creative end cut on 2x4 for lap joint

[david babcock]

how to cut this corner lap joint on 2x4s ?
Its embarrassing to even ask this to a group that probably think this is Lincoln log childs play.

I guess the "proper" thing to do is get a nice Dado blade set- but lets say that I want to get a little more creative. How does one make this top cut without standing an 8ft pressure treated 2x4 on its end?

Im trying to think outside the box- is there some jig or adjustment this rookie can make to keep from having the blade cuts run/extend/drag past the cut out area on the 2x4 ?

The wife wants some raised bed box gardens. But Im trying to think of a creative joint that would be simple, strong and easy to replicate on a hundred boards.

LIke this:Box garden joints.jpg

box gardenjoints.jpg

[joe milana]

hand saw.....

[Neil Brooks]

Router table.
Straight bit.
Collet extension.

?

[david babcock]

Router table.
Straight bit.
Collet extension.

?

Ok here is a pretty interesting idea! (whats a collet extentsion?- to make the bur / bit taller?) I have a router and table but its a small little thing- seems like this would make a terrrible mess too!

[Neil Brooks]

Ayup.

A collet extension looks like this:



You'll almost surely need to do it in several passes, but ... you run EACH board at one depth, then adjust the height, run them all again, and repeat, until done.

A "terrible" mess ?

That doesn't sound like a very woodworker-ish thing to say. I would tend to think of it as a hugely IMPRESSIVE mess !

My router table has pretty good dust collection, so ... if yours doesn't ... it's the kind of thing you do outside, and the chips (I was going to say "fall where they may," but) become bedding for the garden.

It WOULD be a pretty quick way to do it, and ... you could be darned accurate, if you wanted to be, without much fuss.

Incidentally, a collet extension wouldn't be necessary, if you simply lay the boards down on the 3-1/2" wide side, but ... they'd be 90* to the bit and fence, unless you wanted to keep re-positioning the fence, too.

Either way ... not a TON of work.

Saw IS a pretty easy way to do it I just ... don't do enough hand tool work, is all

[Anthony Whitesell]

That's nice of them to give the wrenches too. I bought a bowl making kit from PeaachTree which included the collet extension but no wrenches. I was able to find some used stamped wrenches that were almost the right size that I finessed on the grinder to make them the right size. I think I needed 26 and 30mm of which the standard wrenches are about 12" long.

[Mike Heidrick]

I have this one and it seems nice. Super quick to change bits with.

Router Technologies EX 2080 Xtreme Xtension Professional Router Bit/Collet Extension

[david babcock]

hand saw.....

Lets say that my muscles are even smaller than my brain.
Handsaw on 50 boards?
Joe what kind of buff guy do you take me for

[Tim Sproul]

If your bandsaw is lacking (completely or is an itty bitty thing), you could easily build some jigs to guide a jigsaw too.

[Troy Turner]

If your bandsaw is lacking (completely or is an itty bitty thing), you could easily build some jigs to guide a jigsaw too.

+1 here. Neither will cut past your line. I'd say you could make a jig for either using a piece of 2x2 ply or mdf. Just measure the distance you need (taking into account the shoe size on the jigsaw), notch out the board, then you could either clamp it to the bandsaw or the boards hanging off the edge of a bench if you're using the jigsaw.

[Derek Gilmer]

A reciprocating saw would make it pretty easy as well. Get an aggressive wood cutting blade, lay them on saw horses and go to town.

[Joe Angrisani]

David.... I would add that no matter how you cut the boards, be sure to tie them together along their lengths as well. If you don't, time and moisture will move 2x4s or 2x6s more than you can imagine and will open up the sides. I drilled vertical holes to accept some old giant nails to work as dowel pins. I suppose you could use biscuits and waterproof glue, too.

You might consider ditching the pressure treated stuff as well. I wouldn't want the chemicals leaching into my 'maters and lettuce, and if you think pressure treated wood is permanent when underground, you've been duped. It'll start rotting away in a few years. I'd suggest regular old contruction lumber and heavy plastic lining the inside to keep the carpenter ants from loving the home you built for them (the plastic helps with evaporation, too, as raised beds dry out much faster than a "flush" garden).

Finally, consider 4x4s instead of 2x4s/2x6s. It's nice to sit on the edge while taking care of the garden. I use 4x4s and just alternate the joints from course to course (making, in effect, a finger joint). That way it's all 90-degree full cuts.

[Mike OMelia]

Those are not 2x4s. But that design is quite popular... seeing them offered for sale in lots of places. You should be able to whip them together with hand tools. And save a few $$. Why not use treated lumber? Won't these rot quickly? Perhaps a chemical hazard? Maybe linseed oil? Not sure if that is "toxic". But surely the surfaces should be treated with something. Like Joe said, secure the lenght seams with dowels and glue.

Mike

[Joe Angrisani]

......Why not use treated lumber?.....Perhaps a chemical hazard?.....

Would you make a salad bowl out of pressure treated lumber?

On my raised beds I've always gone about 3 courses high with 4x4s. I use regular cedar 4x4s from the Borg. It's all about drainage, I think, as far as rot goes. It's like fence posts. The secret to long lasting fenceposts is not pressure treated wood. It's handling drainage properly by putting a good bit of gravel under the post so you don't make a "concrete cup" that holds the fencepost and the water.

Think the same way with the garden. You should dig down INSIDE the garden once it's built. Dig down about 12", and mix that in with lots of peat moss and lots of quality compost to fill the raised bed. Since you never walk IN the raised bed, it will have great drainage to 12" underground. As a result, right around the garden (under the frame), water will run off to the easy route inside the raised bed.

I'd suggest laying out the garden pathways with about 2" of pea gravel before you start building. Build the raised beds with 4x4s sitting on gravel. When it is all done and solid, dig down 12" inside. You'll lose a little pea gravel, but for the most part you'll be left with a layer under the 4x4s. Then line the inside walls of the raised bed with heavy plastic that goes from the bottom of the hole and comes up to 1" from the top.

I had 15 year old raised beds built this way at my old house. I made the first one without the plastic, and the ants consumed it in 4 years (and gardening was no joy for the two years before that when THEY were there in great numbers). The plastic ended the ant problem, saved water, and it doesn't rot because it's buried and hiding from Sol's UV rays.

[david babcock]

Would you make a salad bowl out of pressure treated lumber?

On my raised beds I've always gone about 3 courses high with 4x4s. I use regular cedar 4x4s from the Borg. It's all about drainage, I think, as far as rot goes. It's like fence posts. The secret to long lasting fenceposts is not pressure treated wood. It's handling drainage properly by putting a good bit of gravel under the post so you don't make a "concrete cup" that holds the fencepost and the water.

Think the same way with the garden. You should dig down INSIDE the garden once it's built. Dig down about 12", and mix that in with lots of peat moss and lots of quality compost to fill the raised bed. Since you never walk IN the raised bed, it will have great drainage to 12" underground. As a result, right around the garden (under the frame), water will run off to the easy route inside the raised bed.

I'd suggest laying out the garden pathways with about 2" of pea gravel before you start building. Build the raised beds with 4x4s sitting on gravel. When it is all done and solid, dig down 12" inside. You'll lose a little pea gravel, but for the most part you'll be left with a layer under the 4x4s. Then line the inside walls of the raised bed with heavy plastic that goes from the bottom of the hole and comes up to 1" from the top.

I had 15 year old raised beds built this way at my old house. I made the first one without the plastic, and the ants consumed it in 4 years (and gardening was no joy for the two years before that when THEY were there in great numbers). The plastic ended the ant problem, saved water, and it doesn't rot because it's buried and hiding from Sol's UV rays.

good stuff joe! youre way ahead of me. I hadnt gotten that far yet, so I appreciate the good advice on the prep and layout. what is it about the plastic that stops the ants? seems like they would just go around.
David,
Ive always wanted one of those ryobas. before i decide to go out and buy one, is this going to be a real task to cut 50 2x4s with a hand saw?

Prashun, I was thinking qty 3 of 2x4 stacked vertically. I think with 4x4 posts in the corners this should be plenty tall and sturdy?