. Just observe how well dried mud sticks to your drywall mud taping knives. It may be possible to put a light ...
- 62.8k
3
votes
How to mate two flat pieces of wood at a point about which both can rotate?
I would not use a bolt for this, although you can. There are various ways to do this. The simplest just requires a rod and two push caps.
Drill a hole through the wood and sand it with a fine ...
- 6,723
3
votes
PVC leak-free joints without glue
You could probably use Flex Couplings like these:
To connect a pipe to an elbow, you'd have to find a coupling
which fits both the outside diameter of the pipe, as well as the outside diameter of ...
- 5,491
3
votes
Accepted
Is it safe for dryer vent ducts to overlap in different directions?
You basically answered your own question.
No one here should answer you and say "it's safe" and even if they did, would you blindly trust that as the final answer?
Is it safe to walk over Niagara ...
- 1,997
3
votes
How can I attach lumber for a shelf so that screws are not seen?
Option 1: Don't use screws. Old-school cabinet makers used dowels and glue. It's not difficult, but you'll want to read up on alignment techniques. Joints are very strong.
image source
Option 2: Use ...
- 115k
3
votes
Accepted
Making a square - Joining two pieces of wood cut at 45 degrees with a circular saw
You need to adjust your circular saw to an actual 45 degree angle, not to where the scale markings say '45'. Your speed square will do the trick.
(Or redesign for butt joints and skip the bother of a ...
3
votes
What wood joint can I use to connect railing members over a post?
You have a couple things going on here, so let's clarify:
There's no joint that makes anything "stronger" here if you're using adequately-sized railings and appropriate fasteners to begin with. You ...
- 115k
3
votes
Accepted
Wood glue or screws for joint?
Glue can be pretty strong when you've got plenty of area (like there), although unless you've got some diagonal bracing, it's going to be wobbly whatever fixing you use.
Most people don't use glue ...
- 619
3
votes
How can I attach deck railing boards to the top of the rails?
Glue and Screw
Drill pilot holes from the bottom side of the lower 2x4 all the way through, Clamp the lower 2x4 in place and use 4 inch deck screws to screw up through the pilot holes and into the ...
- 13.4k
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