> I'm making some freestanding MDF shelves and I want them to look nice
> and be really sturdy.
<snip>
> Anyone have positive experience with any of these or can you suggest a
> better joining method? I want to avoid drillout, screwout and breakout.
>
> Jon
3 of the 4 fasteners you referenced will require fairly accurate drilling of 2-
3 holes to allow proper alignment of the joints. No problem for a production
run where one sets up the jigs or lets the robot (CNC?) make your parts. These
three fasteners are all best for knock-down furniture - stuff that ships flat
and is assembled at home by the consumer. They do allow dis-assembly if needed.
The 4th fastener (item # 10767) is new to me but looks like it'd be easier for
the home shop. I wonder about it's ultimate strength, though. Look at the cross
section picture of the assembled joint. Seems like a lot of stress on a small
plastic tab and a few screw threads.
Do you have a biscuit joiner? It is amazing how strong biscuits & glue are. One
essentially cuts the shelf parts to size for butt joints and then adds the
biscuits. They act like multiple tenons. They are NOT for K-D furniture that
you might want to dis-assemble someday however.
HTH,
Eric Russell
Mebane, NC
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