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Butt-jointing plywood with glue and screws

65K views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  Loren 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I need to butt-joint two pieces of plywood with glue and screws. Will plywood tolerate having a screw driven into its edge (even with a pilot hole), or will the plywood split? What about butt-jointing normal wood, with the screw driven into end grain? How well will that hold up?
 
#4 · (Edited by Moderator)
It really depends on the overall situation.

I have used butt joints, with screws going into the edge of plywood many times on shop furniture, jigs, etc., and they work perfectly fine. However, I would not use that type of joint to support a great deal of weight, such as a shelf for a planer, unless the overall structure included some other type of reinforcement. I'd give pretty much the same advice for solid wood as well.
 
#5 ·
Multiple offset biscuit joints in a "saw tooth" pattern. Or if you have the room and your biscuit jointer blade is SUPER sharp stack two at each position with the width of a biscuit between each one. The "side grain" of the plys will glue OK, it's the end grain where the issue lies.
 
#7 ·
I don't think you are ever going to get a real strong joint when you put 2 pieces of plywood together. However, in some applications a real strong joint is not needed.

If I wanted a strong joint with plywood, I would run both pieces into a groove in a corner piece of solid lumber.
 
#9 · (Edited by Moderator)
The diagram below shows a rough picture (it's a jig for sharpening chisels on a bench grinder). The bottom and side pieces are either plywood or real wood. The gray thing across the top is threaded rod. There are other parts, but I've left them out.

Blue Rectangle Parallel Electric blue Pattern


If I use plywood for the two uprights, I'll need to drive screws up through the base into the edges of the plywood. I can use real wood if plywood won't work. In either case, I can probably cut some dados for the bases of the uprights to give them more stability.

Or, maybe I should mount the uprights on the sides of the base and drive the screws horizontally through uprights into the base:

Rectangle Parallel Font Tints and shades Electric blue


The base is a big slab of 2"x12" pine, so this design would require driving screws into the end grain of the base.
 

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#10 ·
if you have the room for it
a third piece as a brace
will keep the sides from 'wobbling'
loosening the joint
as in box construction
or cabinets
 
#11 ·
Brett, I would go with option #2 above, but take it a step further and rout a very shallow 1/16" rabbet on the end pieces. Not for additional strength, but to make assembly easier. With plain butt joints, things like to slip around when glue and clamps are applied.

Predrill for the screws, glue it up and everything will work great. Just use long thick screws.

If you go with option 1, I'd definitely bring the ends in about 1/2" each and cut 3/8" or even 3/4" dadoes since you're using 2×12" pine.
 
#15 ·
I thought you were talking about a true butt joint, two pieces of plywood butted end to end.
The right angle connection you are planning should be fine.

If you need extra holding power for that joint you can put a large (3/4" to 1") dowel through the "end-grain" piece in the path of the screw and about an inch away from the end. That makes a very strong joint.

I believe I'd go with your first example and make the base piece about an extra 1" long so the screws would not be so close to the edge.
 
#16 ·
Plywood screwed through the edge doesn't perform as well
as most solid wood in screwholding, especially near the edges
where the plywood can split if the joint is stressed.

Confirmat screws offer the best performance in this sort
of application. The holes are best drilled with a special
bit.
 
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