I’m making a C-shaped couch table with a center support connecting the back to the top and bottom. I’m considering dowels where it meets the back, but I’m not sure what joinery makes sense for the narrow connections at the top and bottom, or how best to shape the curve.
Would dowels be enough for the center support on this couch table?
Asked by vex
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A shallow groove in the back would help locate the support and give it a longer glued surface. If the board is thick enough, shallow dados in the top and bottom can seat its ends too. You can make straight grooves with careful circular saw passes and a depth setting, but try the setup on scrap first. A couple of clamping blocks can help keep the pieces aligned while the glue sets.
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Dowels can work where the support meets the back, as long as there’s enough material for them and you can keep the holes aligned. I’d be less keen on dowels at the narrow top and bottom connections. A small dado or rebate gives those ends a seat. Pocket screws are another option if they’ll be hidden, but holes driven from the outside of the back may show.
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I wouldn’t make the curve harder than it needs to be. A straight center support is perfectly reasonable if you like the look. For a curved one, a jigsaw or coping saw is better suited to roughing out the shape than trying to use a circular saw around a curve. Leave a little extra material and smooth to the line with a rasp or sandpaper.
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