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My design ideas might have exceeded my ability to actually glue this thing up. This is a full-size cedar gate, 52" x 77", 2.25" thick western red cedar (WRC), +/- 8% MC.
All mortises are cut (120 of them, including 96 for 8mm dominoes). Slip tenons throughout (all are 3/4" except dominoes). I've had good experience with Titebond III on WRC and plan to stick with that. After glue up I'll come back to pin the tenons of the top and bottom rails with 1/4" white oak dowels (two dowels on each slip tenon on the rail side from the top and bottom of gate).
Tenons:
Dominoes - 48 from the ends of the preassembled 2x2 grids into rails.
Blind slip tenons - 6 (4 on the four sides of the center circle, and 1 each at top and bottom of center into top and bottom rails)
Wedged through tenons - 6 from rails through stiles
This would be more straightforward if it wasn't for the circle in the center. Any slight variation (very slight) of the pieces off the circle will throw things out of square.
Strategies:
Pre-glue all dominoes into grid sections and slip tenons into "one side" of joint (not stiles of course!)
Should I pre-tape each domino and tenon to catch glue squeeze out?
Do I really need to alternate clamps top and bottom?
The table is dead flat (enough) to use as a guide in keeping the gate flat. I can use my Kreg trak/clamps on two sides to ensure starting squareness/flatness and other clamps of pieces to table for flatness. And any glue squeeze out will just pop off the formica top later.
Glue up sequence?
Would really appreciate any thoughts on sequence for this!!! Doing the entire unit at once in 10 minutes, even with one side of slip tenons pre-glued, seems optimistic. Any way to stage this further into more manageable steps while still being able to still get everything square? Because of the center circle and ability of pieces to pivot, I can't really figure a better sequence out.
Thank you for any ideas/assistance!!!