Furniture screed is a special type of fastener that is used exclusively in furniture production. Such fasteners allow not only to significantly facilitate the process of assembling furniture, but also become “invisible” after installation. In this article, we will look at the various types of fasteners used to assemble wooden cabinet furniture.
The most common and easiest-to-use type of furniture connection is confirmat, which allows fasten together several parts at right angles.
In order to tighten the furniture elements, 2 holes should be drilled:
- the first - under the head of the confirmant (in one piece),
- the second - under the threaded part (in another part).
In this case, it is recommended to use drills with a diameter of six and five millimeters, respectively, or use a combined drill, which will greatly facilitate the assembly of various sections of cabinet furniture.
As a rule, such fasteners are used to connect parts made of solid wood or chipboard (chipboards), and in combination with it, dowels are used that act as guides.
It is necessary to mount the confirmation with great care, preferably manually, since when using a screwdriver there is a high probability that the thread will break the hole and the part will fall out during operation.
In addition, confirmat belongs to the “visible” type of fasteners, so after installing it, you will need to use special plugs to hide it from prying eyes and give the furniture an aesthetic look.
Such a fastener is used in the assembly of furniture in the factory, due to the complexity of drilling holes for its installation.
The main advantage of the eccentric screed is its secrecy, which does not spoil the appearance of the cabinet or other cabinet furniture.
In addition, unlike the previous type of furniture tie, the presence of such elements allows an unlimited number of times to carry out the procedure for assembling / disassembling interior items without damaging them, which, you see, is very convenient for frequent moves.
Also, using this method of fastening, it is possible to fix the parts at an angle relative to each other.
As mentioned above, the installation of eccentrics is carried out in the conditions of factory furniture production, since the sampling depths for their installation are at least 12 millimeters. And this despite the fact that the wall thickness of the laminated chipboard panel has a size of 16 millimeters. Therefore, without the use of special equipment, which is inappropriate to purchase for a one-time installation of interior items, the installation of such fasteners is almost impossible.
Screed for sectional elements
This type of furniture fastener is a screw and nut, with which you can pull two different sections together, for example, a headboard and a bed base, or two cabinets.
To date, there are several sizes of such fasteners, the size of which varies depending on the thickness of the chipboard.
As you might guess from the name, such fasteners are used to fix the shelves (both glass and plastic) of a wardrobe or kitchen cabinet.
Depending on the method of installation, shelf holders are divided into open and hidden. The former are mounted directly to pieces of furniture (after which a shelf is laid on them), while the latter are something like an eccentric coupler.
Shelf holders in the closet, photo:
The fittings that you see in the photo above are designed to mount shelves in the closet.
Fixture for countertop
A special type of furniture tie, used to fix 2 parts of the tabletop together. It is used exclusively in the production of kitchen furniture and requires special milling of surfaces before installation.
corner
It is used, as a rule, for fixing decorative elements.
This is due to the fact that this method of connection is not particularly strong and does not imply the presence of large loads during operation.
As you can see, there are quite a few varieties of furniture fasteners, with which you can assemble a cabinet, install furniture fittings or a shelf. You can find more details about such details in the photo of furniture fasteners and accessories below.
We hope that after reading this article, you will be able to decide on the choice of the type of fasteners you need, as well as subsequent installation.
1. Main material: chipboard
Surprisingly, wood in its purest form is the lot of expensive "elite" furniture. In cabinet furniture, wood is almost never found.
The main material from which cabinet furniture is made is laminated chipboard(LDSP). Usually these are plates with a thickness of 16 mm. Also on sale are sheets of chipboard with a thickness of 10 mm and 22 mm. 10 mm laminated chipboard is used as a filling for the blind doors of sliding wardrobes, and 22 mm is used for shelves in bookcases where greater resistance to stress is required, and the usual 16 mm laminated chipboard can seriously sag under the weight of books.
Also, sometimes 22 mm parts are used as design elements of furniture products, bringing originality to the design (for example, you can put a protruding cover 22 mm thick in a darker color on top of a regular 16 mm cabinet cover). Such delights are economically feasible only for mass production, since you always have to buy a whole sheet of laminated chipboard for cutting. Usually, all parts of cabinet furniture (except doors and facades) are made of 16 mm chipboard.
Chipboard is sawn on special machines along guides. Of course, at home, you can saw something off with an electric jigsaw - but at the same time, the edges of the seam will be "torn", and the seam itself will probably wag from side to side. It is almost impossible to achieve a straight saw with a jigsaw.
2. Edges
Saw chipboard - is the most ugly and vulnerable place - moisture easily penetrates through it and the material swells and deforms. Therefore, it is recommended to cover all ends of chipboard with special edges. Several types of edges are known:
. ABS edge- an analogue of the PVC edge from another, more environmentally friendly plastic. In addition to environmental friendliness during disposal, other differences are more likely invented by marketers. It's not even for sale in our city.
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. Wooden and veneered facades- will delight lovers of natural products. True, in the modern plastic world, such facades are quite expensive. Yes, and evil tongues claim that there are so many varnishes and impregnations in this wood that there is only one name from the wood. At the very least, manufacturers strongly recommend that you regularly care for such facades with special chemicals.
. Facades under enamel- painted facades. Their main drawback: the coating is very easily scratched, deformed, and is not resistant to chemicals. Previously, they were used only because of the rich bright colors. With the advent of acrylic plastics on the market, the demand for painted facades has decreased significantly.
. Facades made of aluminum with glass- made in high-tech style. They are beautiful and modern, but difficult to manufacture and require non-standard fittings for fasteners, often installed simultaneously with the production of the facade.
4. Back walls and bottom of boxes.
Usually, the back walls of furniture, like the bottom of the drawers, are made of HDPE. At the same time, its front laminated side looks inside the drawer or cabinet. The HDF color is matched to the color of the HDF used. Sheet thickness is usually 3-5 mm.
At one time it was fashionable to put such a wall on brackets using furniture stapler. This is wrong - the staples hold for a limited time, and no matter how strong the structure seems to you immediately after assembly, after a few years it may well disperse under pressure or deformation. It is especially wrong to put the bottom of the drawers on the staples, which constantly experiences tear loads. So forget about the furniture stapler - it is applicable only in upholstered furniture.
Sometimes fiberboard is inserted into the groove- but for this technology, this groove needs to be milled, and at the same time, all dimensions of the product must be exactly up to the millimeter.
Sometimes the back walls and the bottom of the boxes are made of chipboard. It is practiced to create " stiffening ribs"in tall cabinets, and in those drawers where there will be a very heavy load (20 kg and above). The back wall of the cabinet can be equipped with one or more stiffening ribs from chipboard, and the rest of the space can be filled with HDPE.
5. Countertops
table top- a horizontal work surface on which people constantly work (cook food, eat, write).
Most office tables and cheap dining options are limited to tops in the same material as the table itself. It can be chipboard 16 mm or better 22 mm, chromed with a 2mm PVC edge.
For kitchens, special countertops are used. Usually they are a sheet of chipboard with a thickness of 28-38 mm, covered with plastic using postforming technology. This plastic is quite durable. If the cut of the tabletop is gray, this is ordinary chipboard, if it is blue-green, then moisture resistant. Correct kitchen worktops are equipped with a strip of silicone - the so-called " drip tray", which prevents spilled liquids from flowing down onto kitchen furniture.
The weak point of such countertops is the edges of the cuts. They are usually edged with melamine in the color of the tabletop when it is cut. But melamine is afraid of moisture, and often the edges become unusable after a year of operation. Therefore, for the ends of the table top, it is recommended to use a special aluminum profile, having previously thoroughly smeared the saw cut surface with silicone sealant. There is also a profile for joining worktops at a right angle - without sawing them and fitting each other - such a profile is very convenient to use in corner kitchens.
It is not customary to make holes in the tabletop (they spoil the smooth surface of the table and then dirt clogs in them), so such a tabletop is usually screwed on from the inside self-tapping screws to horizontal struts. In this case, the screws should not be too long so as not to pierce the cover through.
Countertops made of natural or artificial stone. Products made of natural stone are very heavy and require additional care due to the porosity of the material. Artificial stone is devoid of these shortcomings. In addition, an artificial stone countertop can be given almost any size and profile. The only drawback of such countertops today is their price.
6. Location of parts
We have come to those sections that will form your final understanding of how to make cabinet furniture. So, first let's talk about the relative position of the parts.
Detail- this is any element of cabinet furniture: bottom, cover, sidewall, back wall, facade, shelf. So, every detail can be nested, maybe overhead.
Consider this thesis on the example of two kitchen cabinets. One will stand on the floor (with legs) and the other will hang on the wall.
Floor cabinet:
As you can see from the figure, it is best when the operating voltage (and for a floor cabinet it is directed from the cover down) naturally is transmitted through wooden parts to the place of contact of the product with the support - to the legs of the cabinet (see diagram "correctly").
In the second, "wrong" version, the voltage is transmitted to confirmation(this is such a special furniture screw, we'll talk about them a little later) - and the effort will constantly try to pull it out of the wood for a break.
Second example: wall cabinet.
Here, the opposite is true: the force is applied to the bottom shelf by the things on it, and the attachment point of the cabinet is higher than the force application point. In a natural way (by the joint of wood-based panels), we will not transfer the force upward in any way. Therefore, the voltage will necessarily be transmitted through the fittings.
If we make here the same construction as in the floor cabinet (see diagram "wrong") - all four confirms will experience a constant force pulling out from wood. Therefore, we choose the worst of two evils: it is better for the confirmers to experience the effort to break(see diagram "correctly").
At first glance, this seems complicated, but trust my experience: after the third designed and assembled product, you will already intuitively, without hesitation, determine where this or that part should be located.
7. Furniture fasteners
Furniture fasteners are hardware, which serve to connect furniture parts. Most often, such a connection is made at a right angle of 90 °. all modern types of furniture fasteners are very well described, with a detailed description of their advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a quick look at those with which we will not have to work.
. Eurovint (confirmed)- a special furniture screw. The most common fastening of cabinet furniture. Confirmate is especially well suited for beginners - since it does not require precise fitting of parts - you can drill a hole for it already "in place", during the assembly process of the product.
Have you noticed that self-tapping screws are almost never used to connect parts? That's right, in the furniture business they are replaced by confirmations. Due to the shape ideal for 16mm laminated chipboard, they have a significant large thread area and hold much stronger than self-tapping screws.
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To drill holes for confirmations, it is required special drill- it was not easy to find this in our provincial town. In principle, if there is no such drill, it’s not scary: you can get by with three drills of different diameters: for threading, a neck and a confirming cap.
Confirmations come in several sizes. Usually used 7x50. When drilling for confirmation, special attention should be paid to the perpendicularity of drilling - so that the drill does not “run away” and pierce the wall of the part to be drilled.
Confirmations are twisting screwdriver with hexagonal bit or manually special hex key. Confirmations made under a Phillips screwdriver are not the correct confirmations! You will never be able to tighten these screws all the way.
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The main aesthetic drawback of confirmations is hats that remain flush, but still noticeable. To hide them use plastic plugs inserted into hats. The color of the plugs is selected in the color of chipboard.
. Eccentric couplers- the most correct and modern type of furniture fixture. Does not leave marks on the front side of the product, only on the inside. The main disadvantage is that it requires very precise drilling, including aligning the holes on both sides and limiting the drilling depth (so as not to drill through).
For drilling additives for eccentrics, a special tool is usually used. Forstner drill. It is realistic to do it manually - but it is very difficult, it is better to have a drilling machine.
If you collect furniture, the ends of which will not be put on public display, but will be hidden (for example, a kitchen cabinet or a wardrobe in a niche), then there is no point in bothering with eccentrics. Use confirmations.
8. Furniture fittings
More hinges can be adjusted in height and depth of planting. This allows you to more accurately align your locker door. There are also inset hinges - when, when the door is closed, the facade is recessed inside the cabinet (rarely used). There are a number of glass door hinges in which glass can be firmly clamped without drilling.
Buy only high-quality products from well-known manufacturers (from inexpensive ones, you can recommend Chinese Boyard) - so that you do not have problems with them in the future. Of the major global manufacturers - Austrian Bloom, but it is expensive and you still have to try to find it.
9. Drawers and their guides
There are many ways to make furniture drawers. The easiest way is to make the perimeter of the box (sidewalls, front and back walls) from chipboard. This method is described in detail and with illustrations. The only thing I disagree with the author is that instead of nails for attaching the bottom, I would use self-tapping screws.
If a beautiful facade is required, then it is screwed with screws to one of the sides of the box into the overlay, as shown in the diagram in section 5 (in this case, the role of the countertop will be played by the facade of the box).
But collecting the box is half the battle. The main thing is to make it open and close. That is, put it on the guides.
Drawer guides There are two types: roller and ball.
. Roller guides - usually white, attached to the bottom of the box. The box on such guides rides on two rubberized rollers, rumbles due to its unstable position, and at the point of maximum exit it strives to fall out of the guides from any sharp push. Such guides are bad in that a heavily loaded box will try to tip over from any position when it is extended more than halfway. The only advantage of such guides is the price: about 30 rub for a couple.
. Ball guides - or as they are commonly called "full extension guides". These guides are a telescopic structure capable of exactly doubling their length. Inside, they contain several dozen balls (as in bearings), which ensures the box runs smoothly. The guides are rigidly fixed with self-tapping screws to both the cabinet and the drawer, which eliminates the possibility of tipping over and prevents the drawer from "going off the rails" regardless of the load and the speed of jerks.
The process of mounting the drawer on full extension ball bearings is well described. The price of such guides is approx. 100 rub per set. It is very disappointing to see when in a kitchen with a total cost of more than 40 sput, the manufacturer presses and installs roller guides, while saving 70 rubles. I want, you know, to take and strangle for such a swine attitude towards the buyer. So if you order a kitchen, immediately specify what type of guides the drawers will have.
. Metaboxes- a solution first proposed by an Austrian firm Bloom. The idea is to save the craftsman from having to fix the rails to the drawer, and sell ready-made side walls, with built-in rails, holes for the facade and grooves for the back wall. Having bought a metabox, you just have to hang a facade on it, put in a back wall and a bottom (by the way, many metaboxes are designed for a bottom made of chipboard and not fiberboard).
Guides in metaboxes are roller. Accordingly, the metabox is not a full extension product. Blum metabox price: from 300 before 500 rub. Now many companies, including Chinese ones, produce products with the name "metabox", which has already become a household name. Here is a good article on calculating and assembling a metabox.
. Tandemboxes- a more technological solution of the same company. If the metabox rides on roller guides, then the tandembox rides on full extension ball guides. The number of balls in them is several hundred. The tandembox is usually equipped with an automatic closer and shock damper (BluMotion system) - which provides a surprisingly pleasant and soft closing of the drawer (always full closing) with one push.
For tall drawers, tandemboxes can be equipped with one or two additional stops. Tandem boxes are made of white and stainless steel. The latter, of course, are twice as expensive.
If you happen to be at a furniture show, stop by the Blum booth. You can’t even imagine how pleasant and high-quality the usual furniture fittings can be. But the tandembox costs accordingly: 1000-2000 rub per set.
10. Doors for wardrobes
The last thing worth talking about in our furniture educational program is wardrobes. In general, the kitchen and wardrobe are the most accessible and interesting areas for a novice furniture master. Well, not counting, of course, bedside tables and shelves. Furniture for the living room and bedrooms usually requires a serious design approach, the use of non-standard or difficult-to-process materials: natural wood, tempered glass. With kitchens and wardrobes - everything is simple and clear.
The sliding wardrobe comes in two versions: with walls (side and back) and without them. the last option is just a part of the room (usually a niche) fenced off by sliding doors, inside which you can do whatever you want: shelves, drawers, hangers, and a bunch of other interesting things. Here are listed and given photos of the most common elements of filling wardrobes.
The most interesting and attractive mechanism in the sliding wardrobe is its sliding doors. You can’t skimp here, and you need to purchase only high-quality fittings - otherwise you will then suffer with falling and jamming doors so that you yourself won’t be happy. In our city, only sliding systems of a domestic company are sold from a decent Aristo, however, the reviews are quite worthy.
The sliding wardrobe usually contains two-three doors. Each door is a canvas enclosed in a special frame made of decorated aluminum profile. At the same time, the door does not have to be homogeneous - it can be created from two or more different canvases connected at any angle using a special profile.
Traditionally, the frame profile for sliding wardrobe doors is designed for a leaf thickness of 10 mm. For the manufacture of blind doors, 10 mm chipboard sheets are usually used. Special sheets can serve as a design alternative to it. rattan(decorative braid), bamboo, and even artificial leather (based on chipboard or MDF).
With the help of special silicone seals, 4 mm is easily inserted into the profile mirror. The main thing is that those who will cut mirrors for your cabinet do not forget to apply a special elastic film on its reverse side, which will hold the fragments in the event of an impact. Even if the child breaks the mirror surface, this will significantly reduce the likelihood of injury.
In order for the doors to move, guides are attached from below and above. The lower guides of the sliding wardrobe provide opening/closing of the door, the upper guides ensure the fixation of the door relative to the depth of the cabinet. The bottom rollers are usually made of plastic, equipped with a shock-absorbing spring and a height adjustment screw. The top rollers have a rubberized surface.
For more information on self-manufacturing cabinet furniture, I highly recommend reading the following resources:
. http://mebelsoft.net/forum/- Forum of professional furniture makers. Perhaps the largest and most popular resource dedicated to this topic.
. http://www.mastercity.ru/forumdisplay.php?f=19- City of masters, section "furniture and interior design". Those who try to do everything with their own hands gather here.
. http://mebelsam.com- Do-it-yourself furniture. Many articles and examples of a wide variety of technologies, not only cabinet furniture.
. http://www.makuha.ru- Furniture directory. Beginning portal, but already contains interesting articles.
Well, our little furniture educational program has ended. I hope you are now full of strength and determination to make cabinet furniture with your own hands. Add a little imagination here in the choice of colors, edges, fittings and curly cuts - and you will get the opportunity to make the furniture that exactly what you need.
And it's not even about what happens cheaper and often better than in a store. And not that you no longer limit yourself to factory models. The fact is that things made by you, things in which you have invested your soul, your enthusiasm and skill - keep the warmth of your hands. I think it's important.
Assembling furniture is not a trivial task when it comes to non-standard and interesting solutions. But there are clear rules for how the elements are attached to each other. At a certain point, dowels were common, which are still used until that time. There are other solutions for fixing, which will be discussed in the article.
Types of clamps
Furniture ties can be used both individually and in pairs with others. Some furniture items are designed for special occasions. It makes sense to consider the features of each and the principle of its installation.
Confirmate
It is a direct successor of self-tapping screws for a knife screwdriver, who liked to hammer in correctly instead of screwing in carefully. The use of confirmat will not cause problems even for an inexperienced user. It is a self-tapping screw, which has an increased diameter, and is also not equipped with the usual tip. Furniture confirmat is designed for use with a special hexagonal nozzle. You can't screw it in with a regular Phillips screwdriver. Such fasteners became especially in demand with the growth in the production of cabinet furniture. The latter is assembled from laminated chipboard boards using facades or MDF inserts.
With the help of a confirmat, two furniture parts are fastened only at an angle of 90 degrees. If a different angle is required, then fasteners come into play, which will be discussed below. Since the confirmation does not have a sharp tip, it cannot simply be screwed into the wood. Holes are drilled in parts before assembly. Near the head, the confirmation has a slight thickening, which requires the use of a 6 mm drill. For the threaded part, a consumable with a diameter of 5 mm is required. It is most convenient to use special drills for confirmations. They are a small crown or cone, into which a 5 mm drill is inserted. As soon as the drill is completely sunk into the material, the cone makes a slight expansion under the head of the furniture fastener.
Note! The head of the confirmation must be flush with the furniture leaf.
This is done to hide furniture fasteners with special plastic or other overlays. Usually the furniture plate has a thickness of 16 mm, so the hole is drilled in the end in the middle. If a hole is drilled in a furniture plate from the front, then an indent of 8 mm is made from the edge in order to smoothly dock the parts.
Confirmates can be used in tandem with other fasteners, such as dowels. This is done for a more durable docking of furniture parts. It should be understood that the fixation of furniture parts can be ensured at the highest level only during the first assembly. If you often assemble and disassemble furniture, then the confirmers will not be able to fix the parts with the required rigidity. When screwing furniture fasteners, it is necessary to choose the right force. If it exceeds the required limits, then the confirmation will simply start to scroll or damage the second part.
Advice! It will be easier for inexperienced craftsmen to reach out manually.
Those who have been working with cabinet furniture for a long time have learned to feel the tool and avoid deformation of parts by excessive tightening.
Rustex
Rastex is also called a furniture eccentric. The installation of this furniture element has certain features and requires experience. The screed consists of two metal parts. One of them is partially similar to the confirmation, but has a smaller diameter. The second is precisely the eccentric that fixes it. The second element is similar to a metal plug that engages with the head of the first element and fixes the part. Such a fastener is often used in the factory assembly of furniture. It makes it possible to fasten two furniture parts without visible fasteners.
A similarity of an eccentric screed can be seen in the cabinet furniture of the Soviet assembly. Only in it it was a bolt that passed through the horizontal wall and was fixed in a large hole in the vertical wall by means of a semicircular plate with a thread in the center. The advantage of modern rastexes is the possibility of fixing furniture parts at the required angle. In addition, products that are assembled using such a latch are easy to disassemble and assemble the required number of times. For normal fixation of the eccentric in parts, two drills and a cutter are required.
One drill with a diameter of 5 mm will be required for a hole in the vertical part to fix the threaded part of the rastex. For the rastex body, a 6 or 8 mm drill is required, it all depends on the specific furniture fastener. The cutter diameter is usually 15 mm. An eccentric hole is drilled in a vertical or horizontal part. It is necessary to set aside 24 or 34 mm to the center of the hole, it all depends on the specific furniture fastener. The cutter must be sunk to a depth of more than half the thickness of the chipboard sheet. You have to be careful not to go right through it.
After that, a hole is drilled from the end, which must pass to the hole for the eccentric. The rastex body is screwed into the hole, which was prepared for the threaded part, and passed through the end hole to the hole for the cutter. After that, the long part can be clamped with an eccentric. A visual diagram of the fastening process can be seen in the picture above. Video about fixing with rastex is below.
Shkant
Some furniture makers call dowels dowels, chopiks, corrugations and other words. The essence of the element remains unchanged. It is a small wooden or plastic element of a cylindrical shape. In some cases, it acts as a guiding element, in others - a fixing element. Such a screed is used in furniture for concealed installation. The customer will not be able to find a single trace of the presence of a screed. To mount the dowel, it is enough to drill holes in two blanks. Their depth should be such that the screed does not fall through. The dowel is covered with PVA glue or other suitable compound and inserted into the prepared holes. Details must be fixed until the adhesive has completely set.
Screed for sections
The latch for individual sections is designed to assemble a one-piece furniture corner from the modules. The product is a bolt with a cap that has a large diameter. It is screwed into a nut that looks like a hollow bolt. The size of such a screed varies depending on the thickness of the chipboard sheets it is designed for. Installation of such an element is easier than the previous two. It is enough to firmly fix the parts that need to be fastened with a clamp. After that, a through hole is drilled and a screed is mounted, which is tightened with a screwdriver.
corner
The appearance of this screed is fully consistent with its name. When assembling furniture, two types of corners are used:
- plastic;
- metal.
The second is a metal element that is bent at an angle of 90 degrees. Each part has one or more holes through which self-tapping screws are screwed. Plastic corners are a closed structure similar to a pyramid. An example can be seen in the photo below.
As you can see, the screws are hidden under a small plastic cap, which is very convenient. In the professional field, such a screed is used quite rarely, because it has low strength. Sometimes they are used to assemble the details of the basement element of the cabinet. In some cases, a tabletop can be fixed to the furniture corner if the table is not expected to move. It is better to use a rastex instead of a corner.
Countertop screed
Such an element is used quite rarely, because usually kitchen furniture is calculated in such a way that the countertop is solid. As you can see in the photo, the furniture latch is a long screw that rests on two washers and is fixed with an elongated nut. Usually such a product is used in tandem with dowels, which increases the strength of the joint. Several ties are applied to the width of the tabletop.
To mount such a furniture element, you will need to drill two holes using a cutter. After that, two holes are drilled from the end to the larger hole. A cutter with a diameter of 35 mm is required. Instead of an end hole, you can choose a groove using a router. After that, the washers and bolt are installed, as well as the nut is tightened.
Shelf fixings
Shelf holders are a separate subspecies of furniture ties. They can be for:
- glass;
Each species has distinctive features. A quality element consists of two parts and looks a bit like a rastex. The rod is fixed into the wall at the level where the shelf should be, and the holder cuts directly into the shelf. A minimum of 4 elements will be required per shelf. Shelf ties can be with or without fixation. In the case of those used for glass, the bolt acts as a retainer. An eccentric is used for chipboard shelf holders.
Summary
As you can see, for each task in assembling furniture there is a separate type of screed. Fastening each furniture clamp requires some skill and may not work the first time. That is why it is advisable to practice on scraps so that the result is perfect.
Furniture at all times was made from individual elements, which were then assembled in a certain sequence. Previously, furniture screed was carried out with locking joints, spikes and wedges, however, this was enough for simple housing furnishings. Similar compounds are used today in the manufacture of furniture, stylized antique. In modern furniture production, fasteners are represented by a wide range of elements. This allows the production of furniture of various shapes with complex connection methods.
When assembling a furniture product, the location of the connected parts of the structure must be checked so that its integrity is not violated during operation. For this, a furniture coupler is intended - fasteners, which makes it possible to tightly and firmly connect structural elements located in a certain position (most often at a right angle) relative to each other. If before furniture was assembled mainly with the help of screws and self-tapping screws, now different types of screeds are used for this.
This change is due to three reasons:
- Increasing the aesthetics of furniture, thanks to the use of screeds, the fastening of parts becomes invisible;
- Each disassembly of furniture assembled with screws reduces reliability;
- Sometimes the use of conventional fasteners is simply impossible for structural reasons.
And finally, the use of furniture ties allows for quick and durable assembly of the product.
Varieties of furniture ties
Depending on the purpose of connecting parts, different types of furniture ties are used. They differ in appearance and the material from which the fasteners are made.
Confirmate
Simple and convenient use has made confirmation (or euroscrew) the most common type of fastener. Such a euro coupler consists of one element - a euro screw, which can be called a reinforced version of a self-tapping screw. Its shaft is slightly thicker, has a blunt end and a massive, wide-protruding thread. Thanks to the notches on its lower turns, the euroscrew, when twisting, cuts a chamfer in the finished hole. From this, it is even more tightly in contact with the fastened material.
Confirmat can connect two furniture panels located at right angles. To do this, one-stage drilling of holes is performed on both panels: under the countersunk head and under the screw thread. It is better to drill them with a special drill for a confirmat furniture screed. The countersunk head has hex slots.
It is not recommended to screw the confirmations with a Phillips screwdriver, since it is impossible to tighten them all the way. If holes are pre-drilled in all parts of the furniture structure with a special drill for furniture screeds, furniture can be assembled faster with confirmation than any other type of fastener.
When connecting L-shaped or T-shaped furniture elements, eccentric ties are used. This fastener consists of three parts:
- A rod with a head;
- A special latch called an eccentric;
- Caps that create a decorative effect.
The advantages of such tightening include the secrecy of fasteners (the hole is not drilled on the front side of the furniture) and the possibility of its repeated use without the risk of damage to structural elements. Due to the complexity of drilling, for which it is necessary to have a furniture tie drill that allows drilling non-through holes, eccentric fasteners are more often made in factory conditions. Under the eccentrics, you need to drill holes with a flat bottom, it is easier to do this with a Forstner drill.
Intersection screed
An intersectional furniture tie is necessary for pulling together individual sections, for example, cabinets in the kitchen, into a single unit. This threaded connection is completed with a screw and a sleeve. A through hole is drilled in the side walls of evenly aligned cabinets, a sleeve is inserted into it on one side, and a screw is screwed in on the other. Although the notches for a Phillips screwdriver have both heads, it is the connecting screw that should be tightened, not the sleeve. The notches on the sleeve are made to hold it so that it does not scroll into the part. You can pull together a couple of cabinets with 2 - 4 intersection fasteners, which are best placed closer to the corners. Depending on the wall thickness, fasteners of different sizes are used.
Corner brace
In furniture production, corner ties have been used for a long time. This connection is completed from five elements:
- A corner in the form of a metal plate bent in the middle at a right angle;
- Pairs of bolts;
- Two feet.
To connect two panels with a corner tie, the corner is placed at the junction. Then the fittings are inserted and the bolts are screwed in, first to one panel, and after trimming the connection, to the second. In finished form, judging by the photo, such a fixation can hardly be considered aesthetic. Therefore, today, corner fasteners, if possible, are replaced with other furniture ties, for example, minifix or confirmat. Their dimensions are much more compact than the metal plate of the corner.
Screw coupler
Furniture screw screed is used when the end of one part must be attached to the surface of another. There are only two elements in this fastener: a screw and a barrel. A threaded hole was made in the side of a cylindrical metal barrel. In some screw ties, the barrel is plastic, then a nut is inserted inside it. When installing this fastener, a pair of holes are drilled on the surface and at the end of the panel. A barrel is inserted into the first in such a way that the holes on the barrel and on the end are aligned. The screw is threaded into a through hole drilled in the surface of another panel. The large tightening stroke makes the fastening particularly strong. The aesthetic error of this type of screed is the visibility of the screw head on the front side of the panel.
Conical coupler
The conical tie is an improved version of the screw fastener. To hide the screw cap on the front side of the panel in the conical connection, the screw was replaced with a rod. Unlike a screw that goes through the panel, the stem is only screwed into it. This reduces the tightening stroke and makes the fastener less durable.
Table tie
In the manufacture of kitchen furniture, a furniture table screed is used. When the countertop is assembled from two parts, paired fasteners are installed. Why with a Forstner drill, one hole is milled in each of the parts of the countertop. A groove is cut between the holes with a chisel. Clamps are placed in it. A tightening head with a C-shaped washer is placed in one blind hole. Then, using a wrench, begin to tighten the C-nuts.
Furniture dowel
The simplest type of fastening is a dowel. This connecting element is similar to a short piece of a pencil made from a piece of wood. Today, when assembling furniture, the dowel complements the eccentric coupler to give it greater rigidity, and it is rarely used as an independent connecting element.
How to choose the right screed
Choosing the right furniture tie is of great importance when assembling furniture. The final result in the form of a finished product depends on it. There are quite a few varieties of screeds, therefore, in each case, an appropriate approach to assembly is required. The selected type of fastener should not interfere with the operation of the furniture and spoil its appearance. To ensure these conditions, it is necessary to choose the right furniture screed and not violate the assembly technology.
Cabinet furniture items are mainly designed to store various things. Therefore, when assembling them, it is necessary to ensure the strength of the connections. Confirmat screed is best suited for this. This fastener allows you to connect parts at the right angle. And thanks to the holes for euro screws, drilled with a special drill for furniture screed, Confirmat ensures high-quality assembly of cabinet furniture. The main disadvantage of confirmations is the unaesthetic appearance of hats, which, although they remain flush, are still very noticeable.
An eccentric coupler is another type of fastener used in the assembly of cabinet furniture. It is used where it is necessary to hide fasteners, for example, on the facade of furniture. The main advantage of eccentric fasteners is hidden installation.
Its high bearing capacity is due to its design. Cabinet furniture is a prefabricated structure consisting of several pieces of furniture connected to each other. This necessitates the use of an intersectional screed, which is designed to tighten adjacent pieces of furniture.
The main purpose of upholstered furniture is a comfortable rest. Therefore, it should be comfortable, practical and serve for a long time. Fasteners for upholstered furniture with a carriage tie should be reliable and have an aesthetic appearance. Ideally, it should be invisible. All these requirements are met by a furniture bolt with an eternal companion nut. With such metal fasteners, the furniture will withstand the mechanical loads exerted on it during operation. In addition, the semicircular head of the bolt, which protrudes slightly above the surface of the parts, will be completely invisible under the upholstery, especially if there is a carriage tie on it.
An eccentric tie is a type of connecting fitting. It is durable and reliable, unobtrusive, and can be used repeatedly. Experts will tell you about the installation, advantages and varieties of an eccentric screed today.
Eccentric coupler: types
Eccentric couplers consist of an eccentric, a rack and a nut (futorka). Depending on the manufacturer, they are divided into:
- minifix;
- rondofix;
- rafix.
Photo 1 - ST01-46-1WZN-01 BOYARD Fastener minifix
Minifix is used to assemble furniture from chipboard. Most often it is used for disassembly-assembly furniture, which is often transported from one place to another; or for seasonal furniture - tables and sofas for verandas, picnic furniture; or in cases where, according to the design project, there should be no visible fasteners on the furniture or its part on the front side.
Minifix is a semi-hidden furniture fastener. When assembled, only the eccentric is visible from the inside of the mount.
Photo 2 - Minifix DPLIT 16 mm D=15 mm, BOLT 34 mm without bushing MF benefits:
- Fast installation. Assembling furniture from parts with minifixes already installed does not take much time. A simple flathead screwdriver is enough to assemble.
- Reliability. Such fittings can withstand many “assembly-dismantling” cycles without loss of quality and strength of the connection.
- Aesthetics. The fasteners are not visible from the front. The eccentric can be installed in an inconspicuous part of the mount.
Photo 3 - Plastic minifix with screw Ø 25 mm Blum Minifix disadvantages:
- The cost is higher than that of the classic confirmation. And in furniture, where there are many areas for attaching parts, a large number of minifixes can affect the final cost of the entire product.
- Sophisticated installation technology. If, when installing a confirmat, it is necessary to make two mounting holes, then when installing a minifix, three such holes will already be needed. Confirmat - fasteners, consisting of one element. The minifix consists of three parts.
Photo 4 - Steel fasteners Fixing hardware for furniture Rondofix
Rondofix in the assembly is an alternative version of the minifix. Its advantage is mobility and multiple assembly / disassembly without damage to furniture fittings and parts. Installation is the same as for the minifix.
Photo 5 - Mounting hardware for furniture rondofix (rondoRfix) Eccentric coupler rafiks
Let's analyze the process of installing an eccentric screed using the example of a rafix from Hettich. It is easier to install than a minifix, and allows you to mount the shelves on the fasteners from above, which is very convenient and looks tidy.
Photo 6 - Rafiks VB 35/16 (nickel plated) To install we need:
- drill with a Forstner cutter 20 mm and a drill 5 mm;
- carpenter's square and pencil for marking;
- a hammer;
- screwdriver.
Photo 7 - Rafiks eccentric + screw 6x11 Let's start with the shelves. Set aside a distance of 50 mm and 250 mm from the rear edge (we will then transfer these dimensions to a vertical stand). We draw a perpendicular from the edge of the shelf and set aside 9.5+/-1 mm on it. This will be the center of the drill.
With a Forstner cutter, we drill blind holes with a depth of 13 mm (be sure to attach a coupler to the end and see if the depth is sufficient). We put the screed over the hole, carefully align it (there will be no second attempt) and hammer it with a hammer or mallet.
Finished with the shelf, move on to the second part of the screed. At the level of the center of the proposed shelf, we draw a perpendicular. On it from the back we set aside the same distances as on the shelf (50 and 250 mm). We drill them with a 5 mm drill - holes with a depth of 8 or 11 mm (depending on the type of stem being screwed in).
We twist the rods into the holes obtained. We combine the shelf with the rack, insert the rods into the grooves of the eccentrics and wrap the latter. At the same time, the shelf is tightly attracted in place.
Photo 8 - Messan Raffix Hafele D20 mm white with eccentric + screw D6x7.5 mm What do you need to know before buying?
Differ:
- diameter and height of the eccentric;
- rack length;
- type of fastening of the rack (screw or self-tapping screw);
- type of nut (futorka).
Photo 9 - Coupler Ø 15 with euro screw The principle of the connector
When assembling the product, the rod with a T-shaped head passes through a hole in the end face of the main part. Its head is in the middle of the transverse hole. An eccentric is installed there, which captures the stem head with its inner side.
At the next turn, the eccentric turns in the hole and acts on the head of the rod - first it brings the parts to be joined together, and then creates the necessary force in the connection.
Photo 10 - Eccentric + eccentric rod self-tapping screw The coupler consists of a cast metal eccentric, nozzle and rod. There are many designs such that the stem is wrapped in the material of the attached part without a nozzle.
IMPORTANT! Eccentrics with a diameter of 25 mm, and sometimes 15 mm, must be closed with a plastic plug.
There are screeds according to the diameter of the eccentric. The larger it is, the greater the stroke of the screed and the greater the possible effort. Use eccentrics with a diameter of 25, 15 and 12 mm.
Photo 11 - Screed with a self-tapping screw disadvantages
Fasteners may loosen during use. To solve this problem, manufacturers make the working surface of the eccentric concave, and the spherical working surface of the stem head is in contact with it. In other designs, the inner working surface of the eccentric is stepped, and the working surface of the rod head adjacent to it is flat.
Photo 12 - ST01-49-3-Br-01 At the same time, the outer surface of the eccentric is provided with oblique smoothed teeth inclined in the opposite direction from the direction of its rotation during assembly. This increases adhesion to the material of the part, additionally prevents its spontaneous rotation and loosening of the connection during operation.
Photo 13 - Quickfit dowel 05129 + Cam 09537 
Photo 14 - ST01/46/6/Zn/01 Notches inside the eccentric increase its grip on the stem by three times compared to a smooth flat surface.
Such fasteners require the exact relative position of all mating holes. Drilling these holes on the knee will break the eccentric.
Scheme 1 - An example of organizing a screed How to use the tie: fixation
Eccentric fasteners are used to connect two parts of the product. Consider the principle of its operation on the example of fastening the legs of the table.
How to install a coupler in the details of the desk?
In the upper part of the table leg, it is necessary to drill two holes for a metal retainer. Two similar holes are also drilled on the end of the table (above the newly made holes). As a result, we get a through channel. Two more holes are drilled on the tabletop (this time, deaf ones) with the same location relative to each other. A stem with a T-shaped head is screwed into the holes obtained.
The table leg is applied to the tabletop so that the rod can pass through the prepared through channel, being in the center of the hole for the latch, and enter the latch itself.
After that, the eccentric is turned clockwise until it stops. So the screed fixes the stem.
Eccentric coupler - the best fastening for furniture. However, it is necessary to make precise holes for the eccentric and fastener rod, otherwise both the lock and the details of the product will break.
How is a corner brace made?
Eccentric coupler: what's the price?
You can buy parts for furniture eccentric screed:
- in Moscow from 2 rubles;
- in Kyiv - from 0.40 UAH.
