Joinery -"Double-Dove"

[Dustin Nickerson]

As I'm new to the forum and woodworking (the only woodworking I have ever done was to build a "Stick bow" - tools used drawknife and rasp.) Here is something I have come up with, would it work? I call it the "Double-Dove" it would be used to attach sidebeams to a post. Please have a look and tell me if it will work or if I over thought it. A sliding dovetail may be hard to cut, one could change the style.



need a larger pic? go here http://onemississipp.googlepages.com/photos

[Jamie Buxton]

The right-hand sidebeam locks the left-hand one into position. What holds the right-hand one in position? And if you have a technique for that, why not use the same technique for the left-hand sidebeam too, and save yourself from the complex interlocking joinery?

[Dustin Nickerson]

Jamie, I don't know what locks or would lock the the right-hand side. I guess I was hoping it would kinda just take care of it's self.

What would be a good joint to accomplish this task?
I seem to have over thought it, as I seem to do alot. I have to remember K.I.S.S.

Keep It Simple Stupid.....

A mortise and tenon would porbably be the easiest.?

[Pete Brown]

Neat joint, but the cuts would need to be really exact; there are lots of places to screw up in there.

What would the normal orientation of this be? I agree with Jamie about the locking. You could just go with pegged or glued M&T joints.

Pete

[Dustin Nickerson]

The thought was for the left hand and right hand sides being the "side beams" (2"x4") connecting to the post (6"x6")..sorry I don't explain things well, have a look here maybe that will help...

[Jamie Buxton]

What would be a good joint to accomplish this task?
A mortise and tenon would porbably be the easiest.?

A mortise and tenon is a good joint. It is easier to lay out and cut than the dovetail you've invented. It is a traditional joint for timber-frame building. It is often secured with a peg through it -- a pegged mortise and tenon joint.

I don't know what you're building, but if the sidebeams don't really have to be at the same altitude, then the M&T joints don't have to interact. If they do need to be at the same altitude, you can run the tenon of one sidebeam through the tenon of the other sidebeam. That's getting complicated again, but it is possible.

[Dustin Nickerson]

I'm going/trying to build a shed/smallworkshop. The idea is to come up with a design, that can be built in stages. "Building on a budget" is the idea, the pic above as it sits, with prefab trusses (which I have decided not to go with) are about half the total cost, total cost being about $320.00. The floor could be added later, along with the wall sheathing/siding. The building is going to be 12' x 14'. A lean-to or two could be added at a later time also.

The green looking wood in the pic is treated lumber...