I've had 5 pieces of iroko machined for creating a top to my DIY TV lift, complete with a lid for the TV to pop up through:



The dimensions are based on the pre-existing cabinet, and the lid size needed for the TV to rise up. I was originally taking my cue from this YouTube video wherein he joins his (very long) pieces with biscuits; however now I have my pieces I'm concerned that:


The two sides are too slim to really hold the whole thing together with any strength (as I imagine I could only use one biscuit on each side);
The boards may be relatively slim (20mm) and as such need small biscuits or dowels, compounding point 1.


Bearing in mind that a) I'm a total novice, and b) I don't own a biscuit-cutter, I was wondering whether a far easier solution might be to use one or two 'braces' (apologies if this is not the correct term) running on the underside of the lid, on either side, joining the front and back pieces and spanning the shorter side pieces. These would be hidden inside the unit once the lid is in place, so it shouldn't affect the look.

Although the top isn't structural, it should still be solid and sound, and most likely need to at least bear the weight of a graceless cat who will hurl his body at any piece of furniture like a sack of potatoes.

TL;DR Illustrations

Biscuits:

Braces:



Question: Words for meat differ from the words for the corresponding animal
Answer: For psychological reasons, the names of most meats are different from the animals they come from. The meat industry has always tried to disassociate the meat from the animal. For example, most meat eaters are fine with eating "beef," but if it were labeled "cow," they might think twice about eating it. Same with sheep, goats, pigs, and deer.