Top to apron
Table button / figure-8
Buttons, figure-8 fasteners, or Z-clips let a top move while they hold it down.
Use when
- A solid top meets an apron.
Don’t use when
- Do not screw a solid top down tight through the apron.
- Keep
- Waste, hatched on the drawing
- Dimension
- Long parts are broken. The 1 in bar is true scale.
Stock
Thickness steppers move by 1/16 in, or 0.5 mm. You can type 3/4 or 1-1/8.
Sizes
| Mark | Size | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Groove down from the top | 1/4 in | 1/4 in down from the top edge of the apron |
| Groove depth | 5/16 in | 1/4 to 3/8 in deep |
| Groove width | 1/4 in | 1/4 in, to take the button tongue |
| Button | 3/4 × 1-1/4 × 1/2 | 3/4 × 1-1/4 × 1/2, with a tongue that fits the groove |
| Spacing | 10 in | Every 8 to 12 in |
| Buttons | 4 | Along the apron |
Cut sequence
1Groove the apron
1/4 in wide, 5/16 in deep, 1/4 in down from the top edge.
2Make the buttons
3/4 × 1-1/4 × 1/2. The tongue fits the groove. The screw hole is in the tail, not the tongue.
Setup: Every 10 in.
3Dry-fit, then glue
Close the joint dry. Check that shoulders and faces meet, then glue. If this is a frame or a box, check both diagonals before the glue grabs.
Stop when: Dry-fit is tight with hand pressure, square, and the diagonals match.
Glue
Mostly mechanical
Strength
furniture
Movement
Buttons and figure-8s hold a top down and let it move across its width. Do not glue the top to the apron.