Taking the Plunge

We have talked about fully concealed connections in the past, but haven’t really shown how it’s done. Today is your lucky day! Keith, star of previous posts, was working on some concealed connections with countersunk hardware and kerf cuts. 

First the bolt holes were drilled, then the area where the bolt head and washer will be concealed is countersunk (drilled partial depth and slightly larger than a washer). These bolts won’t only be countersunk, but they will be plugged as well. This requires carefully selecting the bolt length and counterbore depth, so that the plugs can be installed without hitting the bolt end. We’ll ship sold, 5/8″ plugs made of the same material and finished to match for installation at the site.

On the end grain of this beam you can see a thin rectangle marked out. That is where the knife plate will go during assembly. How do you cut through the middle of a beam you ask. Just like this!

A special plunge saw (essentially a small chainsaw) is clamped on the beam and and slowly pushed into the end.

Keith will push the saw in to a certain depth, pull it back out, adjust slightly, and repeat until the entire area is done.