Connecting 2x4 to a 2x4 using clamps

[Suzy]

Hi, I am new here and have a few questions.

We are building an outdoor patio set using this plan and are only building armless chairs, not the corner piece.

http://www.morelikehome.net/2011/06/our-new-outdoor-sectional.html

As you can see the seat top are a lot of 2x4's with 1/2" spacing between them.  We have two different kinds of clamps, neither of which makes it easy to connect the corners together.

We have a seat section, leg and support frame section built already, we will be putting it all together when the paint dries.  We have painted four coats on all the PT lumber boards so when it dries we will be open to finishing the project.

We did change the project a bit, such as making the back taller for more comfort when sitting back and adding some support boards to it as well.  We also made the chair legs shorter to accommodate the very deep cushions I will be making to sit on and lean back against and a lumbar support pillow as well.  This should be a very comfortable set when complete.

I need the boards to line up evenly so the seat surface is flat and am having a hard time doing that.  What can I do to make it more level?  It seems that although the boards are all 2x4's they are not all exactly the same in thickness.

I was able to get some photos but the system allows only three.

The seat back and back legs are to the right in the first pic of all the components for the chair.  We have to wait for the last coat of paint to dry before assembly and will need to do touch up once it is togther. 

Thanks

[Jeff Metcalf]

Good Evening Suzy;

Welcome if you want to add more pictures you can add up to 100 per day by just clicking on photos on the top bar then after you add them you can name them as a project once that is done just tell everyone to refer to the project,

Looking at your link to the project and the pictures above, I'm not sure a clamping table would be of any use to you I have the one Kreg makes and all there clamps to go with it and love it for some uses but not everything.

 

You can just clamp the 2x4 together and down on a flat surface, it seems to me the underside of the chairs or benches you are making it does not matter if everything is of equal thickness as no one will see underneath the pillows.

 

With the track and clamping table you usually use special Kreg clamps to fit in the track.

 

Jeff 

[Suzy]

Thanks Jeff, I was thinking a table for the kitchen cabinets we will build, but the chair project is another matter.  The problem I am having is the top of the seat section being level all the way across without any part of the board up at an angle. 

So I take what you are saying is to clamp the two 2x4's together at a junction and then screw it together?  This is using the flat clamp and not the one that fits into the pocket holes?  My pocket hole clamp doesn't have a big enough reach for a 2x4 to 2x4 junction.

Thanks for the help.

[Joshua Russell]

I think what he is trying to get you to do is clamp the 3 pieces down to a table that is flat. This will make everything line up with each other. The pocket hole screws will pull the pieces together. 

You could use just about any clamp that will open wide enough for a 2x4 and table. 

[Suzy]

Hi Joshua, than you for the response.  I think I might have some confusion in my post.

I will try to clarify my question for everyone.

First, I posted the photos of the three sections of the chair we have built.  We will be completing the chair build when the last coat of paint is dry  We needed to paint again to cover the glue and damage marks made to the paint while we were building each section.

My question is not about the three sections of the chair that are already made.  My picture unfortunately shows the bottom of the seat and I needed the top of the seat photo instead.

So, imagine you have 6 2x4's of one length and lined up with 1/2" between them, then you have two 2x4's that are a couple inches longer where one will be on each side of the six boards to make up the seat surface.

So, my problem is joining the six boards to the two outside boards without the 6(inside) boards having a not so square fit to the outside boards.  I hope that makes sense, if not please look at the photo of the example I posted and see how the seat is built.

So, my seat boards are not perfectly level, instead I have a couple of them that wound up with a corner sticking up instead of being level with the board it was connected to.  This means that the opposite corner of the same board is not flush with the underside of the chair seat.  The underside is not a concern to me, it is the topside of the chair seat that I would like to sit flush so that my chair cushions also sit flush.

So, my problem is a pocket hole clamp does not fit in the pocket hole and then wrap around the other 2x4, the clamp is too small.  The flat clamp is confusing to me, but I think I might have that now.  We will give it a try on the next one.

Thanks

[Jeff Metcalf]

Good Day Suzy;

Joshua is correct, do you have any normal wood working bar or pipe clamps of any sort. It sounds like you have Kreg right angle and Kreg Face clamps, the right angle clamps will not work but the face clamps might I have not measured if they open to 3 plus inches.

Boy how I wish I could use sketch up at a time like this but here goes

Take a flat surface could be a old table workbench a piece of 2x12 clamp down your edge 2x4 with 2 or 3 clamps

Then take the 2x4 you are joining to the edge 2x4 use a pipe or bar clamp that is long enough to pull the 2 pieces together then take another 2 clamps and clamp it down near the joint to the flat service screw together.

 

Hope this helps I will try to take some pictures of what I mean this evening when I get home.

How many and what type of clamps do you have?

Jeff

[Suzy]

Hi Jeff, that's great, I understand what you are saying.  We have long bar clamps, ryobi short clamps with a blue handle and yellow clamp area which work like rachets.  We have two of the face clamps with one right angle clamp.

We have a lot of clamps so that is not an issue, we used alot of clamps but I don't remember us using them in the same order as you have listed.  I don't remember securing it to the table either so I think that will probably work really well and a photo would be great.

Thanks everyone, for the help on this, I really appreciate it.

[Rita B.]

Suzy, you may find that you will need to invest in a larger face clamp to suit the needs of your project.   I seem to always be picking up clamps and never seem to have just the right clamp but can manage with a little imagination.   I have gone so far as placing a set of bungie cords in place once to hold some pieces flat and in place while I tweeked a board.   Even with all your hard work, sometimes it takes some work with a plane or sander to get the look and depth you want.

[Joe V Bolin]

Suzy, I may be weighing in on this project but it seems you are saying you are using "off-the-shelf" 2by's to build this project.  The 1st thing you need to do with off-the-shelf stuff is get out a thickness planer and plane them to the same thickness.  If you use them as is you will (and already have probably) they are not the same thickness from board to board and even on the same board one end to the other.  After planing you will find they will line up a whole lot easier.  I have been frustrated many times using dimensional lumber off-the-shelf.

Of course you want to take a minimum amount off, so I cut all pieces to rough length then check each one with a rule to find the thinnest then plane that piece a minimum amount to make it flat, then use it as your gauge for the rest.  Then if you joint one side and square off each end to the final length using the square jointed side, you will have much better results.

I have found, planer, joiner, pocket hole jig to be my best friends when working with any wood project, especially dimensional off-the-shelf.

I'm sorry to be so late weighing in on your project and it looks like you are going to have a nice project when complete.  I hope these comments help, if not for this project, then the next.

Joe b.

[Suzy]

Thank you Rita and Joe, yes it is off the shelf 2x4's and my husband said the very same thing about thickness not being the same all the way down the board or between boards.  Can I plane pressure treated lumber, using a mask of course?

[Suzy]

I also wanted to say that we have only built one chair, or at least it might be to the point of putting it together.

It is very hot and humid out right now making the paint too easily scraped off the boards when one is accidentally touching another.  Also, when the boards have been drying for a few days and feel dry to the touch I turn them over only to have the side that is now touching the surface it is sitting on causing scrapes.

I think we are going to wait until around October to finish the project, by then the humidity will be down and things should go at a much quicker pace with the paint.  We are using outdoor paint with a primer already in it.  We have painted four coats allowing them to dry until they feel dry and the coats are not too thick, so I don't think we should be having the problems we are, except for the humidity.  The wood was dried for a good three weeks before we began working on it so it shouldn't be causing a paint issue.

[Joe V Bolin]

Yes, you can but by all means use precaution with the shavings. If you recycle shavings & sawdust as mulch like I do, be sure to keep separate & use a mask.
Suzy said:

Thank you Rita and Joe, yes it is off the shelf 2x4's and my husband said the very same thing about thickness not being the same all the way down the board or between boards.  Can I plane pressure treated lumber, using a mask of course?

[Joe V Bolin]

Have you thought of making/using chalk paint? There are lots of recipes on the net, but my wife uses returned paints (at a significant discount) and custom mixes for a project. She tried various recipes to make the chalk paint, but she gets best results mixing Sheetrock mud. It is very durable and dries quickly. We are in SW Ga, so we know high humity and it dries quickly, much quicker than the paint by it self. Yes, it makes a thicker coat but it is sanable if need be and its very very durable. 
Suzy said:

I also wanted to say that we have only built one chair, or at least it might be to the point of putting it together.

It is very hot and humid out right now making the paint too easily scraped off the boards when one is accidentally touching another.  Also, when the boards have been drying for a few days and feel dry to the touch I turn them over only to have the side that is now touching the surface it is sitting on causing scrapes.

I think we are going to wait until around October to finish the project, by then the humidity will be down and things should go at a much quicker pace with the paint.  We are using outdoor paint with a primer already in it.  We have painted four coats allowing them to dry until they feel dry and the coats are not too thick, so I don't think we should be having the problems we are, except for the humidity.  The wood was dried for a good three weeks before we began working on it so it shouldn't be causing a paint issue.