badger
Well-Known Member
Hey guys...
Last night I was laying out my fuselage longerons, verticals, etc., etc., on the table. I'm going to have to join a 12 foot long, 3/4 X 3/4 piece of spruce to another shorter piece (still 3/4 X 3/4). The plans show the area "where to scarf joint" (the longerons) if the builder has to, but I started thinking about the half lap joints that I've used in all kinds of different applications, (from cabinet doors to 2X4 gates) and was wondering if a half lap would be as strong and have the same structural integrity as a scarf joint.
If I took, say the last 8 inches of each 3/4 x 3/4 piece, dado'd them down to 3/8, marked and placed 2 or 3 one inch joining biscuts, glued it up good with T-88......hell, that'd work, wouldn't it? I'd feel comfortable with it, but I'm no strustural engineer, and wouldn't even begin to know where to start with numbers and stuff. Maybe it's a bad idea.....thats why I'm asking you experts here!! (just call me okie from muskogee)
John
Last night I was laying out my fuselage longerons, verticals, etc., etc., on the table. I'm going to have to join a 12 foot long, 3/4 X 3/4 piece of spruce to another shorter piece (still 3/4 X 3/4). The plans show the area "where to scarf joint" (the longerons) if the builder has to, but I started thinking about the half lap joints that I've used in all kinds of different applications, (from cabinet doors to 2X4 gates) and was wondering if a half lap would be as strong and have the same structural integrity as a scarf joint.
If I took, say the last 8 inches of each 3/4 x 3/4 piece, dado'd them down to 3/8, marked and placed 2 or 3 one inch joining biscuts, glued it up good with T-88......hell, that'd work, wouldn't it? I'd feel comfortable with it, but I'm no strustural engineer, and wouldn't even begin to know where to start with numbers and stuff. Maybe it's a bad idea.....thats why I'm asking you experts here!! (just call me okie from muskogee)
John
