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BASIC WOODWORKING CUTS

Whether t t te aa baetc ae a buLt joinL

or aa elaborate aa a curved throu7h

doveLail, any joinL can be made with one

or more of the baotc cuLe ehown below.

A tenon, for example, ie formed wtth

Lwo or more rabbeL cut6; a morLtee

te noLhinq more Lhan a deep etopped

7roave. A lap jotnL ia made from

The aecret tn creal;inq any jotnl; ie mak'

in4 Lheee otmple cute precieely and tnr h a r n r r a r +

Lwo dadoea or wide rabbeLo.

Compound cut

Eevel cut

Miter cut

Croaacut.Rip cut

End notah

9topped groove

---*-t:t--\ Ed7e

Thtckneea

ANATOMY OF A BOARD

. Wear appropriate safety gear: safety o Drape the power cord of a portable o Use the appropriate tool for theglasses, a face shie ld for ext ra pro- powertool overyourshoulder to keep job at hand; do not t ry to make atect ion, and hear ing protect ion. l f i t out of the way. tool do something for which i t wasthere is no dust co l lect ion system, not in tended.wear a dust mask. For exotic woods, . Use safety accessories such asuse a respi rator ; the sawdust may push st icks, featherboards, and hold- r Clamp your workpiece to f ree bothcause an a l lerg ic react ion. Wear work down wheels. hands for an operat ion.g loves when handl ing rough lumber.

o Keep your hands wel l away f rom . Cut away f rom yoursel f rather thano Keep your work area clean and tidy; a turning blade or bit. toward your body.c lut ter can lead to accidents, andsawdust and wood scraps can be . Concentrate on the. lob; do not . Do not force a tool ; i f possib le, t rya Iire hazard. rush. Never work when you are tired, removing less stock.

s t ressed , o r have been d r i nk ingo Do not use a tool i f any par t is worn a lcohol or us ing medicat ions that . A lways keep the edges of cut t ingor damaged. induce drowsiness. tools sharp.

WORKSHOP GUIDEIII

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THEART OF WOODWORKING

HANDBOOKoF IOTNERY

NDBOOKoF IOTNERY

TIME.LIFE BOOKSALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA

THE ART OF WOODWORKING

IIIIIIIIIIIIIt

ST. REMY PRESSMONTREAL. NEW YORK

THE ART OF WOODWORKING was produced byST. REMYPRESS

PUBLISHERPRESIDENT

Series EditorSeries Art Director

Senior Editors

Art Directors

Designers

Research EditorPicture Editor

WritersResearch Assistant

C o nt r ib ut in g lllu st r at o r s

AdministratorProduction ManagerSystem Coordinator

PhotographerProofreader

Indexer

Kenneth WinchesterPierre L6veill6

Pierre Home-DouglasFrancine LemieuxMarc Cassini (Text)Heather Mills (Research)Normand Boudreault, Luc Germain,Solange LabergeJean-Guy Doiron, Michel Gigubre,Hdldne DionIim McRaeChristopher facksonAndrew Jones, Rob LutesBryan QuinnGilles Beauchemin, Rolland Bergera,Jean-Pierre Bourgeois, Michel Blais,Ronald Durepos, Robert Paquet,fames Th€rienNatalie WatanabeMichelle Turbidefean-Luc RoyRobert ChartierJudith YelonChristine M. Iacobs

THECONSUTTANTS

JonArno is a consultant, cabinetmaker andfreelance writer who lives in Tioy, Michigan. Healso conducts seminars on wood identificationand early American furniture design.

Giles Miller-Mead taught advanced cabinet-making at Montreal technical schools for morethan ten years. A native ofNew Zealand, he hasworked as a restorer of antique furniture.

foseph lruini is Senior Editor of Horn eMechanixmagazine. A former Shop and ToolsEditor of Popular Mechanics, he has worked asa cabinetmaker, home improvement contractorand carpenter.

Handbook offoineryp. cm.-(The Art of Woodworking)Includes index.ISBN 0-8094-9941-X (trade)rsBN 0-8094-9942-8 (lib)l. foineryI. Time-Life Books. II. SeriesTH'663.H36 1993694'.6-4c20 93-24638

CIP

For information about any Time-Life book,please call I-800-621-7026, or write:Reader InformationTime- Life Customer ServiceP.O. Box C-32068Richmond, Virginia2326r-2068

@ 1993 Time-Life Books Inc.All rights reserved.No part of this book may be reproduced inany form or by any electronic or mechanicalmeans, including information storage andretrieval devices or systems, without priorwritten permission from the publisher, exceptthat briefpassages may be quoted for reviews.First printing. Printed in U.S.A.Published simultaneously in Canada.

TIME-LIFE is a trademark of Time WarnerInc. U.S.A.

ItIItIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIItIIIttttII

Time-Life Books is a division of Time-Life Inc.,a wholly owned subsidiary of

THE TIME INC. BOOK COMPANY

TIME-LIFEBOOKS

PresidentVice-President

Editor-in-ChiefDirector of Editorial Resources

Marketing DirectorEditorial DirectorConsuhingEditor

Production Manager

JohnD. HallNancy K. fonesThomas H. FlahertyElise D. Ritter-Clough

Regina HallLee HassigJohn R. SullivanMarlene Zack

CONTENTStItIIIIIIIItIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIITIt

6 INTRODUCTION

T2 JOINERY BASICS14 Wood movement16 Form and function18 Bonding wood

20 BUTT IOTNTS22 A catalog of butt joints24 Making butt joints27 Through bolts28 Dowel joints32 Plate joints36 Pocket holes38 Spline joints39 Butterfly key joints

40 MrTER IOTNTS42 Common miter joints43 |igs and accessories44 Making miter joints45 Face miters47 Coped joints48 Miter-and-spline joints49 Feather-splinejoints51 Edge miter joints54 Mitered plate joints

s6 LAR RABBET, GROOVE,AND DADO JOINTS

58 Lap joints60 Rabbet joints6L Tongue-and-groovejoints62 Dado joints64 Corner half-lap joints66 Cross half-lap joints67 Half-blind half-lap joints68 Angled half-lap joints69 Dovetailed half-lap joints70 Glazing bar half-lap joints

73 Rabbet joints75 Stopped rabbet joints76 Mitered rabbet joints77 Tongue-and-groovejoints79 Glue joints80 Through dado joints81 Blind dado joints83 Sliding dovetail joints84 Double dado joints

86 MORTTSE-AND-TENONIOINTS88 Mortise-and-tenon joints and jigs9I Open mortise-and-tenon joints94 Blind mortise-and-tenon joints97 Wedged through mortise-and-tenon joints

101 Haunched mortise-and-tenon joints103 Angled mortise-and-tenon joints106 Tusk tenon joints108 Twin mortise-and-tenon joints110 Round mortise-and-tenon joints

rr2 DOVETATL AND BOX IOINTS114 A selection of dovetail and box ioints115 Designing and marking dovetails116 figs and accessories118 Through dovetail joints126 Curved through dovetail joints128 Outlined through dovetail joints130 Half-blind dovetail jointsL32 Box joints134 Finger joints

136 IAPANESE IOINERY

140 GTOSSARY

I42 INDEX

I44 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

Mike Dunbar discusses

MAKING\AINDSORCHAIRS

{ have been making \,Vindsor chairs for 20 years and I am still as fascinated with themI as when I began. This chair's durability is legendary-a fame that is well earned.There are many Windsor chairs that have survived 200 years or more of hard use butremain as solid as the day they were built. The secret is in the joints, which are highlyengineered.

Like most common chairs. Windsors use socket construction-a round tenon thatfits into a round hole. There is very little edge grain around the circumference of ahole to create a good glue joint. Because most of the circumference is end grain, around tenon in a drilled hole is a very poor joint that soon comes apart. Its only virtueis that it can be produced quickly and easily. To make it work some additional strengh-ening is required.

The major joints in a Wndsor are those that connect the turned legs to the seat.These are held together with a locking taper, similar to the device that holds-orlocks-the drivg center in a lathe's headstock. The leg tenon is made conelike whilethe part is still in the lathe. The hole in ttre seat is then fitted to the tenon with a taperedreamer, a type of conical bit inserted in a brace, like the one I'm holding in the pho-tograph. When assembled, the tenon and matching hole lock together, securing thejoint. Should the joint ever loosen, the weight of a person sitting in the chair tightensit again, whereas in other types of chairs the act of sitting actually wears the joints.

A Windsor's legs are connected by a stretcher system. The chairmaker ensures thatthese joints remain permanently secure by assembling them under compression. Thetrick is to measure the distance between the legs while the chair is being assembled.The stretchers are then made slightly longer than the measured distance. Being a tadtoo long, they push the legs apart. For their part, the legs hold the joints in compres-sion. As a result, they cannot come apart-even if the glue fails.

Mike Dunbar builds fine furniture at his worlcshop inPortsmouth, New Hampshire. The author of seven boolcsand a contributing editor o/American WoodworkerandEarly American Life magazines, Dunbar ako offersWindsor chairmaking seminars across North America.

INTRODUCTION

Lyle Kruger talks about

IIGSAND IOINTS

s a young boy, the best toys that I possessed were-in order-Tinker Toys,Lincoln Logs, an Erector set, and American Flyer electric trains. These toys

prepared me for an adulthood in which I am not afraid to tackle complex mechan-ical problems.

As most of my power tools are older models (my table saw is a 1940s Sears that Iinherited from my wife's grandfather), I must get as much accuracy as I can from myvarious jigs and attachments. Over the years I have found that, with a bit of time andpatience, you can adjust and fine-tune many older tools and make them performalmost as well as the daytheyleft the factory. I get a certain satisfaction out of restoringthese auction and garage sale bargains to usable items.

I take delight in applying one technology to another discipline. The home-madetenoning jig in the photo, for example, worla much like the cross feed on a metal lathe.It slides back and forth on ways made of walnut and features a feed screw that indexesmovement to Yo+ inch. With a little thought and extra care in the finish, these jigs canbecome heirloom-quality and be passed down through a family with pride. I wouldeven suggest that you sign and date your better jigs.

I find that when I am in my shop trying to figure out a problem or a better wayto build a jig, my creative juices get going and time seems to fly by. Before I know it,the evening is over-and I've missed the final baseball scores on the radio.

Recently I have experimented with a Southwestern-American-inspired joint thatlocks togetirer without glue and yet is still very strong. This joint has a stepped cornerand a special key that slides into a mortise and locks the joint. It can be made on thetable sawwith the help of a couple of shop-made jigs and on the drill press fitted witha mortising bit. The stepped corner is cut without changing the blade or fence settingon the table saw.

Lyle Kruger is a professional land surveyor from Effingham,Illinois, who enjoys buildingfull-scale wooden replicas of

antique survey instruments. He has published articlesand shop tips on woodworking in various magazines.

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INTRODUCTION

Pat Warner on

JOINE,RYANDTHE, ROI.]TER

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$ am a desigr-rer-craftsman of contemporary furniture and cabinets. I use hardr,l,oodA lumber for nearly everlahing I make. There are, holveveq occasions rvhen I mustuse plpvood or fiberboard, such as in dralver bottoms, door panels, or cabinet backs.\{4riie they are often essential, I don't find these materials as enjoyable to rvork as solidlumber, since the wood joinery methods I often use cannot be applied to them.Plpvood is glued up in lavers that lie in so many different planes that it cannot achievethe structure of solid rvood. Solid lunber, on the other hand, consists of cells that aredistinctly oriented-like a br.rndle of strarvs. This long-axis architecture, in nty r,ielv,ailows many joinery possibilities. No matter how complex the piece of furniture, thereis always a means of joining the pieces together.

I find the electric router very handy for joinery because ofits abiliqv to accept a rvidevariety ofjigs, flLxtures, and accessories. \\hether the tool is guided bv a piloted cutter,an edge guide, a template collar or sub-base, or secured in a table, the router providesthe kind of control that makes it ideaily useful for joiner,v. No other single power toolcan produce the same range ofjoints, including tongues, grooves, rabbets, tenons, mor-tises, dadoes, dovetails, laps, notches, fingers, and keys. Complernentary template join-er1,-or joinery along cun ed lines-can only be done with a router. The tool can alsobe used to make the precision templates required for the process.

Because it is so useful a too1, I have collected lB different routers. They can be cou-pled with any number of accessories, jigs, and cutters to expand their joint-makingcapabilities. Fortunately, this is usually quite simple and inexpensir,e. Most router jigsare easy to make and use.

Most of my portable routing is done with the assistance of an acryiic offset sub-base like the one attached to the router in the pl-roto. It pror,ides extra support onthe base, making it indispensable for routing certain templates, Anothel jig thatI find handy is my tenoning jig; in the photo it is upside down rvith the r,vorkpiececlamped in place against an adjustable fence. I like to use it rvith a plunge router, whichcan be adjusted to cut diff-erent depths more easil.v than a standard router.Both jigs have proved so useful that I have started manufacturing them for thecommercial market.

Pst Warner rnakes co ntetnporary .firttittrre ht Esco rttlido, Colifor-tria, arul works ns a cotrsti l tant for the rotfter arul tool bit irdustry.He is o contributing editor forWoodwork mtgazine artd teacltesrotrtirtg ttt Palonnr Cortrnunity College in San Marcos.

l l

IOINERYBASICSI oinery, the foundation of wood-J working, is a subtle blend of art andengineering. Whether the product is asimple tabletop or an ornate chest, itsjoinery will establish its worth: Strongjoints will give it longevity, and theirdesign and craftsmanship will enhanceits beauty.

The need for jointmaking derivesfrom the fact that woodworkers makedemands on their material that naturenever intended. Interlocking curves offiber link a branch to the tree trunk.while a leg is attached to a table at anabrupt 90o intersection. Thus, althougha properly glued joint is stronger thanwood fiber. that bond alone is seldomable to withstand the forces exerted ontables, chairs, cabinets, and doors dur-ing normal use.

Most joints need some sort of mech-anical aid-a reinforcement designedto meet the stresses head-on. From thatneed springs the craft ofjoinery.

The simplest supports are nails,screws) splines, biscuits, and dowels.These require simply cutting a hole andadding wood or metal to the intersec-tion of the pieces. Often, this is enoughto satisfr structural and esthetic needs.

Sometimes-most often when fur-niture is involved-greater strengh andbeauty are called for. The solution thenis to cut the intersecting pieces so thatthe gluing area is increased or they forman interlocking bond.

The blind and through mortise-and-tenon joints shown below at rightimprove the strength of a right-anglejoint and increase the long-grain glu-

ing area. The blind version also partial-ly conceals the joint; the through ver-sion, in which the tenon passes throughthe mating workpiece, can be tightenedby the addition of small wedges.

In addition to lending mechanicalstrength and gluing area to a connec-tion, joinery must also allow for themovement of wood-its swelling andshrinkage as it absorbs and releasesmoisture. The best joinery relates allthree needs.

The stresses on joints and some waysto relieve them are detailed on the fac-ing page. Wood's moisture-absorbingcharacteristics are discussed on pagesl4 and 15. Joint selection is discussedon pages 16 and 17. Pages 18 and 19contain usefirl information about choos-ing and using glues and clamps.

BASIC JOINT TYPES ?aneljoint' i i i i

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Blind joint

Frame joint

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fnror6njoint r :1 ,

Reinforcedjoint

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II 2

TOINERY BASICS

TYPES ()F STRESS

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Recognizing the stresses on jointsThe illustration at left shows the four basictypes of forces that affect joints: compres-sion, tension, vert ical shear, and racking.Compression forces a joint together, whiletension pul ls i t apart . A typical exampleof tension is an overloaded shelf jo inedto a carcase with dado joints; the weighton the shelf wi l l tend to pul l the shelf outof the dadoes. Vert ical shear occurs whenthe two halves of a joint s l ide against eachother, common with butt jo ints. Racking,character ized by twist ing and bending, isthe toughest stress for a joint to endure.

1topped aliding dovetail jointFixinq a ahelf to a carcaee eidewith a etopped olidinq dovetailallowe the jointto regtgt teneiana5 weil aa com-preeeion, ohear,and rackinq

IMPROVING A JOINT'S RESISTANCE T() STRESS

To n g u e- a n d - g roove joi nt?imple, unreinforced buLL jointe reaiet com-preeeion only: they provide poor reetatanceto Lenaion, ehear, and rackinq. Keplacinq anedqe buLt wiTh a tonque-and-4roove joinLmakes tL much more sLreog^reaietant

Dado jointA aimple dado joint reaieta com-preooion, ehear, and rackinq, buLLeneion can pull if, apart

t3

WOODMOVEMENT

Q cientists describe wood as a hygro-r.) scopic material-that is, it absorbsmoisture. Long after a tree has beenfelled and its wood milled and made intofurniture. the fibrous cells absorb andrelease moisture, mirroring the humid-ity of the surrounding air.

The consequences for the wood-worker can be serious: Wood swells asit absorbs moisture and shrinks as itexpels it, causing motion that accountsfor most failed joints, wobbly chairs,sticking doors, and split picture frames.

Although wood movement is un-avoidable, such consequences are not:An understanding of wood's character-istics will enable you to accommo-

date this swelling and contraction andproduce joinery that is both durableand stable.

The wood of most species is charac-terized by growth rings, which are con-centric bands perpendicular to the axisof the trunk. The manner in which therings are exposed on a wood surface canhelp you anticipate how the piece willreact to humidity changes. As the illus-tration below shows, there is moreswelling and shrinkage along the growthrings than across them. The way lum-ber is cut from a log has a crucial effecton how much the woodwill shrink andwhich dimension-length, width, orthickness-will be most affected.

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Any piece of wood provides three views of the annual growth rings.The transverss sssfisn-sv svs55 5sslisn-lies at right angles to thegrain and is visible in the end grain of stock. The tangential andradial sections are at right angles to the transverse section. Beingable to distinguish the dffirent views of the rings on a workpiececan help you compensate for wood movement in your joinery.

GROWTH RINGS AND MOVEMENTAnticipating wood movementLumber does not shr ink uniformly. Tan-gent ial shr inkage-paral lel to the annualgrowth rings-is almost twice the radialshrinkage, which occurs across the rings.This difference accounts for the warpingof boards and panels as wood contractsand exoands with f luctuat ions in mois-ture content. Radial ly cut boards, alsoknown as quartersawn. are more dimen-sional ly stable than tangent ial ly cut, orplain-sawn boards because they shrinkand swel l less across their width. Plain-sawn boards tend to cup at the edges.Greater tangential than radial shrinkagecan cause square boards to become dia-mond shaped and cyl indr ical ones tobecome oval, as shown by the pieces onthe r ight-hand side of the i l lustrat ion.

T4

IOINERY BASICS

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Logs are sawn in two basic ways, withmanyvariations. The most common sys-tem, called plain-sawing, slices the logtangent to the growth rings. The othermethod, less commonly used, is calledquartersawing or edge-grain sawing. Ittakes slices at right angles to the growthrings. Although the techniques used in

The annual growth rings in theplain - s aw n o ak b o ard (top) app earon the face as an elliptical land-scape figure. Plain-sawn stock issliced tangent to the rings. Thegrowth rings in the quartersawnoakboard (bottom) appear aslines perpendicular to the face.

each system are very different, each willproduce some boards with characteris-tics of the other. For example, plain-saw-ing through the center ofa log producesa piece of stock that looks much like aquarter-sawn board.

Quartersawn boards have their annu-al growth rings peqpendicular to the face.This orientation of the growth ringsaccounts for the superior dimensionalstability of quartersawn boards. Woodshrinks and expands roughly twice asmuch tangentiallyto the rings as its doesradially. When quartersawn boards swellor shrink they do so mostly in thickness,which is minimal, whereas a olain-sawnboard changes across its widih. A tablemade from plain-sawn pine boards, forexample, can change as much as I inchin width; a similar table made fromquartersawn boards would only swell orshrink by one-quarter as much or less,depending on the species.

Although you may not be able to con-trol the environment where your furni-ture will be used, you can make yourjoinery choices to compensate for woodmovement. Orient the growth rings inthe mating pieces of a joint so that theymove together. For example, the ringsofthe two parts ofa corner joint shouldbe parallel to each other so that theyshrink or swell in tandem. When therings of the pieces meet at right angles,as in a mortise-and-tenon joint, makesure their tangential surfaces are aligned.

Workpieces that feature irregulargrain require particular attention. Asquare chair leg with growth rings thatrun diagonally through it when viewedin cross section, for example, will even-tually lose its square shape and becomea diamond shape, pulling the chair frameout of square with it.

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1lrtIr1flrfir1lr'fif1fll "fi1-ll|l"llll'lll'llll llll' llll' llll llll llll llll1HO? TI?Theimportanaeof grain alignmentA drawer 6lued up from plain-eawn boarde illuetrrates how6rain aliqnmenl can make orbreak a joinL. by aliqninq theboards so I'hat Lhe annualqrowth ringe curve inward(toil, vhe ioint may oep arareaI the too and bottom whenlhe fron| cuze ae it dries.lf the boarde are ali1ned oothallhe annual ringe curveoutv'tard (bottom), dryinq ofNhe wood will tend oush lhetop and bolt om bisward themating Viece, keepinq thejoinlNoqether.

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FORMAND FUNCTIONI

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Selecting the joinery for a project involves both structural andesthetic considerations. The curved through dovetaiU above)blends strength and attractiveness for drawers that will be the

highlight of a piece. The utilitarian dado joint (right) ls agood choice to anchor the shelving in a modern cabinet.

f deally, joinery should achieve a bal-I ance between form and function.Each joint must complement the over-all design of a piece while resisting thestresses to which it will be subjected.

The choice of a joint will often bedictated by its function and location.Carcase corners can be joined with ahost of joinery methods, but a carcasethat is more likely to be visible, such asa drawer, will benefit from a visuallypleasing joint like a half-blind dovetailor box joint. For other project compo-nents, the options are more limited. Aframe-and-panel door, for example,may call for either blind or haunchedmortise-and-tenons, while a chair withround rungs should ideally be assem-bled with round mortise-and-tenons.

The wood you choose will also havea bearing on your options. The chartopposite lists the various joints shownin this book and rates their utility with

solid wood, plywood, and particle-board. A joint like the frame butt, forexample, can be used with any mater-ial, but only if the connection is rein-forced. (As a rule of thumb, any jointinvolving end grain must be reinforcedin some way.) The dovetail, while itreouires no reinforcement. is onlyappropriate with solid wood.

Once you have chosen your joinery,prepare your stock. Carefully joint andsmooth all mating surfaces. The fol-lowing chapters illustrate dozens ofjoints and provide detailed instructionsfor making them. If you are unsureabout which joint to select for a givenapplication, choose the simplest one,particularly if it will be hidden.

JOIl{ERY TIPS

.Avoid working with freshly cut lum-ber, as it wil l shrink after the joint isassembled. Use wood that has dried toa moisture content approximating thelevel of the environment in which thefinished piece wil l be used.

rWhen designing a piece of furniturethat will bear a heavy load, use largerjoints or joints with larger structuralmembers, such as twin mortise-and-tenons. This wi l l d is t r ibute the loadover a wider area and reduce stress onthe joint. lf the design of a piece pro-hibits the use of large joints, use anumber of smaller joints to spread theload and reduce stress.

o Make sure the elements of a joint areproperly proportioned. lf a tenon in amortise-and-tenon joint is too thick, themortise member wil l be weakened.

rWhen arranging the mating boardsof a joint, always take into accountthe grain direction of the elements, andorient the pieces to compensate forwood movement.

.Cut the elements of a joint parallel tothe grain. A tenon cut across the grain,for example, wil l not withstand shearand racking stress.

r For some joints, such as dovetails, usethe completed part of the joint (the pins)to lay out the mating part (the tails)to reduce inaccuracies.

rAvoid laying out joints by eye; use theappropriate measuring and marking tools.

r lf a joint requires reinforcement, useglue along with fasteners, dowels, bis-cuits, or splines.

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IOINERY BASICS

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APPROPRIATE JOINTS F(|R W()OD TYPES

TYPE OF JOINT

Butt joints (page 22)

Frame and case butt

Panel butt

Edge butt

Face-to-face butt

Scarf joint and pocket holes

Butterfly joint

Miter joints (page 42)

Face miter

Edge miter

End miter

M iter-and-spl ine

Feather-spl i ne

Coped joint

Lap joints (page 58)

Full lap, Half laps: T, mitered, dove-tailed, keyed dovetail, angled, cross,edge, half-blind, corner, glazing barRabbet ioints (page 60)

Rabbet, shiplap, stopped rabbet, miteredrabbet, double rabbet, dovetail rabbet

Tongue-and-groove joints (page 61 )Through tongue-and-groove, blind tongue-and-groove, glue joint

Dado joints (page 62)

Through, blind, and stopped dado

Dado-and-rabbet, tongue-and-dado, double dadoLock miter

Sliding dovetail, sliding half-dovetai l,stopped sliding half-dovetail

Mortise-and-tenon joints (page 88)

Blind, haunched, angled, loose, round,twin, through, wedged through, peggedthrough, tusk, open

Dovetaif ioints @age 114)

Through, bl ind, hal f-bl ind, curvedthrough, outlined through, box joint,half-blind box joint, finger joint

SOLID WOOD

Excellent (reinforce)

Excel lent

Excellent

Excellent

Good (reinforce)

Excel lent

Good (reinforce)

Excellent (reinforce)

Good (reinforce)

Excellent

Fair

Good (reinforce)

Excellent (reinforce)

Good

Excellent

Good

Good

Excellent

Excellent

Excel lent

Excellent

PLYWOOD

Good (reinforce)

Poor

Good (reinforce)

Excellent

Not used

Not used

Good (reinforce)

Good (reinforce)

Fair (reinforce)

Fair

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PARTICLEBOARD

Fair (reinforce)

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Excel lent

Not used

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Good (reinforce)

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BONDINGWOOD

Over-tightening the clamps on aglue joint can squeeze out all theadhesive, resulting in a "starved"

joint. Apply a thin, even layer ofglue on the mating surfaces and

stop tighteningwhen a smallbeadof adhesive squeezes out ofthe joint.

f) roper bonding of mating surfacesI can be achieved in three steps:preparing the surface meticulously,applying the right type and amount ofadhesive, and proper clamping.

First, the mating surfaces of a jointmust be made as flat and smooth aspossible with a jointer or hand plane.Rough surfaces have hundreds oftinyair pockets that can cause uneven glu-ing. Surfaces should also be clean; oil,sawdust, grease, and dirt can weakena glue bond. Some oily woods, suchas teak and rosewood. have extrac-tives that inhibit the gluing process,but planing or jointing these woodsjust before glue-up removes most ofthe residue from the surfaces.

While glues made from organicmaterials such as fish glue and hideglue have been in use for centuries,most modern adhesives are derivedfrom synthetic compounds. Glues suchas resorcinol and epoxy cure bv chem-ical reaction, while vellow and white

glue cure by evaporation of the solventthey contain. Most glues seep into thewood, locking the wood fibers togeth-er and creating a bond that is strongerthan the wood itself. To select the prop-er adhesive for your ioinery tasks, seethe chart opporit..

When applying glue, spread it even-ly over both mating surfaces of thejoint; it is better to apply a thin coatto both surfaces than a heavy coat toone. Avoid spreading glue with yourfingers; a set of stiff-bristled brushesof different sizes can handle most glu-ing tasks. Some other applicators areshown below.

Ioints shouldbe clamoed immedi-ately after the adhesive is applied;posi-tion your clamps carefully to avoidcupping or bowing of the workpieces.Clamping presses the glue into a uni-form thin film between the matingsurfaces, while holding the pieces untilcuring takes place. See the back end-papers for a selection of clamps.

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GTUING ACCESSORIES

Glue bruahLong handlea make bruahideal for delicate work;to prevent rust stains,linen-wound ferrule hasno metal parto

Plate joinerglue applicatorHolde qlue bottleupeide-downao that adheaiveremains near tip,keepinq it readyfor application;nozzle ia ehapedto apread qlueevenry on 5Ee9of alota cut byplate joiner

Printer's brayerRubber roller evenly apreadaa thin film of 4lue over awide area; can be cleanedby repeatedly rollin7 it overa ocrap Doard

For ocrapinq away excegaqlue. ?laatia type leao likelyto mar wood

Olue ayringeFor applyin4 qlue in awkward placea: avail-able with flexible or curved tip which canbe cut back for faater flow

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IOINERY BASICS

REMOVING EXCESS GLUE

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I(lINERY ADHESIVES

CHARACTERISTICS

Polyvinyl-acetate based; not toxic or flammable . Strong bonding; working time 3 to 5minutes o Setting time about 30 to 45 minutes; cures fully in 24to 72 hours . Driesclear and colorless o Does not sand as well as yellow glue

Aliphatic-resin based; not toxic or f lammable o Better immediate adhesion for fasrergrab than white glue; working time 3 to 5 minutes o Setting time about 30 to 40 minutes;cures fully in 24to72hours r Dries opaque (faded yellow); more heat-resistant for bettersanding properties than white glue

Resin and hardener must be mixed prior to use; not flammable but may betoxic r Strong, waterproof bonding; working time 5 minutes to 2 hours (depending ontype) o Setting time 5 minutes to 2 hours (depending on type); cures fully in 24 hours

Fish glue Protein-based; not toxic or flammable . Average bonding; working time 60 to 90minutes . Setting and curing time 12 hours o Sandable, dries an opaque color, resistssolvents r Not water-resistant: Glue bond can be softened with water for disassembly

Hide glue Protein-based; available in granular or liquid form; not toxic or flammable . Strong bond-ing, working time 3-5 minutes r Setting time t hour; cures tully in 24 hours r Sandable,dries a dark color r Not water+esistant, glue bond can be softened with water for disassembly

Milk-based, comes in powdered form; not toxic or flammable . Average bonding; workingtime l5 to 20 minutes . Setting time 15 to 20 minutes, cures fully in 8 to 12 hourse High resistance to water, dries an opaque color, sands cleanly, stains acidic woods

Urea-formaldehyde-based, available in powdered form; not flammable but toxic. Strong bonding, working time 20 minutes . Setting time 4 to 6 hours; cures fullyin 3 days . Water resistance higher than that of aliphatic glues, does not stain acidicwoods, sands cleanly

TYPE

Whiteglue

Yellowglue

Eporyglue

USES

General woodworking

General woodworking

Bonding acidic woods such asoak; use on exotic woods thatbond poorly with other glues

Furniture construction, luthierwork, antique restoration and tasksthat require a long working time

Cabi net construction, antiquerestoration, veneering, and finewoodworking

0ily woods that bond poorlywith other glues, such as teak,yew, and lemonwood; laminating

Veneering, laminating, andedge-gluing hardwood

Scraping away adhesiveOnce al l your clamps have been t ight-ened, use a putty knife to remove asmuch of the squeezed-out glue as pos-sible after it sets but before it cures.The moisture from adhesive left on thesurface wi l l be absorbed by the wood,causing swelling and slowing drying time;hardened glue can also clog sandpaper,dull planer knives, and repel wood stain.Once the adhesive has dried, use a paintscraper to remove any squeeze-outthat remains (/eff).

Caseinglue

Plasticresin

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f all the joints used to assem-ble boards, the butt joint is

certainly the most straightforward.Affixing the edge, end, or face ofone board to that of another maynot always produce the strongestjoint. However, a properly rein-forced butt joint is an excellentoption for dozens ofwoodworkingtasks, from joining smaller boardsinto a wide panel to assembling car-cases and frames.

The simplebutt joint contains nointerlocking parts, relying insteadon the glue bond for its strength.The solidity of that bond is deter-mined by the grain orientation ofthe mating boards. Gluing longgrain to longgrain, as in panel, edge,

Biscuits provide effective butt joint reinforcement.Here, the oval wafers are used to join the sides ofa carcase. The glue causes the biscuits to expand intheir slots, creating an excePtionally strong joint.

BrrTT IONTS

The commercial jig shown above cuts accuratepocket holes with a minimum of setup time.Wth thewo*piece damped in the jig therouter-like cutter is pivoted into the face of

the board to cut the Docket hole.

pocket holes, is detailed on page36.Most other joinery needs are

filled by dowels, compressed-woodwafers or "biscuitsl' or splines, whichcan also serve to align parts of ajoint that do not require reinforce-ment. Each demands mastery of aspecialized technique-but the pro-cedures are simple and they allowthe quick assembly of strong, attrac-tive ioints in which the mechanicalparts can be hidden from view.

At least one butt-joining tech-nique-the butterfly key joint-isnot meant to be hidden; in fact it isused as much for decoration as forstrength. In this joint a double-dovetail key-the butterfly-is cutfrom a contrasting wood and usedto tie together two edge-joinedand face-to-face joints (page 22),

produces a solid connection, requiring no reinforcement. Allother butt joints involve end grain; this porous surface pro-vides amuchles effective gluing sur{acethan an equivalentareaof long grain. Therefore, end grain joints must be reinforced.

Nails and screws can be used for reinforcement, but cabi-netmakers try to avoid them for two principal reasons:Additional work is required to conceal the fasteners, and nei-ther does as good a job joining end grain as some of the alter-natives. Screws are considered superior for one application,however, and that is the task of fastening a tabletop to its sup-porting rails. The technique, which involves drilling angled

boards. The butterfly demands patience, but a well-set key canbe a striking feature of a tabletop. The steps to making one areshown on page 39.

At the other end of the form-to-function scale is the use ofthreaded rods to reinforce such workaday surfaces as butcherblocla, workbenches, and countertops. These are often built upof face-glued stoch as shown on page 27 , andthe rods serve tostabilize the heavy slab when room humidity changes.

Doweling techniques are explained starting on page 28; bis-cuit joinery begins on page 32, and the correct use of splinesis detailed on page 38.

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2 l

A CATALOG OF BUTT IOINTS

SIMPTE BUTT IOINTS(See page 24)

Edge-to-edge;panel butt

PTATE JOINTS(See page 32)

BUTT IOINTS

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Edge-to-faae

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DOWET JOINTS(See page 28)

End-to-edge

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Edge-to-edge

SPTINE JOINTS(See page 38)

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Ed6e-to-face

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BUTTERFTY '(lINT(See page 39)

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MAKING BUTT IOINTS

T umber is seldom available in planlsI--r wide enough for a tabletop or acarcase panel; sometimes it cannot befound thick enough for a specifictask-a table leg, for example. Often,when you can find such stock, it is pro-hibitively expensive. To compensate forthese shortcomings, woodworkers glueindividual boards together. Panels areconstructed from edge-to-edge buttjoints, as shown below. Leg blanks aremade by face gluing boards (page 25).Provided the mating surfaces have beenjointed smooth and square, and theproper gluing and clamping techniquesare followed, the results are strong anddurable. In fact, a well-assembled edge-to-edge or face-to-face butt joint pro-

A jointer produces a smooth,straight, even edge. Gluing jointedboards together edge-to-edge willform a panel that is every bit as

strong as a single piece of lumber.

EDGE GTUING

1 Applying the glueI Set two bar clamps on a work surfaceand lay the boards on top. Use as manyclamps as you need to support the piecesat 24- Io 36-inch intervals. Keep the barsupright by placing them in notched woodblocks. Arrange the stock to enhance itsappearance, making sure the end graino f the boards runs in a l te rna te d i rec-t ions. With the pieces butted edge-to-edge, mark a tr iangle on the stock tohelp you rearrange the boards at glue up.Next cut two protective wood pads atleast as long as the boards. Leaving thef i rst board face down, stand the otherpieces on edge with the tr iangle marksfacing away from you. Apply a thin gluebead to each edge (right), then use asmal l , st i f f -br ist led brush to spread theadhesive evenlv.

vides a sturdier bond than the woodfibers themselves.

Before edge gluing boards, arrangethe stock so the face of the panel will bevisually interesting. The pinel shouldcreate the illusion of a single piece

of wood rather than a composite. Tominimize warping, most woodworkersarrange the pieces so that the end grainofadjacentboards faces in opposite direc-tions (page25). Use a pencil to marktheend grain orientation on each board.

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24

BUTT IOINTS

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r) Tightening the clampsL Setthe boards face down and l ine up their ends, makingsure the sides of the tr iangle al ign. Tighten the clamps underthe boards just enough to press them together. Instal l a thirdclamp across the top center of the stock. Finish t ighteningthe clamps (above) until there are no gaps between the boardsand a thin bead of glue squeezes out of the joints. To level

FACE GTUING

adjacent boards that do not lie perfectly flush with each other,use a C clamp and a wood pad centered over the joint near theend of the boards; use a strip of wax paper to prevent the padfrom st icking to the boards. Then t ighten the clamp unt i l theboards are aligned (insef).

Gluing up boards face-to-faceCut your stock sl ight ly longer and widerthan necessary to enable you to squarethe blank i f the boards shi f t dur ing glue-up. Lay out the boards face-to-face, alter-na t ing the end gra in o f the p ieces andarranging the stock to maximize grain andcolor. Spread glue on one mating surfaceof each joint , then use C clamps to holdthe pieces together. Starting near the endsof the boards, space the clamps at 3-to 4-inch intervals; protect the stock withwood pads . T igh ten the c lamps jus tenough to press the boards together. Turnthe assembly over so i t s i ts on the f i rstrow of c lamos and instal l a second rowalong the other edge (/eft). Finish tighten ing a l l the c lamps un t i l there are nogaps between the boards and a thin gluebead squeezes out of the joints.

25

BUTT TOINTS

CLAMPING TECHNIOUES F(lR THREE BUTT JOINTS

Gluing up a joint with end grainSince both joints shown above involve gluing along end grain,you will need to reinforce the connection; use one of the meth-ods presented later in this chapter, such as dowels, biscuits, orspl ines. Spread glue on the contact ing surfaces, then use barclamps to hold the joint together. For the case butt loint (above,lef t) , set the clamp on i ts side and the boards on edge on awork surface. Tighten the clamp as you hold the stock snugup against the bar and keep the joint square. For a frame butt

loinl (above, right), seI two bar clamps upright in notched woodblocks as you would for gluing up a panel (page 24). (The sec-ond clamp serves to keep the boards level.) Lay the boards facedown on the clamps, making sure the stock is wel l supported.Apply the adhesive, butt the pieces together, and t ighten theclamps whi le holding the boards in al ignment. For both setups,use wood pads to protect your stock.

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Clamping an edge butt iointSet two bar clamps on a work surface andlay the boards on top, one face down andone on edge. Use notched blocks and woodpads. Spread some glue on the mating edgeand board face. Hold the upright piece flushagainst the bar whi le t ightening the clampsa little at a time until adhesrve soueezes outof the joint (right). lnslall as many addition-al clamps as necessary between the.f irsttwo to close any gaps between the boards.

26

BUTT IOINTS

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THROUGH BOLTS

REINF(|RCING BUTT J(IINTS WITH THROUGH BOTTS

Gluing up and holting the panelMark three holes for the bolts on the face of one board, placingone a few inches from each end and one in the middle; centerthe marks between the edges. Installa bit in the drill pressthatis slightly larger than the bolts and align the bit with the middlemark. Clamp a stop block against the end of the board and a woodfence against its edge. Use this setup to drill the end holes in allthe boards (above, /eff). Use a similar setup to bore the middleholes. Counterbore the two face oieces to accommodate the nuts.Prepare the bolts by threading a nut on one end of each threaded

Through bolts are an effective meansof reinforcingworkbench tops or butch-er blocks made by face gluing boards.In addition to helping to align the b o ards,the bolts will reduce the possibilityof splitting or warping as the wood'smoisture content fluctuates from sea-son to season.

rod; strike the end of each rod with a hammer and punch to jamthe nut in place. Stand the front piece on edge and lay all the oth-ers face up on a work surface. Squeeze some glue on the boardsand spread it evenly with a brush (above, right). Press the boardfaces together, keeping their ends aligned. Feed the bolts throughthe holes, s l ip on the remaining washers and nuts, and give aninitial tightening. Use bar clamps to press the boards together asin the photo above. Finish t ightening the bolts with a socketwrench and add a third clamp across the top of the assembly.

27

DOWELIOINTSI

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Dowels can transform a weak butt joint into solid joinery.In edge gluing (right), the wooden pins help align the

boards. In frame (above, left) and case (above, right) bunjoinery, the dowels reinforce the relatively weakbond

between end grain and long grain. Dowel joints generallyhold up well to shear stress-when the pieces are being

pushed past each other; they are less effective at resistingtension-when the pieces are b eing pulled ap art (page I 5 ).

EDGE GTUING WITH DOWEL JOINTS

1 Marking the dowel holesI Arrange your stock on bar clamps asfor edge gluing (page 24). Leauing oneboard face down, stand the other pieceson edge. To ensure that the dowels areprecisely centered, mark lines across theedges of the boards---one about 4 inchesfrom each end and one in the middle. Thenadjust a cutt ing gauge to one-half theth ickness o f the s tock and use i t tomark the center o f the edge a t eachdowel locat ion point (r ight) . The inter-sec t ing l ines w i l l accura te ly p lace thedowels. For longer stock, you may wantto mark add i t iona l dowel ho les .

28

BUTT JOINTS

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tllt ll|l'fl|l lllt lltl lllt llll llt llt l]ll fill ilu llll fill tlll llu ljll lll]1HO? TI?Doweling jigThe commercial dowelinajiq ehown here auLo-malically cenlero S1dowelholee on $b.\

epa.cee Lhem n#-"taT, tnT,ervalayou choooe. Clamp the workpiece \...in handecrews,Lhen eecureNhe \board to a work surtace. Clamp the jiqontroIhe ed4e of the etock.Fi Iyour dr i l lwibh a biILhe same diameher as Nhe dowele,Nhen inolal l a sloo col lar No control lhedri l l inq depIh.) l ide Nhe recLanqular buehinq

/) Boring the dowel holesl to avoid spl i t t ing your stock withthe pins, use grooved dowels that are nomore than one-half the thickness of theboards. Fi t a dr i l l press with a twist orbrad-ooint bi t the same diameter as thedowels , then se t the dr i l l i ng depth to%a inch more than one-half the lengthof the dowels. Clamp a fence to the dr i l lpress table to help keep the board edgesperpendicular to the bit as you bore theholes. Then, holding the workpiece flushagainst the fence, position one markedpo in t d i rec t l y under the b i t and borethe hole. Repeat to dr i l l the remainingholes hbovd.

Lhe eLock and

carrier alonq Lhe )iq, and ineerl lhe appropri-ate buehin7 io keeV the bit equare Lo Lheboard. Holdinq lhe drill firm ly, bore the hole.

29

BUTT IOINTS

CENTER.DRILTING JIGThis simple jig will let you bore holesthat are always centered on a board'sface or edge. Cut the 18-inch armtrom 2-by-2 stock, Mark the centerof the too face of the arm and bore ahole for a guide bushing (inset).Thebushing should be slightly larger thanthe holes you plan to dr i l l , Size theho le so the bush ing w i l l f i t snug ly ,then press it in place.

Turn the arm over and mark a linedown its middle. Mark ooints on thel ine roughly 1 inch from each endequidistant from the center, then borea %-inch hole halfway through thearm at each mark. Dab some glue inthe holes and insert grooved dowels.They should protrude by about % inch,To use the jig, place it on the work-piece so that the dowels butt againstopposite edges of the stock, Fit thedr i l l b i t in to the bush ing and borethe hole (right).

For holes on a board edge, clamp thestock edge-up and set the jig on the

stock with the dowels flush againstopposite faces of the board.

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Q Pinpointing the mating dowel holesr-J lnsert dowel centers the same diame-te r as the dowels in each o f the ho les(right), then lay the boards on the clampswi th the t r iang le marks fac ing up . A l ignthe marks and press the board edgestogether, The pointed ends of the dowelcenters wi l l p ierce the edge of the adja-cent board, providing start ing points forthe mating dowel holes. Bore these holesto the same depth as in step 2.

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BUTT IOINTS

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1l Gluing up the boards-T Arrange the boards on bar clamps,using wood pads and notched blocks,as you would for edge gluing (page 24).Apply a thin glue bead on the edges tobe joined and spread i t evenly. Use as t ick to dab a smal l amount o f adhe-sive in the bottom of each dowel hole.Do not spread glue directly on the dow-els; the moisture will cause them to swell.Insert the dowels and use a hammer totap them into final position. Avoid pound-ing , wh ich can cause a board to sp l i t .C lamp the jo in t un t i l the g lue is cured .

Ilti lllt tlll lll] tlll I]l} tljl tll] tllj tll} Illl fllt lll1 fiI] lllt fit] ult lll15HO7 Tt?Ueing a dowelbo etrengthen a butt joint,)crewe do noN hold well in end qrain, so a fasNener on iNe own ie eel-dom eNronq enouqh No keep an end-No-face buLt, joinL Noqebher. Toreinforce Ihe connecNion, bore a 3/e-inch-diameter hole verlicallyNhrough Nhe end grain piece abouNl/z inch from iIe end, Glue a dowelin Nhe hole and leN Lhe adheeive dry. Then drive your ocrewe throuqhthe maLinq piece inNo the dowel.The ecrewe will be wellanchored in Ihe lonq qrain of trhe dowel.

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PLATE JOINTStt,.

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The plate, or biscuit, joint is strong and simple, although it recluiresthe use of a specialized tool called a plate joiner, shown on page 33.The tool's retractable blade plunges into the matingboqrds, cuttingsemicircular slots that accept oval wafers of compressed beech. Onceglue is added, the biscuits swell, creating a solid, durable joint-evenin end grain. The slots are cut slightly larger than the biscuits, permit-

ting a small margin of error while ensuring proper alignment.

EDGE GTUING BOARDS

1 Markins slot locationst -

I Arrange the boards to be joined and mark a tr iangle on the surfaces as in edgegluing(page24.fhen markcenter l inesfortheslotsacrosstheboardseams (above).Startat least 2 inches in from each end and add a mark about everv 8 inches.

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r) Cutting the slotsL Set the plate joiner 's depth of cutto su i t the b iscu i ts you are us ing andadjust the fence to center the slots inthe board edges. Laying the fence on topof the stock, al ign the guidel ine on thefaceplate with a slot locat ion mark onthe workp iece . Turn on the too l andplunge the blade into the board to cutthe slot (/eff). Repeat the procedure atthe other slot locat ion marks. With thinstock, the tool 's base plate may touchthe work surface, shi f t ing the al ignmentof the slots. To prevent this, position theworkpiece at the edge of the table so thebase plate does not rest on the tabletop.

Q Inserting the biscuitsr-,1 and gluing up the boardsOnce al l the slots have been cut, Ieavethe last board face down and stand theothers on edge with the slots facing up.App ly a bead o f g lue a long the boardedges and in the slots, insertrng biscuitsas you go (right). (lf you are working withlong boards it is better to wait until all theadhesive has been appl ied before insert-ing the b iscu i ts to p revent them f romswelling before you have time to completeg lue up . ) The bo t t le shown in the i l l us -t ra t ion is spec ia l l y des igned to app lyadhesive evenly on the sides of the slots;i f you are using a standard glue bott le,spread the g lue w i th a smal l woodenstick. Spread the adhesive evenly on theboard edges, then fit the boards togetherqu ick ly to p revent the b iscu i ts f romswel l ing premature ly . Ho ld the boardstogether with bar clamps as in edge gluing.

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BUTT IOINTS

ASSEMBLING A CARCASE WITH PLATE JOINTS

1 Cutting the slots at the cornersJ. With the setup shown here, you wi l lbe able to cut all the slots for one carcasecorner w i thout mov ing the pane ls . Setone of the side panels outside-face downand lay the top piece outside-face up ontop of it, using reference letters to identi-fy the carcase corners. Offset the top pan-el by the stock thickness, then clamp thep ieces in p lace . P lace a suppor t boardthe same thickness as the stock in frontof the panels, then mark the slot loca-t ions on the top panel. Sett ing the platejo iner on the suppor t board , a l ign thegu ide l ine on the facep la te w i th a s lo tloca t ion mark on the s tock . Gr ip thejo iner w i th bo th hands and cu t the s lo t(above). Repeat the process at the othermarks and then, turning the plate joineron end, a l ign the gu ide l ine in the centerof the tool 's baseplate with a slot mark(right). Push the tool down to cut thegrooves in the s ide pane l ; repeat theclamping and cutt ing procedure for theother carcase corners.

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34

BUTT IOINTS

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r) Cutting slots for a shelfL MarV, slot locat ion l ines at both ends of the shelf . Marklines across the inside face of both side panels where you wish toposition the shelf, then set the shelf atop one side panel, aligningits edge with the reference line. Clamp the workpieces in place.Cutthe slots in the panel by holdingthe tool 's base plate against

the shelf and al igningthe guidel ine in the center of the platewith the location marks on the shelf (above, left). Use the guide-lines on the tool's faceplate to align and cut the slots in the shelf(above, righ). Reposition the shelf on the other side panel andrepeat the procedure.

Q Gluing up the carcaser-,f Once all the slots have been cut, setthe oanels and shelf on the work surfaceoutside-face down. Apply glue and insertb iscu i ts in to the i r s lo ts and a long the i redges as for gluing up boards @age 33).Assemble the carcase, f itting the top andbottom oanels and the shelf onto one sideand then adding the other side (see photo,page 20). Install two bar clamps acrossthe top and bottom, using wood pads toprotect the stock. Close the shelf jo intswith bar clamps at the front and back ofthe carcase, placing a %-inchlhick woodshim under each pad to maintain clampingpressure at the middle of the shelf. Tightenthe sh im c lamps a l i t t le a t a t ime un t i lthere are no gaps between the contact-ing sur faces and a smal l bead o f g luesqueezes out of the joints (left).

'7+-==rz

I uide panel

IKeference letter

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POCKE,T HOLES

Pockct ltolcs art ' ctttrrrrronls, trsad witlr- .crcrr , -s . lbr t r t toching t t t tb letop to t l tcs t rppo r l i r t g ro i l s . I ) r i l l e t l o t o r t n r t g l e ,tlrey s111t,, tlrc prLtblurr Lt.l-lnt,ittg to screu/straiglrt t lrrLttrgh 3- or 4-irrch-wide stock;tltcy olso corrccol the .f irsturcrs. Otre o.l-t ltc rrttttt l ,pockat lrclc l igs trt,si lsble , thct t to t lc l s l towtr nt r ig l t t c lor t tps t l ta y ,ork-

piccc itt positiort rtnd .f 'cotttres o ltttslt irtgt l ra t kccps t l te t l r i l l l t i t a t t l tc correctnrtglc. Tlrc cottrLtinttt iort lt i t sltowrr borcsn clcurortcc lutlc .f itr thc screy, sltortk arrdcotr r t tcrs i r tks thc l ro lc . l 'or thc hend i r rt t r rc opcrot io t t . A stop col lor at tochedto t l tc I t i t rcgtr lo tcs thc dr i l l i t rg dcpth.

REINFORCING A BUTT J()INT WITH P()CKET HOLES

Join ing ra i ls to a tabletopBore the pocke t ho les t h rough the ra r l s .Lq np an e le r ^ t r i r d r i l l w i t h a commerc ia l

l r g l r k e t h e o n e s h o w n a b o v e , o r a d r i l lp ress a rd a shop -made 1 tg (page 37 ) .S p a c e t h e h o l e s a b o r t 4 i n c h e s a p a r t .Lf you a"e us ing a drr l l wi th a specia l combinat ion b i t , the holes can be bored in asirgle operation. Othenryise, bore the holesin two steps wi th two dr f ferent brad-pointb i ts : Star t wi th one s l rght ly larger than thed i a m e t e r o f I h e s c r e w h e a d s . s o t h e ycan be recessed as shown, and then borer h e o l h e r a l i t l l e ' a r p e r t h a n t h e s c r e wshanks to allow for some movement. Once^ l + L ^ f , ^ l ^ ^ f , ^ . , ^ a ^ ^ ^ ^ , , + ^ ^ r + L ^ r ^ L t ^d r l i l c i l u r c ) i l d v v u c c r L u L , ) c L L r r c L d u r c

top face down on a work surface and markl l n e s o n i t s u n d e r s i d e t o h e l p y o u p o s i -t i o n t h e r a l l s . A l i g n a r a i l w i t h o n e o fthe l ines and dr ive the screws to at tach theboard to the top ( r ight) . Repeat for theo the r ra i l s .

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BUTT IOINTS

A POCKET HOI.E JIGTo bore oocket holes on the dr i l lpress, use a pocket hole jig (right),shop-made from 3/a-inch plywoodand two small pieces of solid stock.Refer to the illustration for suggest-ed dimensions.

Screw the two sides of the cradletogether to form an L. Then cut a90'angle wedge from each supportbracket so that the wide side of thecradle will sit at an angle of 15" fromthe vert ical . Screw the brackets tothe j ig base, and attach the cradleon top of the brackets.

To use the jig, seat the workpiecein the c rad le w i th the s ide to bedrilled facing out and its top edge sit-t ing in the V of the cradle. Bore theholes in two steos with two di f fer-ent bits as you would with an electricdrill (page 36). ln this case, a Forstnerbi t and a brad-ooint bi t are shown.The Forstner bit cuts a flai-bottomedhole ideal for recessing screw heads.

F i r s t , i n s t a l l t h e b r a d - p o i n t b i tin the dr i l l p ress and se t the j ig onthe too l ' s tab le . Wi th the mach ineoff . lower the bi t and posit ion thej ig to a l ign the b i t w i th the centerof the bottom edge of the workpiece

(below, lefil. Clamp the jig to thetable and replace the brad-point withthe Forstner bi t .

Holding the workpiece firmly in thej ig , feed the b i t s low ly to bore the

holes just deep enough to recessthe screw heads (below, right). Tocomplete the pocket holes, reinstallthe brad-point bit and bore throughthe workpiece.

9upport bracket| 1/2" x 3" x 41/2".

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SPLINE IOINTS

Splines are thin strips of wood commonly used to align and reinforcebuxjoints, like the edge, case, and panel joints shown aboye (clockwise fromtop left). Made from plywood or solid wood no more than 1/: the thicknessof the stoclg splines extend into grooves cut in both mating surfaces. Solid-

wood splines should be cut with the grain running across their width,rather than lengthwise, to provide maximum strength. The width of thegrooves should equal the thickness of the splines; their depth shouldbe

slightly more than one-half the width of the splines to allow for excess glue.

REINFORCING A BUTT JOINT WITH A SPLINE

Cutting grooves and inserting splinesMark the thickness of the sol ine on theleading end of one board. Instal l a dadohead of the appropriate width on the tablesaw and set the depth of cut. Al ign themarks on the worko iece w i th the dadohead, then butt the fence against the faceof the stock. To secure the workpiece dur-ing the cu t , c lamp a sh im to the tab leand screw a featherboard on top. Theshim wi l l a l low the featherboard to suo-port the middle of the workpiece. Turnon the saw and feed the board into thedado head, keeping the workpiece f i rmlyagainst the fence (right). lf you are work-ing with narrow stock, use a push st ickto complete the pass. Repeat the cut onthe mating board, then spread some gluein the grooves, insert the spline, and clampthe boards as in panel (page 25) or edgebutt gluing (page 26). (Caution: Bladeguard removed for clarity.)

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BUTTERFLY KEY IOINTS

Also known as a double dovetail, the but-terfly key joint serves to strengthen paneljoints. If it is cut from a contrasting hard-wood, the key adds a decoratiue element.There are several methods for making thejoint, but here, the keys are fashioned ona table sqw and the recesses for the keysare plowed with a router.

MAKING A BUTTERFLY KEY JOINT

Making a butterfly key jointTo make several keys, out l ine the double-wing shape onthe end of your stock, making sure the grain runs along thelength of the key rather than across i ts width. Adjust theblade angle on the table saw to 10", al ign one of the keymarks on the board w i th the b lade and bu t t the fenceagainst the stock, Support the workpiece with a feather-board set atop a shim. Make a r ip cut on each side of theworkpiece, then turn the board over and saw it twice more tocut out the butterf ly pattern. Feed the stock with a pushstick (/eft). Cut indivioual keys from the board on the bandsaw. Rout the recesses for the keys using a template anda top-piloted straight bit. To make the template, outline oneof the keys on a piece of plywood and cut out the patternwith a saber saw. Then mark intersecting reference lines forthe locat ion of the key on the panel and template. Clampthe template atop the stock, al igning the reference l ines(abovd, and rout the recess to a depth equal to the thick-ness of the key. Square the corners of the recess with a chis-el. To glue in the key, spread adhesive in the recess and insertthe key. Lay a wood pad across the panel, using clamps ati ts ends to hold the key in place whi le the glue dr ies.

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iters are amongthe commonest of

joints. Builders use themwhen trimming aroundwindows and doors; cabi-netmakers usually miter: ,carcase comers and prctureframes because the miterconceals end grain. Al-though frames and boxesusually demand 90o cor-ners, a miter joint may beany angle. All are equallysimple to make, so long asthe rules of mitering arefollowed: Each intersect-ing end must be cut exact-lv at one-half the totalangle ofthe comer. Thus, the two pieces forming a 90o angle arecut at 45o each; those forming a 45o angle are cut at22L/zo.

There are two tfpes of miter joints: face miters and edgemiters. Face miters (page 45) are cut across the faces of thepieces, and are often used to connect stiles and rails in frame-and-panel construction or join the members of a picture frame.Edge miters (page 51) can be made along the edges ofthe work-pieces or across the end grain-also known as end miters orbevel miters. Because edge miters conceal the mating surfaces,they are used extensively in plywood carcase construction.

Miter joints are not only preferred for their clean lines.Because they offer more gluing area than ordinary butt

MITERIOINTS

A miter box is invaluable for making accurate angle cuts.The commercial model shown above comes with its own

smu, a solid metal base, and legs that can be fastened downto a work surface for added stability.

joints, they are stronger.Still, any end-grain mitermust be reinforced withsplines, dowels, glue blods,or biscuits.

Inserting splines is themethod most commonlyused to provide reinforce-ment (page 48). Consist-ing of nothing more thanstrips of hardwood or ply-wood, splines are gluedinto grooves that are cut inboth halves of a joint. Theresult is a strong, durablebond-even though itsintention may be moredecorative than functional,

like the feathered spline demonstrated on page 49.The angles of a miter joint can make it difficult to align

during assembly; use special clamps and jigs like those illus-trated on pages 50 and 55 to make the glue-up process easier.And, properlymade, the reinforcements themselves can assureproper alignment.

Whether reinforced or not, the success of every miter jointdepends on accurate cutting. The table saw miter jig on page46 is designed to ease that task. But whether you are using atable saw, radial arm saw, or a baclsawwith a miter box, care-ful measurement and proper setup will produce strong, attrac-tive joints that will last for years.

Making an octagonal carcaselile the table support shown atlefi calk for a seria of identical bevel cuts. For the eight piecesto fit properly, each edge must be cut at an angle of 221/2" sothat the total of all the angles adds up to 360".

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COMMON MITE,R IOINTS

End miter(eee page 51)

Ed6e miter(eee paqe 51)

Face mit'er(aee page 45)

Mitered dowel jointDowela inaerted aein butt dowel joint(paqe 28)

Eeveled plate joint(aee page 54)

Miter-and-apline(oee paqe 4B)

%

Coped joint(aee paqe 47)

Feat'her-apline(eee paqe 49)

Mitered plate joint,(aee paqe 54)

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I JIGS AND ACCESSORIES

gggg| i l | l r l i l l r | J(fP tlP.J/ {b

For clampinq carcaeee, eepecially thoeewith beveled corners; includea bracketa ofvanoua lengtha to keep cornerg gquare

This commercial miter box. which comes withits own handsaw, can be adjusted to make a cutat any anglebetween 0" and 90". For maximumconvenience, the jig is fastened to a plywood base,which is then clamped to the work surface.

Piature frame alamp

Corner clampClampe miter joinLe up to 3tnchea wtde a0 thaL adjointnqpiecea are kep| at riqht anqleato each other; four clampe arerequired to qlue up frame inone operationFour-corner clamp uoed to aoaemble

picture framea and other rectanqularwork;2- to 4B-tnch clampin4 capacity

Miter boxUaed w'rth a backaaw to cut mitera and bevele.Model ahown featurea alota for atrai4ht cute,45" miter cuta, and 45" bevel cute; clampeat each end hold workpiece in place

A $ \redWeb alampAIao known ae eLrap clamp: used to apply equal preaourearound the ctrcumference of a ptece ae when clamptng acarcaae aaaembled with aeveral beveled piecee (paqe 40),Typically featurea a f-inch-wide, l5-foot-lonq nylon atrap witha raLchettnq buckle, four corner bracketa, and a wrench

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MAKING MITER JOINTS

The radial arm saw cuts miter joints cluickly and accurately. The armthat supports the motor and blade swivels to either side for face mitercuts. The motor can also be tilted for bevel cuts. Swiveling the armand tilting the motor produces a compound cut.

f) esist the temptation to cul. mitersr\ freehand; the slightest error willresult in gaps that arJesthetically andstructurally unsound. If you are mak-ing a standard 45o cut, use a combi-nation square to set up your table sawor radial arm saw; or use a miter boxwith a backsaw For a miter or bevelcut at any other angle, adjust your sawusing a sliding bevel and a protractor.Make test cuts on a scrap board, thencheck your results. Through use, theslots in a wooden miter box canbecome out-of-square or too wide,resulting in a poorly fitting joint; youcan achieve a good fit by sawing onehalf of a joint face up and the matingpiece face down.

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A MITER BOXCut three 15-inch-long pieces ofhardwood or 3/a-inch plywood for thebase and the front and back oieces.Make the base wide enough for thestock you wi l l be sawing. Rip the

front and back pieces so that thedepth of the box will be % inch lessthan the width of your backsaw bladefrom its teeth to the bottom of thesp ine . Cut the f ron t p iece 1 inchwider than the back oiece to form a

lip at the bottom of the box. Screwthe front and back oieces to the baseso that the top edges of the box arelevel. Use a combinat ion souare tomark cutt ing l ines for the slots onthe box's top edges. Lay out a 90'angle slot 3 inches from one end,and a 45' angle slot 3 inches fromthe other end. Out l ine a second 45oslot in the opposite direction betweenthe first two slots. Make the cuts witha backsaw, using blocks clamped toe i ther s ide o f the cu t t ing l ines toguide the blade.

To use the box, secure the lip in avise, then set the workpiece on thebase, al igning the cutt ing l ine withthe appropriate slot; clamp theboard to the back piece. Start thecut by pulling the blade toward youa few times, then finish with pushand pull strokes (/eft).

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MAKING A FACE MITER J()INT

Face miter joints are a popularchoice for picture frames; they hideend grain end direct the eye toward

the center of the frame.

r) Clamping the jointL Apply adhesive on the contacting surfaces of the joint. lf you are usingcorner clamps for glue up, you wi l l need an individual c lamp for each cornerof the frame. Fi t adjoining boards in the clamps and t ighten the two screwsalternately until the joints are IighI (above).

1 Cutting the miterI To use the commercial miter boxshown, secure the legs to a work sur-face. Swivel the saw assembly unt i lthe pointer indicates the miter angleyou need; check the angle. Raise thesaw assembly on the guide posts ands l ip the workp iece under the b ladeand on the base o f the mi te r box .A l ign the cu t t ing l ine w i th the b ladeand butt the board against the fence,then lower the blade onto the work-piece, Holding the stock f i rmly, makethe cut as you would with a shop-mademiter box (above).

MITER IOINTS

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A MITER JIG FOR THE TABTE SAWMaking miter cuts on long, wide, orheavy workpieces can be tricky. Theshop-built miter jig at right makes thetask easier. Refer to the illustrationfor suggested d i mensions.

Cut two 25-inch-long hardwoodrunners the same width as the saw'smiter gauge slots. Bore clearanceholes for screws into the undersides ofthe runners, 3 inches from each endand every 6 inches in between. Placethe runners in the slots, then sl idethem out to overhang the back endof the table by about 8 inches. Withthe blade lowered below the table,position the jig base squarely on therunners, its edge flush with their over-hanging ends; then screw the runnersto the base, countersinking the screws.Slide the runners and the base off thefront end of the table and drive in theremaining screws. Attach the backsupport piece along the rear edge of

the jig, centered between the runners.Then, with the runners in the mitergauge slots, raise the blade and make

a cut through the support piece andthree-quarters of the way across thebase. Turn off the saw and lower theblade. Next, place the miter arms at90o to each other in the middle of thejig, centered on the kerf. Screw thearms and the front support piece inplace. Attach the reinforcing blocks tothe support pieces and fasten a clearplastic blade guard to the blocks withhanger bolts, washers, and wing nuts.

To use the jig, fit the runners intothe miter gauge slots. Slide the jigtoward the back of the table until theblade enters the kerf. Butt the work-piece against the left arm of the jig,al ign the cutt ing l ine with the sawblade, and clamp a stop block to thearm at the end of the board. Cut themiter, holding the workpiece f i rmlyagainst the arm and stop block (left).Make the mating cut the same wayusing the right arm of the jig.

Clear plaettc

F r n n t a t t n n n r l n i e r e

% " x 3 1 / z " x 2 0 ' 1 "

4uard

Keinforctnq block% " x 1 ' 1 " x 6 % "

Kerf

Dack auppoft piece% " x 3 k " x 1 3 "

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46

coPED IOINTS

CUTTING A COPED JOINT

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Coped joints are often used to connect two pieces of contoured moldingat inside corners. They are superior to standard miters for concealingslight inaccuracies in the fit of the pieces. Coping is a two-step operation.First, a standard 45" bevel cut is made at the end of one piece. Thisreveals a contour line, which can then be followed with a coping saw.

Coping contoured moldingCut the end of a piece of molding at a45" angle to reveal the contour l ine onthe face. To make the coped cut, clampthe molding face-up on a work surface,protect ing the workpiece with a woodpad. Instal l a narrow blade on a copingsaw, making sure that the teeth are fac-ing the handle so that the saw cuts onthe pul l stroke. Cut along the contourl ine care f u l l y w i th the saw b lade he ldperfectly upright (left). For a tight f it,undercut the joint s l ight ly, so that onlythe front of the board contacts the faceof the mating prece. l f the blade binds inthe kerf, make occasional release cutsinto the waste to let small pieces fallaway. Position the coped end against theface of the mating piece to test the f i t .Smooth out any sl ight i r regular i t ies witha round f i le or f ine sandpaper wrappedaround a dowel.

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MITER-AND. SPLINE IOINTS

The miter-and-spline is basically a face miter with a spline gluedinto grooves cut in the mitered ends. For maximum strength,the spline should be cut so that its grain runs across itswidth, rather than lengthwise, or be made from plywood.

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ROUTING A MITER.AND.SPTINE 'OINT

Cutting the groovesMake the 45" miter cuts in each work-piece f i rst . Instal l a three-wing slot t ingcutter in your router and mount the toolin a table. Position the fence in line withthe bi t pi lot , then place the workpiecef lat on the table and center the bi t onthe edge of the stock. Feed the workpieceinto the cutter with a miter gauge, hold-ing the edge of the board flush againstthe gauge and one mitered end flat againstthe fence (right). (You can also rout thegrooves for miter-and-spline joints by usinga straight bi t and feeding the stock onend into the bi t . ) Once al l the grooveshave been made, cut a spl ine for eachjoint; make it twice as wide as the depth ofthe groove, less %z inch for clearance. Glueup the joint as you would a standard miter(page 45), spreading glue in the grooves.

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FEATHER-SPLINE IOINTS

MAKING A FEATHER-SPLINE J()INT

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The spline in a feather-spline joint serves more oJa decorative role than a structural one. In contrastto the miter-and-spline, the groove for the featherspline is cut after the corner is glued up.

1 Making the j igI You can cut the srooves for a feather-sp l ine jo in t on t t re iaUte saw us ing thefence-straddl ing j ig shown at lef t . Thejig feeds the corner of a mitered frameacross the table and squarely into theblade. Cut the body and brace from3/q-inch plywood and the arms from l-by-2stock. Make the body, spacer, and braceabout 16 inches long and the arms 12inches long; the body should be about 5inches wide. (The thickness of the spac-er and the width of the brace depend onthe dimensions of your saw's r ip fence.)Attach the spacer to the body and thebrace to the spacer so the jig slides freelya long the fence w i thout wobb l ing . Toprepare the arms, cut 45" miters at bothends and screw them to the body so thatthey are perpendicular to each other; checkthat the joint between them forms a 90"angle. To complete the j ig, screw a shimto the body and fasten a toggle clamp tothe shim ( lef t) , f fake certain there areno screws close to the bottom of the j igwhere the blade could str ike one.

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MITER IOINTS

r) Cutting the groovesL to use the j ig , p lace i t as t r ide thefence and posit ion the two so the cut wi l lbe made in the middle of the workpiece.Slide the jig along the fence to cut groovesthrough the mitered ends of the arms. Turnof f the saw and pu l l the j ig back to thefront of the table. Seat the frame in thejig so a corner is butied against the centero f the V fo rmed by the arms and c lampthe workoiece in olace. Feed the stockinto the blade (right), holding the jig withboth hands. Cut t r iangu lar sp l ines to f i tin the grooves. Spread a little glue in thegrooves and insert the spl ines. Once theglue has cured, cut and sand the projec-t ions f lush with the frame.

MITER CTAMPING BTOCKSYou can glue up mitered corners with-out special c lamps, instead usinghandscrews and the soecial blocksshown at r ight. You wi l l need oneclamo and two blocks for each cor-ner. Use stock the same thicknessas your workpiece for the blocks; onone edge, cut the 45'angle and theV-shaped notch (rnsef).

To use the blocks, apply glue to thecontacting surfaces and press themtogether. At each corner, use stringto tie the blocks snugly to the edgesof the frame, securing the loose endin the notch. Set the jaws of the hand-screw against the 45'angle edgesof the blocks and t ighten the clamp(right) unlil there are no gaps betweenthe mitered ends and a thin bead ofglue squeezes out of the joint. To keepthe frame square, t ighten the hand-screws a little at a time, checking thecorner with a combination souare.

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EDGEMITERIOINTS

Edge miter joints feature matchingbevel cuts inthe mating pieces, either across the workpieceend (beIow) or along the edge (far right). Theedge miter is a popular joint for carcase cornersbecause it conceals end grain. Both examples

shown are reinforced with splines.

CUTTING AN EDGE MITER JOINTMaking the bevel cutTo cut a standard edge miter joint on thetable saw, set the blade angle at 45" andposition the rip fence for the width of cut,ensuring that the blade teeth are point-ing away from the fence. Raise the spl i fter to keeo the kerf ooen whi le the cut isbe ing made, wh ich w i l l p revent b ind ingand kickback. Feed the workoiece intothe blade, using a push st ick to keep theboard flat on the saw Iable (left). (Caution:Blade guard removed for clari$.) To cut thebevel across the end of a board, move thefence aside and feed the workpiece intothe blade with the miter gauge. Once all thebevel cuts have been made, reinforce thejoints with splines (page 52), glue blocks(page 53), or biscuits (page 54).

5 l

MITER TOINTS

REINF()RCING EDGE MITERS WITH SPTINES

Cutting the grooves on a table sawInsta l l a dado b lade, adjust ing i t to cut a groovethe same width as the th ickness of your spl ines-often t/q inch, Set the blade angle at 45'and makethe cut t ing depth s l ight ly more than one-hal f thew id th o f t he sp l i nes -o f t en 3 /q i nch . A l i gn t hemitered edge of the workpiece wi th the dado headso the groove wr l l be c loser to the ins ide cornero f t he j o i n t t o ensu re t ha t t he cu t w i l l no t pene -t rate the top face of the board. But t the r ip fenceagainst the workpiece. Wrth the saw unplugged,rotate the dado head by hand to make certain thati t c lears the fence. l f not , a t tach an auxi l iary woodfence , repos i t i on t he r i p f ence acco rd ing l y , andmake a relief cut. Cut the groove as you would a bev-el, using a push stick to apply pressure on the table(above). To cut a groove across beveled end grain,set up the dado head and fence as you would fora cu t a long the edge . Then feed the workp iecewrth the mi ter gauge ( r ight) . keeping the boardf l ush aga ins t t he gauge and the fence . Fash ionspl ines and g lue up the lo int as you would a mi ter-and-spline joinl (page 46t.

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MITER IOINTS

REINFORCING EDGE MITERS WITH GLUE BLOCKS

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Routing groovesYou can also cut the grooves for a spline-reinforced edge miter using a router fittedwith a commercial edge guide. Secure themating pieces in a vise, beveled surfacesfacing out, making sure that their ends andedges are flush. Install a straight bit as thickas your splines and set the cutting depth atslightly more than one-half the spline width.Attach an edge guide on the router andalign the bit over one of the beveled edgesso the groove wi l l be closer to the insidecorner of the joint . Then butt the guidefence against the other beveled edge andf ix i t in place. Rout the groove by r idingthe base plate flat on the edge to be cutwhi le pressing the guide fence against themating piece. Turn the router around andrepeat the cut in the olher piece (right).

Making and attaching glue blocksUse 1-by-1 s tock as long as thejoint. Before assembling the carcase,screw a block to one piece, al igningthe edge of the block with the insideedge of the bevel. Spread glue on thebeveled surfaces, press the boardstogether, then attach the block to theother piece (/ef f) . Repeat with theremaining corners of the carcase, usingbar clamps i f necessary to hold theassembly square.

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MITERED PLMEIOINTS

Plate joinery is a simple way tofasten boards or panels together,whether the joining surfaces aremitered or beveled. Once glue is

added, the biscuits swell, creatinga strong, durable joint.

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JOINING BEVELED CORNERS WITH BISCUITS

1 Setting up the plate joinerI Place two adjacent panels on a work surface, inside-faceup, and mark slot locations on both pieces; also add referenceletters for ease of assembly. Start about 2 inches in from theedges, spacing the l ines at 4- to 8- inch intervals. Repeat theprocedure at the other three corners of the carcase. Adjust theplate joiner 's fence to the proper angle, fol lowing the manufac-

turer 's direct ions. For the model shown, the panel is c lampedto the work surface with one beveled end project ing off theedge. Rest the tool 's faceplate against the end, loosen thefence locking lever and swivel the fence downward against theface of the panel. Lock i t in place whi le the faceplate is f lushagainst the bevel (above)

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MITER TOINTS

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Q Gluing up the carcaser-,f Once all the slots have been cut, set the panels on the worksurface inside-face up. Squeeze glue into the slots and alongthe edges of the panels, inserting biscuits as you go. Assemblethe carcase, working quickly to prevent the biscuits from swellingbefore you have had time to complete the glue up. To keep the

r) Cutting the slotsI V,ontngthe tool f i rmly against thestock, al ign the guidel ine on the face-plate with a slot locat ion mark. Switchon the tool and plunge the cutter intothe workpiece (left). RepeaI the proce-dure to cut the remaining slots.

beveled edges from sl ipping out of al ignment as the adhesiveis drying, secure the carcase with web clamps. The type shownhere uses corner brackets to distribute pressure evenly alongthe length of each joint. Wrap straps around the unit and tightenthem with the buckles before locking them in place (above).

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useful; they are the method ofchoice for installing shelves or assembling drawers. A self-lock-ing joint can be made by adding a dovetail.

A catalog oflap, rabbetr groov€, and dado joints begins onpage 58; a section on techniques for making them begins onpage 64. Experiment with the methods shown, or alter themto suit your own skills and the tools you own. The resultsshouldbe useful and enlightening.

The dado joint is a popular choice for assemblingdrawers. The dado-and-rabbet works well for join-ing the back to the sides, while the drawer frontdemands a stronger joint such as a double dado.

II

IAB RABBET GROO\TE,ATDDADOIONTS

he three dozen joints featuredin this chapter are used in

applications as varied as buildingcabinet carcases and piecing togeth-er frames and doors. This is a ver-satile family ofjoins, with the addedvirtue of being strong and simple.

In addition, almost all of thesejoints can be made in several ways,using either hand or power tools.For example, a dado can be cut witha router, a table saw or a radial armsaw; it can be started with a handsaw and finished with a chisel.However, the typical woodworkerwill probably produce better-fittingjoints in les time using power tools.

Perhaps the simplest of all jointsare lap joints, the first covered inthis chapter. As the name suggests,a lap joint is formed by laying oneboard over another and fastening the two at the required angle.The simple lap is weak and unattractive, but the joint can berendered strong and elegant by first cutting a dado in one orbottr boards so that their faces lie flush with each other. The lapprovides good long-grain surface contact for gluing, and addi-tional reinforcement is seldom required unless the joint willbe subjected to tensional stress.

Shelves are often fued to carcase sideswith dado joints. Here, a router plows a throughdado. An edge pide helps keep the cut parallel

to the end of thepanel.

Rabbetjoints, the second groupdescribed, are most frequently usedto join carcase and drawer corners,and less often for edge joining.Some variants, like the stoppedrabbet (page 75) and the miteredrabbet (page76), are intended toconceal the end grain ofthe pieces.Remember, however, that any cor-ner joinery that mates end grainrequires reinforcement in the formof dowels, screws, or glue blocks.

A third group, tongue-and-groovejoints, are most often used for edge-to-edge joinery. Theymaybe glued,but sometimes are assembled drysothatthewood can move ashumidi-tvalters the moisture content.'

Dado joints, illustrated at left andonthe oppositepage, are simple and

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LAP IOINTSI

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-f h. lap, rabbet, tongue-and-groove,I and dado ioints il lustrated on the

following pages appear quite different,but all are linked by a common feature:Each owes its strength to a channel ofsome sort in one piece that accepts amating piece. Some joints, like the dove-tailed half-lap (page 69), are essentiallyvariations on a theme, introducing a dec-orative effect or a slight modificationthat adds an extra measure of strength.Others solve a particular problem; forinstance, the glazing bar half-Iap (pageZ0) connects the muntins of a windowsash or a glazed door.

Most of the techniques shown on thefollowing pages can bi applied to makeother joints shown in the chapter whena similar type of cut is needed. For exam-ple, the handsaw and chisel techniqueshown on page 68 can be used to makea dado, end rabbet, or lap cut; a baclaawand edge guide clamped onto the work-piece can take the place of a miter box.

tAP J(IINTSIIIIIIIIIItIIttIIIIIIItII

T half-lap jointldentical to croee half-lap ioint(paqe 66), except one or 6othpiecea interaect between ende,rather than at enda

Mitered half4ap jointSimilar to corner haff-lap(paqe 64); cheek of onepiece and ahoulder ofmatinq board aremitered at 45"

Full lap jointDado in one piece iodeep enou1h to houaefull thickneaa of mat-in4 board; dado is cutae in croea half-lap(paqe 66)

ANATOMY ()F A C()RNER HALF-LAP J()INT(See page 64)

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I LAP. RABBET. GROOVE. AND DADO TOINTS

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Crose half-lap joint(eee paqe 66)

Half-blindhalf-lap joint(.eee paqe 67)

Glazing bar half-lap joint(eee paqe 7a)

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Dovetailedhalf-lap joint( a o , n a n o 6 \ Q \

Edge half-lap jointldent.tcal to otan-dard croaa half-lap

@aqe 66), exceptjoint ia cuL in edqeeof workpteces rathert han in facee

Angled half-Iap joint(eee paqe 6B)

Keyed dovetailhalf-lap joint9tmtlar to T half-lap,a v r o n t f h a + ^ h o ) . a

of lap and ahoulderaof maLtn7 dado arebeveled Lo tncreaseLenetonal eLren7thof jotnL

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RABBET IOINTS

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Blind tongue-and-grooveTonque andqroove bo'h otopahorL of one orboth ende; qrooveia cuL like blinddado (page b1)

6 eveled to n g ue- a n d - g ro ove

ANATOMY ()F A T()NGUE-AND-GR()()VE J()INT(See page 77)

TONGUE-AND - GRO OVE IOTNTS

OIue joint(oee paqe 79)

Identtcal to etandard tonque-and-qroove (paqe77), except, aur-facea above tonque and qrooveare beveled to conceal joinL

J()INING S()LID WOODEDGING T() PLYWO()D

Plywood has one major draw-back fo r cab ine tmak ing : Themul t i -p ly compos i t ion o f thepanels is clear ly vis ible on theiredges and ends . There areseveral ways to conceal theunsight ly pl ies. Pressure-sen-si t ive wood grain tape or sel f-adhes ive edge band ing canbe app l ied . The i l lus t ra t ionabove shows a number of moreinvolved edge treatments forplywood; each is a variation onthe tongue-and-groove joi ntin which a strip of wood band-ing or mo ld ing is bonded tothe edges of the panel.

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mating piece haematchinq notch

DADO IOINTS

5topped dadojoint)imilar to blind dado (pa7eB1), except dado ebopaahort of one end while

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Elind dado joint(eee paqe B1)

Dado-and-rabbet jointContains a dado (paqe BO)cut to houae the ton4ue ofa rabbet(paqe73)

Tongue-and-dado jointFeaturea a ton7ue (paqe7B\ houaed in a throuah

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I LAR RABBET, GROOVE, AND DADO IOINTS

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5liding dovetail joint(eee gaqe Bb)

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Loak miter jointAlso known aa miteredlock rabbet joint. Typeahown made up of dado(paqe BO) and mitercut; variation can becut with apeciallydeai4ned ehaper cut-ter or router bit

9lidin6 half-dovetail jointFeaturea a throuqh dado(paqe BO) with a half-dovetailcut alon6 one eide (paqe B3);matinq piece hao matching

dado joint(eee paqe O4)

h a lf- d ov eta i I cut a lo n 4one aide

alonq only one eide of alideand groove

5topped alidinghalf-dovetail joint)imilar to alidinq dovetail (paqeBZ), except qroove atopa ahortof one ed7e and dovetail ie cut

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CORNERHALF-LAP IOINTS

The simple corner half-lap joint is

frequently used to make frames.Adding dowels or screws to the joint

provides an extra me*sure of strength.

MAKING A CORNER HALF.LAP JOINT

1 Cutting the shouldersI Make a half-lap on the table saw by cutting the shouldersf i rst , and then the cheeks. Mark the depth and width of thehalf-lap on the edge of the workpiece, then rnstall a crosscutblade and set the cutting height to one-half the stock thick-ness. Clamp a stop block to the r ip fence; posi t ion the blockso that the stock will clear it before reaching the blade. Alignthe width mark with the blade and oosit ion the fence for thewidth of cut. Then butt the end of the workpiece againstthe stop block and holding i t in posi t ion on the mitergauge,feed it into the blade hbovd.

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r) Cutting the cheeksL lnslal l a commercial tenoning j igon the table following the manufacturer'sinstructions; the model shown slides inthe miter slot. (lnstructions for building ashop-made tenoning jig are on page 93.)Clamp the workpiece to the j ig, using awood pad to protect the stock. Raise theblade to the width of the half- lap, thenshif t the j ig lateral ly to l ine up the depthmark with the blade. Push the jig forwardto make the cut (right).

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LAP, RABBET, GROOVE, AND DADO IOINTS

CORNER HAIF-IAP JOINT JIGlf you have to make corner half-lapsin several boards of the same size,i t is worth taking the t ime to bui ldthe j ig at r ight. Cut the two basepieces and the stop block from ply-wood that is the same thickness asyour stock. The base pieces shouldbe wide enough to accommodate theedge guides and support the routerbase plate as you cut the half-laps.Use sol id wood str ios for the fourpdoo or r idoc

To assemble the j ig, mark theshoulder of the haltlap on one work-piece and set the board face-up on awork surface. Butt the base oiecesagainst the edges of the board sothat the shoulder mark is near themiddle of the base pieces. Install astraight bi t in the router and al ignthe cutter with the shoulder mark.Posit ion one end guide across thebase pieces and against the tool 'sbase plate. Without moving the work-piece, repeat the procedure to posi-tion the opposite guide. Now align thebit with the edges of the workpieceand attach the side guides, leavinga slight gap between the router baseplate and each guide. (The first half-lap you make with the j ig wi l l routreference grooves in the base pieces.)Sl ip the stop block under the endguide, butt it against the end of theworkpiece, and screw i t in place.Countersink al I fasteners.

To use the j ig , c lamp i t to thework surface and slide the workoiecebetween the base pieces unt i l i tbutts against the stop block. Pro-tect ing the stock with a wood pad,clamp the workpiece in place. Adjustthe router's cutting depth to one-half

the stock thickness. Then, with therouter posi t ioned inside the guides,grip the tool firmly, turn it on and low-er the bi t into the workpiece. Guidethe router in a clockwise direction to

cut the outside edges of the half-lap,keeping the base plate flush againsta guide at all times. Then rout out theremaining waste, feeding the toolagainst the direction of bit rotation.

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Eaoepiecee

End quide

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65

CROSS HALF-LAP IOINTSI

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Formed by cutting dadoes in two boardsof equal thickness, the cross half-lap isan excellent method of joining the inter-secting pieces of face frames.This jointrequires no reinforcement.

ROUTING A CROSS HALF-LAP JOINT

Using a router and a shop-made jigBu i ld a j ig l i ke the one shown on page65, but el iminate the stop block; this wi l la l low you to a l ign any sec t ion o f theworkp iece w i th the midd le o f the j ig .Make a test cut in a scrao board to routreference grooves in the base pieces.These wi l l make i t easy to l ine up thecuts. Mark shoulder l ines for the half-laps on the workpieces, then instal l astraight bit in the router and set the cut-t ing depth for hal f the thickness of thestock. Position the stock in the jig, align-ing the shoulder marks with the refer-ence grooves in the base pieces. Clampthe j ig to the work surface, then instal la second clamp to secure the workpiecein place. Rout the half- lap (r ight)asyouwould to make a corner half- lap joint .

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HALF-BLIND HALF-LAP IOINTS

A variation of the T halfJap, the half-blind halfJap joint conceals the endgrain of one member. The socket for thehalfJap can be cut with a roLtter, asshown below, or by hand using a chisel.

MAKING A HALF.BTIND HAIF.LAP J(|INT

1 Gutting the half-lapI Make this joint by cutt ing the half- lap on the table saw f i rst , and then rout ingout the socket. Mark the shoulder of the half-lap on the leading edge of one piece.Install a dado head and set the cutting height to one-half the stock thickness. Buttthe shoulder mark against the outside blade of the dado head, then position the ripfence flush against the workpiece. Cut away the waste in successive passes, work-ing from the end of the board to the shoulder mark. Make the f inal pass with theboard flush against the fence (above). (Caution: Blade guard removed for clarity.)

r") Cutting the joint socketZ A plywood template is used to routout the socket. Out l ine the half- lao cutin Step 1 on the template, then cut outthe pattern with a band saw, sabersaw or coping saw. Fasten a fence tothe cut-out edge of the template withcountersunk screws. Secure the templateand the workpiece in a vise, aligning thecut-out with the out l ine on the stock.Instal l a top-pi loted straight bi t in yourrouter and make the cutting depth equalto one-half the stock thickness plus thethickness of the template. Rout the out-line of the socket by keeping the bit pilotagainst the template, then remove theremaining waste by moving the router ina clockwise direction, against the direc-tion of bit rotation. Use a chisel to souarethe corners.

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ANGLED HALF-LAP IOINTSI

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CUTTING AN ANGLED HALF.LAP JOINT

1 Cutting kerfs in the half-lap outlineI Mark the shoulders of the half- lap on the face of theworkpiece, angling the lines to suit the job at hand. The cutscan be made with a radial arm saw, table saw, router, or, asshown here, a handsaw and miter box. Set the workpiece inthe miter box with the edge against the fence and al ign oneshoulder mark with the blade. Lock the blade at this angleand adjust the depth to one-half the stock thickness. Holdthe board in position as you saw into it. Repeat to cut theother shoulder line. Then saw a number of kerfs between thetwo cuts (above).

Woodworkers use theangled half-Iap-oroblique lap joint-tojoin boards thqt cross atangles other than 90",such as diagonal tableIeg stretchers.

r') Chiseling out the wasteL Clamp the workpiece face-up on the bench, protect ingthe stock with wood pads. Holding a wood chisel bevel-uphorizontal ly, str ike the handle with a mal let to spl i t of f thewaste between the shoulder cuts hbove). After the bulk ofthe waste has been removed, pare the bottom of the half-lao unt i l i t is smooth and even.

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DOVETAILED HALF-LAP JOINTS

Combining the strength of the dovetailjoint with the simplicity of the half-Iap,the dovetailed half-lap is a favorite joinerymethod for frames and table stretchers.The joint strongly resists tension.

MAKING A DOVETAITED HAIF.IAP J(lINT

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Cutting the dovetailedhalf-lap and the socketIn one workp iece , cu t a corner ha l f - lap(page 64). Then, out l ine the dovetai l onthe cheek of the half- lap and cut i t out onthe band saw (lefil; use an angle of 1:8if you are working with hardwood, or a 1:6angle for softwood. Use the dovetai ledhalf-lap to outline the socket in the matingworkoiece: make sure the shoulder of thehalf-lap is butted against the edge of theboard as you mark the lines (above). Makethe socket using a router with a template(page 67), a table saw, a radial arm saw,or a handsaw and miter box (page 68),cutt i ng to one-half the stock thickness.

69

GLAZING BAR HALF-LAP IOINTSI

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For nnny of us, the glazirtg, or sash, bar hnlf-lap johttis as fantiliar as the view frortr the kitclrcn window.Featuring a mitered halfJap utt irtto a ntolded woodstrip, the joint has traditionnlly been used to create ogrid to hold the glass panes of a cabinet door or wirr-dow. The panes sit in robbets routed along the edges ofthe bars and are held in place with thin strips of nnlding.

MAKING A GTAZING BAR HALF.LAP J()INT

1 Mold ing the g laz ing barI This joint is made in three stages: First,t he p rope r p ro f i l e i s cu t i n to t he g laz ingbar, as shown at right; next, rabbets are cutinto the opposite side of the bar to hold theglass and molding strips (sfep 2); f inally,the mi tered hal f - lap is produced (steps 3to 5). For the first stage, install a pilotedround-over b i t in a router , mount the tooli n a t ab le , and a l i gn t he fence w i th t hel - r i t 's n i lo t hear inp The stock shou ld bew ide enough so tha t mak ing a pass oneach s ide of the bar wi l l leave a r / r inch-

w ide l r p be tween the cu ts . Suppo r t t heworkpiece dur ing the operat ion wi th threefeatherboards: Clamp one to the table oppo-s i te the b i t and two to the fence on e i thers ide of the cut ter . ( ln the i l lust rat ion, thefeatherboard on the out feed s ide of thefence has been removed for clarity.) Feedt h e b a r i n t o t h e b i t u n t i l y o u r f i n g e r sapproach the b i t , then use the next p ieceas a push stick or move to the other side ofthe table and pul l the workpiece past thectr t ier Rcneat the r^r r t nn the Other Side Ofthe bar (right). Prepare an extra bar to helpc .p f r r n i hp n r r i i n s t on ?

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LAP, RABBET, GROOVE, AND DADO JOINTS

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r) Cutting rabbets for the glass panesL lnstall a dado head on your table saw slightly wider thanthe desired rabbets. The tongue remaining after the rabbetsare cut should measure at least Vqinch. lnstal l a woodenauxiliary fence and mark the rabbet depth on it-the com-bined thickness of the glass and the molding str ip. Posit ionthe auxi l iary fence over the dado head, ensuring that themetal fence is clear of the cutters, Turn on the saw and slowlycrank up the dado head un t i l i t fo rms a re l ie f cu t to themarked line. Turn off the saw and mark the width of the rab-bets on the leading end of the glazing bar. Butt one of themarks against the outer blade of the dado head, then posi-tion the fence flush against the bar. Use three featherboardsto suppor t the workp iece as in s tep 1 , add ing a suppor tboard to provide extra pressure for the featherboard clampedto the table. (Again in this i l lustrat ion, one of the feather-boards has been removed for clarity.) Feed the bars by hand(right) until your fingers approach the featherboards, then usethe nex t workp iece to push the bar th rough. F in ish thecuts on the f inal workpiece by pul l ing i t f rom the outfeedside of the table.

Making the miter cutsRemove the dado head and insta l l a

crosscut blade. Adjust the blade angle to45", then attach a miter gauge extension.To se t the b lade he igh t , ho ld the ex t raglazing bar on the saw table so the tongueyou cut in step 2 is flush against the exten-sion. The top of the blade should be levelwith the lower side of the l ip. Make a testcu t and ad jus t the b lade he igh t un t i l thecutting edge just scores the lip (inset).Then mark out the miter cuts on both sidesof the bars; at their widest point the Vsshould be the same width as the stock.To make the cut, hold the tongue of thebar flat against the miter gauge extensionand align one of the marks with the blade.Butt a stop block against the end of thes tock and c lamp i t to the ex tens ion tol ine up subsequent cuts. Clamp the work-piece to the extension and feed the glazingbar in to the b lade wh i le ho ld ing i t f i rm lyin place. Rotate the piece and repeat tocu t the o ther s ide o f the V. Repeat theprocess to cut the V on the opposite sideof the bar (left).

7 I

LAR RABBET, GROOVE, AND DADO IOINTS

Cleaning up the V-cutsOnce al l the miter cuts have been

made, use a narrow chisel to pare awaythe waste. The width of the channel atthe bottom of the V should eoual thewidth of the l ip. Holding the chisel bev-el side up, pare away the waste (/eft)until the bottom of the V is smooth andf lat. Work carefullv to avoid tearout.

Cutting the half-lapsAdiust the table saw dado head to

the width of the bar 's l ip and set thecutt ing height to one-half the stockthickness. You will be cutting a haltlapin the bottom of one glazing bar, thenmaking an ident ical cut in the top ofthe mating piece. Set up the cut byal igning the middle of the V-cut withthe dado head, whi le holding the barf lush against the miter gauge exten-sion. Keep the workoiece flat on the sawtable and f lush against the extensionas you cut the half-laps (below).

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72

RABBET JOINTSI

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Widely used in carcase and drawer con-struction, the rabbet joint is essentially a

modified butt joint in which the end oredge of one bonrd fits in a rabbet ctrt it'rthe ntating piece. The rabbet's widthshould equal the thickness of the stock;

its depth should be half that amotmt.

MAKING A RABBET JOINT

Using a routerYou can use e i ther a p i lo ted b i t or a non-pi lc ted b i twi th an edge guide. In e i ther case, c lamp the stockto a wo rk su r face . Fo r a non -p i l o ted b t t , mark t herabbet width on the top face of the stock. Al ign thecu t t i ng edge o f t he b i t w i t h t he mark , t hen c lampan edge gu ide to t he wo rkp iece f l ush aga ins t t herouter base p late and paral le l to the workpiece edge.Cu t t he rabbe t w i t h t he p la te bu t ted aga ins t t heguide (above). lf you are working with a piloted bit,choose a cut ter that wi l l produce the desi red widtho f r a b b e t . T h e n , g r i p p i n g t h e r o u t e r f i r m l y w i t hbo th hands , gu ide the b i t i n to t he wo rkp iece a to n e e n d . R i d e t h e p i l o t b e a r i n g a l o n g t h e e d g e(right) as you make the cut.

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LAP, RABBET, GROOVE, AND DADO IOINTS

Cutting a rabbet on the table sawInstal l a dado head sl ight ly wider thanthe rabbet you w ish to make, theninstal l an auxi l iary fence and make arel ief cut in i t as you would when cut-t ing a glazing bar half- lap (page 71).Mark a cutt ing l ine for the inside edgeof the rabbet on the workpiece. Buttthe mark against the outer blade ofthe dado head, then pos i t ion the r ipfence f lush aga ins t the workp iece .C lamp two fea therboards to ho ldthe workpiece securely against thefence and saw table; a support boardprovides extra stability. Feed the work-piece with both hands (above) unlilthe rabbet is completed. Use a pushstick to finish the pass on narrow stock.

Kourer biLe can -=&*iLear wood fibere ,#";-ao they exit a work- Wpiece atLhe end of acroeeqrain rabbeL or dadocut. To Vrevenf, eplint erinq,clamp a wood blockLhe sameIhickneee ao your workpiece alonq theedqe trom which the biI will exit. Tthe ?resoureof the block aqainot the otock will compreoeNhetibers and reducelhe oroblem ofNearout.

fill illl lltl filt llt lllr ffi IIt illl fill llll tlll lll] lll illl fill l]lt illl1HO? Tt?Minimizingtea?oul

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STOPPED RABBET IOINTS

The stopped rabbet joint is similar to the standardrabbet, with an important difference: The rabbet cut isstopped short of the front edge of the joint-usually bytto nlore than I inch-and a ntatching notch is cut inthe nnting piece, resulting in on invisible joint. ,#

:&'.i.*

TW() WAYS T() ROUT A STOPPED RABBET

Routing a stopped rabbetMake the cut on a router table or with the router hand-held. lnei ther case, mark a cutt ing l ine on the face of the workpiece forthe end of the rabbet. For the router-table method, instal l astraight bi t , set the depth of cut, and adjust the fence for thedesired width of cut. Draw a reference line on the fence to markthe position of the cutter where it exits the fence. With the stockclear of the bi t , turn on the router and press the workpiece f lushagainst the fence whi le feeding i t forward. When the cutt ing l ineon the board l ines up w i th the re fe rence l ine , p ivo t the s tock

off the fence (above, lef t) . Io make the cut with a hand-heldrouter, instal l a pi loted rabbet ing bi t and clamp the stock to awork sur face . A l ign the b i t w i th the cu t t ing l ine on the work-p iece and c lamp a s top b lock aga ins t the rou ter base p la te .Feed the bi t into the stock at the start ing end of the rabbet,butt ing the bi t 's pi lot bearing against the edge. Cont inue thecut along the edge (above, right) until the base plate touchesthe stop block, For both methods, square the end of the rabbetw i th a ch ise l .

MITERED RABBETIOINTSI

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A combination of rabbet and miter joinery, themitered rabbet ioint is a variation of the standardrabbet that coiceals the end grain'of the matingpieces. The joint is created by cutting rabbets inthe ends of both pieces, then mitering the protrud-ing tongues. This joint demands precision, but theresult is a strong and attractive connection.

Cutting the rabbets and mitersCut rabbets in both Dieces. Make the cuts to the same deoth-about two-thirds the thickness of the stock. The width of one rab-bet should equal the stock's thickness, the width of the othershould equal the thickness of the tongue left by the first rabbetcut. Mark 45' angle lines across both tongues for the miter cuts,starting each mark at the outside corner of the tongue (inset).Adjust the blade angle on your table saw to 45", and set the cut-

ting height so the blade will cut through the tongue. Next, screwan extension board to the miter gauge and make a reference cutin the board. Holding the workpiece flush against the extension,align the cutting line with the reference cut, then cut the miter(above). When mitering the workpiece with the shorter tongue,adjust the cutting height to just sever the waste; otherwise, theblade will bite into the rabbet shoulder and weaken the ioint.

MAKING A MITERED RABBET JOINT

Miter aauaeexteniion" KeTerence

76

TONGUE-AND - GROOVE IOTNTSI

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The tongue-ard-groove ioirtt has ntany uses

for the woodworket-fronr joiningboards edge-to-edge to fixing shelving to carcases. Whenrtsed to fonrt carcase panels, the joint can beassembled without glue to nllow for woodmovenrcnt caused Lty Jhtctutttions in humidity.

A TONGUE.AND.GROOVE JOINT ON THE TABLE SAW' l Cutting the grooveI Mark the out l ine of the groove on theend of the workpiece. l t should be % thestock th ickness; the depth is of len r /z

i n c h . I n s t a l l a d a d o h e a d a n d a d j u s t i tto the desi red width and height . Insta l lan auxi l iary wood fence and make a re l ie fcut in i t (page 71) . (Al though the auxi l -iary fence is only necessary for cutting thetons r re i n s ten 2 . i t i s be t te r t o moun ti t now.) Al ign the cut t ing marks wi th thedado head , bu t t t he r i p f ence aga ins tthe stock, and clamp a featherboard to thetable for support . Rest the featherboardon a wood shim to keep the workpiecef rom t i pp ing and c lamp a suppo r t boa rdagainst the featherboard for extra pressure.Press the workpiece against the fence asyou feed the s tock i n to t he dado head(/eft). Complete the pass with a push stick.

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77

LAP, RABBET, GROOVE, AND DADO IOINTS

r) Gutting the tongueI lt lart, the tongue on the leading endof the workpiece, using the groove fromstep 1 as a guide. Adjust the dado headfor a slightly wider cut and lower the cut-t ing height a l i t t le so the tongue wi l l notreach the bot tom of the groove. Al ignthe dado head wi th one of the cut t ingmarks and move the fence against thestock; a lso posi t ion the featherboardand support board. Feed the board asyou did cutting the groove, using a pushs t i ck t o comp le te t he pass . Tu rn t heworkpiece end-for-end and repeat onthe other s ide of the tongue (above).

Test- f i t the tongue in the groove andadjust the r ip fence, i f necessary.

lXl l|i Jl lll llii Jj llll l]ii l$ ill lll1 l$ il ]jli llli '* 'lll illJ5HO7 Tt?Rabbeting on the jointerl f your joinber hae a rab-beLing ledge, iN can cuLrabbete alonq eiLher Nheface or ed1e of a board. lnfacl, many woodworkereconsider lhe join|er NhebesL Lool for rabbetinqwith lhe qrain of a work-Viece. Adjue| Lhe cut t inqdeVLh to no more lhan 1/ainch ,Lhen a l iqn your cuL 'Ltnq mark for the rabbet,wilh lhe end of Nhe joinLerknives and buNN Lhe fenceagainet, t he et ock. KeeVthe workpiece f laL on lhe Lable and buLt ed aqainoL lhefence asyou makeLhe paee.For a rabbe l a lonq aboardface, use a Vuoh block. Make ao many ?a6eee a6 neces-oary, increaoing the cutLinq deVth 1/o inch at, a tr ime.

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78

GLUE IOINTS

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The glue joint is a variation of the ",0,. -. "'

standard tongue-and-groove and is easily !:: - :

produced with the router or the shaper. . n.

MAKING A GLUE JOINT ON THE ROUTER TABLE

Making the cutsI n s t a l l a g l u e l o i n t b i t i n a r o u t e r a n dmount the tool in a table. Adjust the cut-t ing depth so tha t the th ickness o f thewaste removed by the upper part of thecufter will eoual the thickness of the stockleft below the bottom part of the cutterr'insef). Posrtion the fence so that the bitmakes a f u l l cu t in the board , remov ingthe entire edge. Secure the workpiece withtwo featherboards clamped to the fenceon both sides of the bi t ; in the i l lustratron,the featherboard on the outfeed side hasbeen removed for c lar i ty. To make a pass,feed the stock into the bi t with your r ighthand wh i le p ress ing i t f i rm ly agarns t thefence w i th your le f t hand. To keep theentire edge flush against the fence through-out the operation, adjust the outfeed partof the fence when the board reaches i t .Stop the cut and turn off the machine, butdo not remove the workpiece. Holding theworkpiece in place, advance the outfeedfence unt i l i t butts against the cut edge.Then complete the pass (/eff).

THROUGH DADO IOINTS

A THROUGH DADO ()N THE RADIAL ARM SAW

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The through dado is a popular choicefor Jixing shelves to carcase sides or joining

drawer backs to the sides.

rll ,llt llll lltl jlli il[ lllJ llti ,lil llll llll ill] illl llt tll lllj llti lll1HO? Tt?A jigfor equally ::\-opaced dadoeeYou can cut Vre-c,ioely eVaced .....aadoes on yourtable saw quicklyand accuralely '/""by uoing a miterqauqe exLensionand a wooden key.AfLer your dado headio insLal led and adluotedLo Lhe ?ro?er widLh, cuLlwoapVropriately opaced dadoes in a miler qauqe exlension board.7crew Lhe exlension to the qauqe, careful ly al iqninq one dado wi lhLhe dado head and offoetLinq lhe second cul lo lhe riqhtr; inserLa wooden key into lhis dado. Cul trhe firsl dado ir your workViece.To achieve ?ro?er oVacing for Nhe second cut, slide your workVieceto lhe ri7hL and place Lhe first dado over trhe key, Vtake lhe seconddado cut, and reVeat, the Vroceoe unlil the job io compleled.

Cutting repeat dadoesInsta l l a dado head and adjust l t to thedesi red width of the dado. Set the sawin t he 90 " c rossc r r t t i ng oos i t i on andadlust the cut t ing depth to cut a dadohal fway through the workpiece. Cut aker f through the fence, then mark cut-t i ng l i nes f o r t he w id th o f t he dadoeson the workpiece. Push the saw yokeand dado head beh ind the fence anda l i gn one se t o f cu t t i ng marks on theworkpiece wi th the ker f in the fence.Then , ho ld ing the wo rkp iece snug l yagainst the fence, make the cut . S l idethe workpiece to the next set of cuttingl ines and cut the next dado the sameway. To help l ine up repeat cuts, c lampa stop block to the fence (above).

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IIIIIIIItIIIIIIIttItItItIIIIIItI

BLIND DADO IOINTS

The blind dado joint, in whichthe dado stops short ofboth edgesof the board, is just as strongas the through dado, but invis-ible once it is assembled. Thejoint is commonly used forattaching shelving to cabinets.

Using a plunge routerSet the stock on a work surface and markout the dado; it should be as wide as thethickness of the mating board. Install astraight bit the same width as the dado.Align the bit over the width marks for thecut and clamp an edge guide to the work-piece flush against the router base plate.Then line uo the bit with each of the dadoend marks and clamp stop blocks to theworkpiece. Gripping the router firmly withboth hands, butt its base plate against theedge guide and one stop block and plungethe bit into the stock. Cut along the guide(left)until the base plate touches the oth-er stop block. You wi l l need to squarethe ends of the dado with a chisel andcut notches at both edges of the matingboard to fit it into the dado.

ROUTII{G A BLII{D DADO

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LAP, RABBET, GROOVE, AND DADO IOINTS

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ADJUSTABLE DADO JIGThe j ig a t r igh t w i l l enab le you torout dadoes quickly and accurately.With its adjustable fence, it can alsohelp solve the problem of makingdadoes that are wider than the diam-eter of your largest straight bit. Cutthe parts of the jig from either ply-wood or sol id wood; the dimensionsshown in the i l lustrat ion wi l l sui tmost routers.

Attach the base pieces to thecleats so their outer edges are flush.Fasten the fixed fence in olace flushwith the outside edge of the narrow-er base piece, countersinking all thescrews. To attach the adjustablefence, bore holes through the cleatsat each end of the wider base oiecefor a hanger bolt. Screw the bolts tothe jig, leaving about 1 inch of eachone protruding above the base piece.To prepare the adjustable fence, cuta 1-inch-long slot at each end. Makethe slots slightly wider than the bolts,ensuring that they wi l l l ine up withthe bolts when the fence is installed.(You can make the slots by boring arow of connected holes on the drillpress and cleaning up the cuts witha chisel.) Use washers and wing nutsto attach the adjustable fence to thewider base piece.

To use the jig, set your stock ona work surface and outline the dadoon it. Align the edge of the narrowerbase piece with one edge of the out-l ine and c lamp the j ig to the worksurface. Place the router on the basepieces, butting its base plate againstthe fixed fence. Loosen the wing nutsand slide the adjustable fence againstthe base p la te . T igh ten the nu ts ,check tha t the fences are oara l le l .

and rout the dado, r iding the baseplate along the fences throughoutthe cut (below). For a dado that iswider than your bit's diameter, slidethe adjustable fence away from thebase plate by the appropriate amount,

measuring to make sure the distancebetween fences is uniform along theirlength. Ride the base plate againstthe fences to rout the edges of thedado, then remove the waste betweenthe cuts.

Adjuotable fence1 /2 "x31 /+ "x20 "

Daee pieceo (2)1 /2"x43/+"x20"1 , /2 "x53/+"x20"

Cteat (2)

Ftxed fence1 / 2 " x 2 " x 2 0 "

t / 2 " x 2 " x 1 2 "

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82

A SLIDING DOVETAIT IOINT ()N THE ROUTER TABLE

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SLIDING DOVETAIL IOINTS

The sliding dovetail is commonly

the mating pieces together, the joint is a goodchoice for furniture that must be disassembled.

1 Routing the dovetail grooveI Cut the groove in two passes, first with a straight bit toremove most of the waste, and then with a dovetail bit to com-plete the groove. For the first pass, install a r/q-inch straightbit in the router and mount the tool in a table. Set the cuttingdepth, then center an edge of the workpiece over the bit andbutt the fence against i ts face. To keep the workpiece f lushagainst the fence, clamp a featherboard to the table. Completethe pass with a push st ick. Instal l a dovetai l bi t in the routerand make the second pass the same wav Gbove).

Making the dovetail slideWith the dovetai l bi t st i l l in the router, reduce the cutt ing

depth sl ight ly. This wi l l make the sl ide shorter than the depthof the groove, improving the f i t of the joint . Move the fencetoward the bi t unt i l about half the diameter of the cutter oro-jects beyond the fence; reposition the featherboard according-ly. Cut the sl ide in two passes: Make the f i rst pass the sameway you routed the groove, pressing the face of the stock flushagainst the fence. To complete the sl ide, turn the workpieceend-for-end and make the second pass with the opposite face ofthe stock running along the fence (above). Test-fit the slide inthe groove, then move the fence away from the bi t for sub-seouent cuts. unt i l the sl ide f i ts.

used to assemble drawers, attach crown ' lS_]*\X

molding to cabinets, and install shelves in t *_Ifcarcases Because glue is not required to lock \

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DOUBLE DADO IOINTS

The double dado joint ffiates two throughdadoes-one on a face and the other, with onetongue shortened, on en end. The joint is strongerthan an ordinary through dado because it providesntore gluing surface. It works well when pieces of dif-

ferent thicknesses must be joined together, making it I .:.;ideal for joining a drawer front to the sides.

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A DOUBLE DAD() J()INT ()N THE TABTE SAW

1 Making the cutsI Ins ta l l a dado head on your saw, ad jus t ing i t s w id th toone-third the stock thickness. Also instal l a tenoning j ig; thecommercial model shown sl ides in the miter s lot . Clamp theworkpiece to the j ig, protect ing the stock with a wood pad.Ad jus t the j ig to center the edge o f the workp iece on theb lades so tha t the dado w i l l be cu t in the midd le th i rd o fthe board. Sl ide the j ig forward to feed the stock, then turnthe workpiece end-for-end and repeat to cut the dado in theother end (/ef f) . Next, instal l an auxi l iary fence and notch i t(page 71). Mark a cutt ing l ine on one of the tongues on theinside face of the board to divide i t in half . Holdingthe work-piece f lush against the miter gauge, inside-face down, al ignthe mark w i th the dado head. But t the fence aga ins t thestock and adjust the cutt ing height to cut the tongue in half .Feed the workpiece with the miter gauge to make the cut;repeat on the other end (above). Complete the joint by cut-t ing match ing dadoes in the face o f the mat ing p ieces toaccept the ha l f - tongues

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LAP, RABBET, GROOVE, AND DADO IOINTS

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9pacer2" x 12"

TABLE.SAW END-DADOING JIGEasy to assemble, the fence-strad-dling jig shown at left works well forcutting dadoes in the ends of boards.(The jig can also be used to cut half-lap joints or two-shouldered openmortise-and-tenon joints.) Refer to thedimensions suggested in the i l lus-trat ion, making sure the thicknessof the soacer and width of the braceal low the j ig to sl ide smoothly alongyour rip fence without wobbling.

Cut the body and brace from 3/q-

inch p lywood and the gu ide andspacer from solid wood. Saw an ovalhole for a handle in one corner ofthe jig body. Attach the guide to thebody directly in front of the handlehole, making sure that it is perfectlyvert ical . (The screws should be inthe top half of the guide, becausethe blade wi l l cut into i t for somecuts.) Screw a small wood block tothe body below the hole and attach atoggle clamp to the block. Final ly,fasten the spacer and brace in place.

To use the jig, place it astride thefence. Butt the workpiece againstthe j ig guide and clamp i t in place.Position the fence to align the cut-t ing marks on the board with theb lade and s l ide the j ig a long thefence to make the cut (\eft, bottom).

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esthetic and a structural role inWndsor chairs.

Whether a tenon is haunched,wedged, pegged, rounded, or angled,a few rules of thumb dictate the oro-portions when cutting this joint.The thickness of a tenon should beone-third the thickness of the work-piece; its width may be from two-thirds of the width to the full widthof the workpiece.

A tenonts length depends onwhether it passes completely throughthe mortise workpiece or remainshidden, or blind. The length of ablind tenon (page 9a) is often % inchor longer, depending on the useof the mating workpiece; a throughtenon (page 97) will be as longas the width or thickness of themortise workoiece.

The pages that follow show sev-eral hand- and oower-tool meth-ods for cutting mortise-and-tenonjoints. Tenons can be cut on thetable saw (page92),with abacksaw

(page 95), or on the drill press (page 110). Mortises can be pro-duced on the table saw or drill press, chiseled out by hand(page 94), or routed (page 97). Choose the method that suitsyour needs and the tools in your shop.

A tenon at the end of a rail fi* snugly in a mor-tise cut out of a table leg. This blind mortise-and-tenon joint is both sturdy and longJasting.

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IOINTSMORTISE,-ATD-TENON

he mortise-and-tenon joint isone of the oldest methods of

fastening wood. It was relied uponby builders of the sarcophagi ofancient Egypt and, centuries later,the sailing ships of Columbus.Today, the joint is used most oftenin fu rnituremaking-most typical-ly for building frames in frame-and-panel construction and joining railsto legs on desks, tables, and chairs.

The joint consists of two key ele-ments: the tenon, a projection fromthe end of one board that fits into aslot-the mortise-in the matingpiece. The mortise-and-tenon fea-tures a relatively large gluing area,involving good contact betweenlong-grain surfaces-the cheeks ofthe tenon and the sides of the mor-tise. Provided the tenon fits snuglyin the mortise, the joint offers vir-tually unparalleled resistance tomost of the stresses that wood jointsendure. Only the dovetail joint ismore difficult to pull apart.

There are dozens ofvariations ofthe standard joint, andmany are shown in the inventory ofjoints on pages 88 and 89.For example, the tusk tenon is a common way of reinforcinga trestle table; a variation ofthe round tenon serves both an

The hollow chisel mortiser can drill mortisesup to 3 inches deep quickly and accurately.The bench-mounted tool is fixed with thesame chisel bits and mortising attachment

used by the drill press.

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rMORTISE-AND-TENON IOINTS AND JIGS

ANATOMY OF A MORTISE-AND-TENOI{ JOINT A Cot tEcTt0N 0FMORTISE.AND-TEI{ONJOINTS

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Clamped in a bench vise,a commercial mortise-and-tenon jig guides arouter as it cuts a tenon.The jigtemplate is turnedend-for-end to rout thematching mortise.

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i . . ' ' , , .ThroughMorLiee paeees completelyth ro u gh workpi ece, reveal i n 4end qrain oftenon

Alao known aa a elopinq or aecrethaunch; identical tothe haunched mor-tiae-and-tenon,exaept that thehaunch io anqled,concealinq itwhen the jointio asaembled

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MORTISE-AND_TENON TOINTS

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Mofiieinq jigAttachea to router baae plate forroutinq morLiaea;Tuide pina are poei-tioned a7ainat oppoeite board fAcea,centerinq mortiae in edqe

ji6, it allowa router to cut mor\iaeaand tenons without reaet-

Tenontemplate

Moftiae-and-tenon JigUaed with a router tocuL mortiges and tenona:workpiece ia secured inviee and ji4 ia clampedto workpiece

Multi-joint jigUoed with router to cutm orbi se - a n d -ten o n jointe.L-ehaped bracket ia faa-tened to backup boardand secured in viae; appro-priate template ia attachedto bracket. Comea withguide buehin4, router aub-baae. and bits

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OPEN MORTISE-AND-TENON IOINTS

AIso known as a bridle joint or slip joint, theopen mortise-and-tenon is commonly used in

frame construction. Both the open mortise andtwo-shouldered tenon can be cut on a

table saw or radinl erm saw.

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\ , /AN oPEN MORTIsE.AND.TENON tlN THE TABLE SAw V

1 0ut l in ins the tenont -

I Secure the stock edge-up in a v ise and mark a l ine acrossthe edge for the tenon length. Then adjust a mort ise gauge sothat the gap between i ts p ins equals the tenon th ickness- typ-ica l ly one- th i rd the th ickness of the workpiece. Adjust the mor-tise gauge so that the tenon outl ine is centered between opposingfaces of the workpiece. Hold the stock f lush against the faceo f t he wo rkp iece as you gu ide the gauge a long the su r face ,scr ib ing the s ides of the tenon out l ine in the wood (above).

r) Cutting the tenon cheeksL l t tal . ,e a tenon with the table saw by cutt ing the cheeksf i rs t , and then the shou lders . Ins ta l l a tenon ing j ig on thetable; the model shown sl ides in the miter s lot . Protect ingthe stock with a wood pad, clamp the workpiece to the j igand raise the blade to the tenon length mark. Posit ion the j igso that one of the cutt ing l ines for the sides of the tenon isal igned with the blade. Feed the j ig forward to make the cut(above). Turn off the saw, turn the workpiece around in thej ig , and cu t the o ther cheek .

MORTISE-AND-TENON IOINTS

Sawing the tenon shouldersAttach an extension to your miter

gauge. Holding the edge of the work-piece against the extension, adjust theblade to the height of one of the cut-t ing l ines for the tenon cheeks. Al ignthe tenon length mark with the blade,butt a stop block against the stock, andclamp i t to the extensi0n; cut a smal lnotch from one corner of the block toprevent sawdust from accumulat ingbetween i t and the board. Holding theworkpiece f lush against the extensionand the stop block, use the miter gaugeto feed the stock into the blade. Turnoff the saw and remove the waste, thenflip the workpiece over and repeat to cutthe second shoulder (left). (Caution:Blade guard removed for clarity.)

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Cutting the moftiseReinstal l the tenoning j ig on the table.

Out l ine the mor t i se the same way youmarked the tenon (step 1)and clamp theworkpiece to the j ig. Raise the blade tothe mortise depth mark and cut the sidesof the mort ise, using the same techniqueyou used for the tenon cheeks (r ight) .Once the sides have been cut, make asmany passes as necessary to remove thewaste between them.

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MORTISE_AND_TENON IOINTS

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A TABLE.SAW TENONING JIGYou can use the jig shown at right tocut both oarts of an oDen mortise-and-tenon joint. Adapt the dimensions sug-gested in the illustration to customizethe jig for your saw, if necessary.

Cut the jig fence and back from3h-inch plywood and saw a 45" bevel atone end o f each board ; the p iecesshould be wider than the height ofyour saw 's r ip fence. Fas ten twopreces together face-to-face to fash-ion the back, then use countersunkscrews to attach the fence and backtogether in an L shape; make sure thefasteners wi l l not be in the blade'spath when you use the jig. Next, cutthe brace from solid stock, bevel itsends, and attach it along the top edgesof the fence and back, forming a tri-angle. Make the clamp by face glu-ing three pieces of 3/q-inch plywoodtogether and cutt ing the assemblyinto the shape shown. Use a hangerbolt, washer, and wing nut to attach

the clamp to the j ig back, leaving agap between the edge of the clampand the fence equal to the thicknessof the stock you will use. Offset thebolt so the clamp can pivot eccentri-cal ly. (You can dr i l l addit ional holesin the jig back to enable you to shift

Fence3/ . ' x 5 t /2 " x 24"

the clamo to accommodate differentstock thicknesses.) Next, cut the run-ner from sol id wood and attach i tto the j ig fence so that the j ig runssmooth ly across the tab le wr thoutwobbling. For some models, you willhave to mill a groove down the lengthof the runner, as shown, to fit the ripfence. Finally, cut a piece of clear plas-t ic as a blade guard and screw i t tothe jig back flush with its front face.

To r rse the i ig se t i t on the sawl r b r

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table in front of the blade with therunner and fence straddl ing the r ipfence. Clamp the workpiece in thejig and position the rip fence to alignthe cutt ing mark on the workpiecewith the blade. Feed the j ig into thecutting edge. (Your first use of the jigwi l l produce a kerf in the back.) Fl ipthe workpiece around and repeat tocut the other cheek (/eff). (Refer topage 85 for instructions on making andusing another style of jig that can cutopen mortise-and-tenon joints,)

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BLIND MORTISE-AND -TENON IOINTS

Completely hidden onceassembled, the blind mortise-and-tenon is frequently usedto join table legs to rails.

HAND.CUTTING A BLIND M()RTISE.AND.TEN(lN

1 Chopping the moftiseI Clamp the workpiece to a work surface.Using a mort ise chisel that is the samewidth as the mortise, make your first cutabout % inch inside the moriise end mark.Hold the chisel vertically, with the bevelfacing the waste, and strike it sharply witha wooden mallet so it oenetrates about%inch. Make the second cut about % inchback from the f i rst ( inset), then t i l t thechisel handle down and back to pry outthe waste (right). Continue making cuts% inch aparI, levering out the waste aftereach one. One-eighth inch from the otherend of the mortise, turn the chisel aroundso the flat side faces the cutting line andbegin a new series of cuts in the otherdirection. Continue to pass back and forth,cutt ing and clear ing out waste unt i l youreach the desired depth. Finally, pare awaythe waste remaining at each end of the mor-tise. Use a lock mortise chisel to smooth thebottom of the cavity.

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MORTISE-AND-TENON TOINTS

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r) Cutting the tenon cheeksC- Make a four-shouldered tenon by cuttingthe cheeks f i rst , and then the shoulders. Marka shoulder l ine al l around the end of the work-o iece and ou t l ine the cheeks w i th four l inesthat intersect on the board end. Secure theworkpiece upright in a vise and cut down thecheek lines with a backsaw until vou reach theshoulder line (lefD.

Sawing the tenon shouldersTo remove the waste from the tenon

cheeks , c lamp the workp iece in a mi te rbox with the shoulder mark al igned withthe 90 ' s lo t . Cut a long the shou lder l ineon the face of the board (left); Iurn theworkp iece over and repeat the cu t onthe other side. To cut away the waste onthe edges of the tenon, secure the work-piece end-uo in the vise and cut the sidesof the tenon, stopping at the shoulder l ine.Then, with the piece edge-up in the vise,saw a long the shou lder l ine to the tenon.Finally, turn the board over in the vise andrepeat to saw away the waste on the tenon'so ihpr pdop (ahnvp)

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IVIORTISE-AND -TENON IOINTS

CUTTING A M()RTISE ()N THE DRILL PRESS'l Setting up the mortising attachmentI A mort is ins attachment consists ofa dr i l l b i t surroinded by a four-sided hol-low chisel that squares the hole cut by thebit. After installing the attachment on yourdr i l l o ress . check whether the mor t i sechisel wi l l be centered on the workoieceby securing a scrap board the same widthand th ickness as the workp iece to themort is ing attachment fence. Bore a shal-low cut rnto the board, then turn the boardaround end-for-end and make a secondcut next to the f i rst . The cuts should bea l igned. l f no t , sh i f t the fence by one-ha l f the amount tha t the cu ts a re mis -aligned and repeat the test (right). (lnth is i l l us t ra t ion , the ho ld -down arm israised for c lar i ty.)

SEOUENCE ()F CUTS

Narrow morLtae

Wtde morttee

r) Drill ing the mortiseL S"t the dr i l l ing depth to the mort isedepth and secure the workp iece to thefence, center ing the mort ise out l ine underthe chisel . Adjust the hold-down arm androds so the stock can slide freely along thefence, Make a cut at each end of the out-l ine, then a ser ies of staggered cuts, fol-lowing the sequence shown above to com-p le te the mor t i se . Mark a s ing le row o fc u t s i f y o u a r e u s i n g a c h i s e l e q u a l i nwidth to the mort ise, or two paral lel rowsi f the mor t i se i s too w ide to be cu t ina srngle pass.

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WEDGED THROUGH MORTISE-AND-TENON IOINTS

Wedges can tighten and strengthen a through mortise-qnd-tenon. The wedged mortise-and-tenon joint is madeby cuning slots in the end of the tenon, and drivingwedges

into the cuts after the tenon is fixed into the mortise. Thewedges push the tenon more tightly against the mortise walls.By using wedges cut from contrastinghardwood, the joint

can lend a decorative touch to a piece offurniture.

MAKII{G A WEDGED THR(IUGH M(IRTISE.AND.TENON

1 Routing out the mortiseI Secure the workoiece betweentwo bench dogs, using wood pads toprotect the stock. Since you wi l l becutt ing a through mort ise, place abackup board under the workpieceto protect your benchtop. Fit a plungerouter with a straight brt the samediameter as the w id th o f the mor -t ise, then set the depth of cut. Asthis is typical ly a deep cut, severalpasses wi l l be necessary. Attach awooden extension to the fence of acommercial edge guide to increaseits bearing surface, then fasten theguide to the router base plate. Centerthe bi t over the mort ise out l ine andadjust the extension so i t rests f lushagainst the workpiece. Holding therouter f i rmly, plunge the bi t into thestock at one end of the mortise out-line, then feed the bit to the other end.When the mort ise is cut to the ful ldepth, square its corners with a chisel.

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MORTISE_AND _TENON IOINTS

ROUTING DEEP THROUGH MORTISES

lf the desired depth of a mort ise exceeds your router 'smax imum depth o f cu t , use an e lec t r i c d r i l l to he lp com-plete the cavi ty. The i l lustrat ion above shows the threesteps necessary to cut a deep through mortise. Start byinstal l ing a mort is ing bi t in the router and making as manypasses as you can unt i l you can go no deeper (A). Thenuse the dr i l l wi th a bi t that is larger than your router bi t

to bore a ho le th rough the remain ing waste (B) . Ins ta l la p i lo ted f lush- t r imming b i t in the rou ter and tu rn theworkpiece over. Insert ing the bi t through the hole madeby the dr i l l , rout out the waste (C); throughout this part ofthe operat ion, keep the pi lot bearing pressed against thewal ls of the mort ise to comolete the cut. Use a chisel tosouare the mort ise corners.

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r) Sawing the slots in the tenon1 Cuta four-shouldered tenon (page 95),making sure the tenon is long enough topass completely through the mating piece.Clamp the stock upright in a vise and usea backsaw to cut two kerfs into the end ofthe tenon (right), slopping % inch shortof the shoulder: sDace the kerfs in fromeach edge of the tenon a distance roughlyeoual to the thickness of the tenon.

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l l l i l l i l l l l l i l l l l l l l l l l i l l i l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r l l l r l{ll ill lll tii lti in ur ru rr ru ul lll IIJ lll Ui ill Ul i$

5HO7 Tt?l ightening up a loooe lenonUoe a otrip of veneer lo enug uV a loooe morlise-and-Nenon joinL.Sefore qluinq uV Nhe joint , cul the veneer to Lhe oame lenqt 'hand width as Ihe lenon. Aeeemble Lhe joinl wilh the veneer wedgedin belween lhe Lenon and Ihe morLiee, or kerl the lenon alonq itelenqlh and inserD a wedqe ae deecribed above. lf a lenon ie eo

Inserting the wedgesSaw two hardwood wedses to fit into

the s lo ts cu t in s teo 2 : make them aswide as the tenon, bu t a few incheslonger, and no thicker Ihan r/q inch atthe broad end. G lue up the jo in t , thensecure the oieces in a vise with the endof the tenon facing up. Apply some glueto the wedges and use a mallet to drivethem into the kerfs as far as they wi l l go;tap the wedges al ternately to keep theme q u a l . 0 n c e t h e g l u e h a s d r i e d , u s e af lush-cu t t ing saw to t r im the wedgeseven with the end of the tenon (above),then sand the surface smooth.

looee lhat a oin4le wed4e or piece of veneer will

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MORTISE-AND-TENON IOINTS

A MORTISING JIG F(lR THE ROUTERUse the jig shown at right to securethe workpiece and guide your routeras you cut a mortise. The dimensionssuggested in the i l lustrat ion wi l l sui tmost routers. Cut the j ig base andsides from 3/a-inch plywood. Fastenthree pieces together for the base.Attach the sides to the base withcountersunk screws, making surethe pieces are perfect ly square toeach other. Fashion each stoo blockfrom solid wood, rout a groove inone face % inch deep and 3/o inchwide, then cut a 4- inch-long slot toaccept a %-inch hanger bolt. Mountthe bolts 3 inches from each endof one side, s l ip the stop blocks inolace and f ix them with washersand wing nuts.

To use the jig, set the workpieceon the base with the mortise outlinebetween the stoo blocks and onesurface f lush against the side withthe blocks. Place a shim under thestock so its too surface is buttedagainst the blocks, then clamp theworkpiece to the j ig and secure thej ig in a vise. To set up the router forthe cut, install a straight bit the samediameter as the width of the mor-tise, set the depth of cut and attacha commercial edge guide to the baseplate, center the bi t over the mor-t ise out l ine and adjust the guide soit rests flush against the opposite sideof the j ig. Adjust each stop blockby al igning the bi t with the end ofthe mortise outline, butting the blockagainst the router's base plate andt ightening the wing nut. After con-f i rming the posit ion of the blocksand edge guide, grip the rouier firm-ly, butt the edge guide against the

jig, press the base plate against onestop block and plunge the bi t intothe work. Hold the edge guide against

the jig as you draw the router throughthe cut unt i l i t contacts the otherstop block (below).

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HAUNCHED MORTISE-AND -TENON JOINTS

The haunched mortise-and-tenon t'eatures mating notchescut in the tenon cheek and mortise. The result is a joint that provides

ntore resistance to twist than the blind mortise-and-tenon. The

haunched joint is often used in frnme-and-panel construction,where the haunch fi l ls the end of the groove that is cut for the

panel, eliminating the need for stopped grooves. ,id.!t

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MAKING A HAUNCHED MORTISE-AND.TEN()N

1 Cutting the tenon cheeksI On a table saw, insta l l a dado head s l ight ly wider than thelength of the tenon, then at tach and notch an auxi l iary fence(page 71 ) . Se t t he w id th o f cu t equa l t o t he t enon l eng th ;adjust the cut t ing height to leave a tenon the same th ickness

as the width of the mort ise chisel or router b i t you wi l l be us ing.Feed the stock face-down into the dado head, hold ing the work-p iece f i rm ly aga ins t t he f ence and the m i te r gauge . Tu rn t heworkoiece over and repeat the cut on the other side (above).

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MORTISE-AND -TENON IOINTS

r) Cutting the haunchL Setthe blade heieht to cut a shoulderon the inside eOge of the workpiece. Oncethe cut is made, advance the r ip fence tocut the haunch in the tenon. The haunchshould be approximately as wide as thetenon is thick. ( l f you are making the rai lsand s t i les o f a f rame-and-pane l assem-b ly , ihe w id th o f the haunch shou ld equa lthe depth of the groove for the panel.) Withthe workpiece on edge, use the fence andthe miter gauge to guide it over the dadohead (right). lf there is no panel groovein the mating workpiece, you must nextnotch the mortise (step 3).

Notching the mortise for the haunchSecure the workpiece in a vise and chop out a mortise as you

would for a blind tenon (page 94). Use the haunched tenon as aguide to out l ine the width and depth of the notch on the work-piece, then kerf the edges of the outline with a backsaw. Use a

chisel to spl i t of f the waste in 7e-inch layers between the cutsunt i l you reach the required depth. Holding the blade bevel-upand parallel to the surface, strike the handle with a mallet bbovd.Pare the sides of the notch with the chisel , i f necessary.

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ANGLE,D MORTISE.AND -TE,NON JOINTS

Angled tenons are often used in building chairs toget around the joinery problem caused by seats that

are wider at the front than at the back-a tradition'aI design feature. To accommodate the angled side

rails, tenons must be cut at opposite ends at opposingangles, while the tenon shoulders must be parallel

to each other. Although the tenon is tricky to markout and produce, it fits into a standard mortise.

1 Planning the iobI To mark out angled tenons, sketch the project full-size on apiece of plywood or hardboard. ln this example, the undersideof a chair f rame has been drawn, including the legs and rai ls.Standard bl ind tenons are needed on the front and back rai ls;angled tenons must be cut on the side rails; and standard mor-t ises must be chopped out in the legs. To set the blade angleon your table saw for cutting the angled tenon cheeks, align twoboards along one corner of the outline and adjust a sliding bevelto the angle formed by the boards (above). Install a dado head

and transfer the angle to the blades. Instal l and notch an auxi l -iary fence (page 71)and set a cutt ing width of % inch and aheight of X inch. Feed a scrap piece the same size as your stockface-down into the dado head to make test cuts across bothends. Then posrt ion the test piece on your out l ine ( inset).Theshou lder l ines on the p iece and the drawing shou ld l ine up ;if not, increase the cutting width and make another set of cuts,cont inuing unt i l the shoulders al ign. Adjust the cutt ing heightunt i l the tenon cheeks on the piece l ine up with the drawtng.

CUTTING ANGTED TENONS

103

MORTISE-AND-TENON IOINTS

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Cutting the tenon cheeksOnce the cutt ing width and height of

the dado blade have been properly set, putthe test piece aside and make the cuts onyour workpiece. Use the miter gauge andfence to guide the board for one pass, thenturn the board over and repeat the cut atthe other end (above). To line up the sawcuts for the other side of the cheeks, setthe workpiece on edge and use the slidingbevel to extend the shoulder line across theedge of the board (insef). Then move therip fence to the other side of the dado head,and reposition and notch the auxiliary fenceaccordingly. Align the shoulder mark withthe outside blade of the dado head andbutt the fence against the end of the stock.Cut the remaining cheeks (right) the sameway you produced the f i rst two. (Makethese cu ts on the tes t p iece f i rs t , andthen adjust the cutt ing width and height,if necessary.)

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MORTISE-AND-TENON IOINTS

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Q Setting up the saw for the tenon shouldersJ Adjust the angle of the dado head to 90". Holding a board paral lel to the miter s lot ,use the sliding bevel to set the miter gauge to the same angle used to adjust the blades instep 1 (aborze). Butt the workpiece on edge against the miter gauge. The shoulder shouldbe parallel to the rip fence; if not, fl ip the workpiece over to its other edge. Set the widthof cut to the width of the cheek and adjust the dado head to the desired cutt ing height.

Cutting the tenon shouldersLike the tenon cheeks, the shoulders

are cut in two steos. For the f i rst set ofcuts, guide the workpiece on edge usingthe miter gauge and fence (left), then turnthe board end-for-end and repeat the cut.To make the second set of cuts, use thesliding bevel as in step 3 to angle the mitergauge in the opposite direct ion. Cut thelast two shoulders on the other edse thesame way you made the f irst two.

105

The tusk tenon is contmonly used tojoirt the legs nnd stretcher of a trestletable. The tenon extends beyond thethrough ntortise so that a tusk-likewedge cnn be inserted to lock the jointwhile enablirtg it to Ite disassentbled.Depending on the length and widthof the tenon, the wedge cqn be insertedthrough either its thickness or its width.

MAKING A TUSK TENON JOINT

' l Marking the location of the tenon wedgeI Cut a four-shouldered tenon (page 94), but make it longenough to extend from the mort ise workpiece by at least1 rnch. This wi l l provide suff ic ient stock to resist being spl i tby the wedge. Cut a through mort ise to accommodate thet e n o n a n d a s s e m b l e t h e l o i n t . T h e n , h o l d i n g t h e p i e c e stogether on a work surface, mark a l ine along the top of thecheek where the tenon emerges from the mortise (above).

r) Dril l ing the hole for the wedgeZ. Disassemble the jo int and make a dr i l l ing mark %o inchon the shou lde r s i de o f t he sc r i bed l i ne ; t h i s w i l l ensu re at ight f i t when the wedge is dr iven in to p lace. Set a mort isegauge to one- th i rd the th ickness of the tenon and use thegauge to ou t l i ne t he ho le i n t he m idd le t h i r d o f t he t opcheek, border ing on your mark. Using a b i t s l ight ly smal leri n d iame te r t han the ou t l i ne , bo re t he ho le t h rough thetenon on the dril l press (above).

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TUSKTENONIOINTS

Mortiaeworkpiece

106

MORTISE-AND-TENON TOINTS

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Inserting the tenon wedgeCut a tr iangular hardwood wedge that is tapered

to f i t the slot you chopped out in step 3; i ts lengthc :n hc r rn t o tw i cp t he tenon w id th . To assemb lethe io int s l ide the tenon into the mort ise and st r ikethe wedge f i rm ly w i t h a ma l l e t un t i l t he j o i n t i s t i gh t( r iphf) Do not r rse p l r re as th is io int is desisned tobe d i sassemb led ,

Q Angl ing the wedge holer .J Enlarge and square the hole you dr i l led toaccommodate the wedge. Holdrng a mortise chis-e l at a 10" angle away f rom the tenon shoulders,cut a tapered s lot , as indicated by the dot tedl ines in the i l lust rat ion. Chop out the waste asyou would cut a b l ind mort ise (page 94) .

TWIN MORTISE-AND -TENON IOINTS

'!!

Cut across the grain into the

face of a workpiece, lwin mortisesmake for a stronger joint than a

single, wide cavity.

MAKING A TWIN MORTISE.AND.TENON J()INT

1 Laying out the tenonsI Begin by cutting an ordinary four-shouldered through tenon as you would for a wedgedjoinl (page 97). fhen use a combinat ion square to mark out the twin tenons (above).The normal p rac t ice is to d iv ide the tenon in to th i rds , mak ing thewid th o f the tenonsandthe gap between them the same. Mark the middle waste portion with Xs to avoid confusion.

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i.;:,r !

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MORTISE-AND_TENON IOINTS

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12) Cutting out the wasteI Cta^p the tenon workpiece end-upin a vise and cut along the edges of thewaste section with a backsaw, stoppingat the shoulder. Then use a coping sawto remove the waste (above), taking careto avoid cutt ing into the shoulder. Usea chisel to pare to the l ine.

Laying out the mortisesDraw two lines representing the width

of the twin mort ises on the face of themort ise workpiece, then set both work-pieces on a work surface with the tenonworkpiece on top. Al ign the tenon shoul-der with one of the marked l ines and out-l ine the two mor t i ses us ing the tenoncheeks as guides (left),Ihen remove thewaste as you would for any deep throughmnriisp (neop QRI

\ r e d e ' v t '

109

ROUND MORTISE -AND-TENON IOINTS

Round tenons are often produced on turnedworkpieces such as chair legs and rungs

with the help of a lathe or band saw, but theycan also be cut in square stock with a drill

Dress and tenon cutter. The mortise is

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MAKING A R()UND MORTISE.AND.TENON

Gutting a round tenon on a square workpieceMake a round tenon in two steps, start ing on the dr i l l press andthen removing the waste on the table saw. Install a tenon cutteron the dr i l l press and t i l t the table to 90". Clamp the workpieceand a support board to the table, using pads to protect the wood,then bore the hole to the depth of the shoulder (above, left). Onthe table saw, adjust the cutt ing height to cut away the waste

also bored on a drill press.

enci rc l ing the tenon and screw a board as an extension to themitergauge. Al ign the shoulder l ine wi th the b lade, but t a s topblock against the end of the workpiece and c lamp i t to the exten-s ion. Hold ing the stock f lush against the extension and the stopblock, make a cut on each edge of the workpiece (above, rrght)to sever the waste. Make the mating mortise on the dril l press.

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MORTISE-AND-TENON IOINTS

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llll ult llll llfl l]ll ilt llfl llll llil lll l]lt llll lllt llfl itii illt l]ll ilil1HO? TI?A round-tenon ji6 for the router tableThe oimple plywood jiq ehown here enablee you Lorout round Nenone in lurned oiecee, Make NheL-ehaped jiq hiqher Lhan your rouler Nable'sfence, wiLh a brace tha| holde Nhe workpieceenuqly, lneLall a ef,raiqhibi t in Xhe rouLer and aninserL in lhe Lable lhat eur-roundsLhe cutNer ascloeely ae poeoible.Adjuet,Nhe cutlerheiqht f ,o lhelenqth of theLenon.Then clampLhe j iq ro thecenler of the fenceand oet lhemfor aparlial cut, Holdinqlheworkpiece oecurely inlhe jiq \with one hand, turn on lhe rouler and lower Nhe sbock onbo NhebiL while Lurninq it clockwise, a4ainoL bit rotation. AdvanceNhe fence 1/o inch aL a time unlil Nhe Lenon ie compleNed.

Cutting a round tenon in turned stockA band saw can be used to fashion around tenon in a tu rned workp iece .Clamp the miter gauge to the table sothat the gap between i ts face and thecutt ing edge of the blade is the sameas the desired depth of tenon shoulder.Align the shoulder line on the workpiecewi th the b lade, and c lamp a boardagainst the end of the stock as a stopblock; make sure the board is parallel tothe miter gauge slot. Cut the tenon intwo steps. First, rotate the workpiececlockwise on the table and miter gaugewhile cutting a series of concentric kerfs7s inch apart from the end of the stockto the shou lder l ine . Then c lear thewaste by pushing the workpiece acrossthe blade while rotating iI (abovel Cutdeep shoulders in two or three passes,moving the miter gauge away from theblade between each oass.

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DO\MTAILA]\TDBOXIONTS

v - u L u L L l l L u l l L J 4 g U L U L U l l l - u L L U l d L l v L } 4 l l d u U l l J U I L l l E l , 4 . \ l L

q l r l v J r u l l r l L L L J J c l Y ! u u L l L 4 l 4 I E L a ! L a r , t ! r ' ! ! < - t s ! d ! ! ! L r ' ! ! L d L |

is still called upon to hold the cor- for gluing.ners of carcases and drawers togeth- Fitted with a straight bit, a table-mounted Both dovetail and box joints caner. Today, the rationale for using it router cuts the notches for a box joint. A hard- be cut by hand or machine. Box andis esthetic; the dovetail is visual woodkeygluedintothemitergaugeextension fingerjointscanbecutequallywellshortlrand for durability and wood- guarantees uniform spacing benveen the cuts. with the router, the table saw (pageworking skill. 132), or the radial arm saw (page

The joint consists of tapered pins that fit around flared tails 134).Hand-cutting a dovetail joint is often considered a rite of

the costly, hand-wrouglthen available, the interkc l l u ! 4 l l J v l L l l L u v Y L L c u U l l L l L u - l l 4 - u u l u | v u l t d l d v v l l L L I v l d L E L l I -

2 l - o n \ I r | l l - r I o n n r o n | e m { | T n n | l g n r r n l ; n n n n g p r t n t n r i ' l . 2 l Y l F r n t ^

I l J L ^ L L u f l U l l l L u - u l l L J L v t I J I u L I c u l L L A r L l l J l v L u t L l | | | ! ! L l 7 u I \ _ , L l ! L u l v

l v l - L ' l u u u L r

r r r r r - r r r r L a r r L r r r r r ! ! L t t s L

joint together without

l v I u I L u u L u c U l L c u l L J l v ! o u L o l g t t . I l 4 l - u I l t l u | U u Y c ! J | ' ' 4 ! ! u

l L l l l t v I L L l l l ! l l ! . l U L u | d | | u . d l l | | l , U 8 | | | | | E l d | G | | t , |

. i l v u L l l t r l c r L r r r c u L u l L J L | l - | r ' L ^ | | | E . | | | L \ L . r ' | | | | r _ L t ! r | l ! u L

resembling the tail feathers of a dove, which gives the joint its passage for apprentice woodworkers. It takes more time andname. The joint provides good long-grain gluing surface, which effort than machine cutting, but the technique allows com-adds to its strength. plete control over the layout of the joint. Dovetails can be pro-

Several varieties of the dovetail joint are shown in this chap- duced quickly and accurately on the router using a commercial, The throush dovetail (pase 118) is the stronsest, since the iis. In manv cases, however. the spacine and anele of the oinster. The through dovetail (page 118) is the strongest, since jig. In many cases, however, the spacing and angle of the pins

tails and pins are cut through the full thickness of the boards. and tails cannot be varied, and some woodworkers find that theThe curved and outlined through dovetail joints, shown on resulting joint lacks the esthetic appeal of a handcut joint.

A coping saw is used to cut auray the waste betvveen thepins of a dovetail joint. The narrow blade allows the sawto curve sharply from the side of the pins to the shoulderline. The remaining waste will be pared au,ay with a chisel.

II

1 1 3

A SELECTION OF DOVETAILAND BOXIOINTS

Outlined throughdovetail(aee paqe 12O)

Eox jolnt(aee pa6e 134)

Half-blinddovetail(eee pa4e 15O)

Fingerjoint(aee pa1e 135)

Half-blind box joint'jimilar to the standard boxjoint with the ahoulder of

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Elind dovetall

one board and the pinaof the mating piecemitered at 45"; \ . ,)imilar to the half-blind dove-

Lail joint, except the enda ofthe boarda are rabbeted

theendqrain 1\ ' ' l ' i - ,

ut utto uuaru E-ie hiddenFr.

-' uli ,,*r+1

and t,he edqea aremitered before thepina and tails are cut,concealinq the end7rain of both pieceo

DESIGNING AND MARKING DOVETAILSttI

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Spacing and angl ing the pinsThe space be tween the p ins and ta i l s o f a doveta i l and theslope angle of the pins affect both the strength of the jointand i t s es the t ic appea l . Severa l common spac ing ra t ios -expressed as tai l - to-pin size-are shown at r ight. The 1-to-1 rat io creates the strongest joint , but results in the leasta t t rac t i ve layout . The o ther spac ing ra t ios i l l us t ra ted aremore attract ive and vir tual ly as sturdy. The 3-to- i rat io isa good cho ice fo r a jo in t tha t w i l l fea ture prominent ly on apiece. Pin-spacing rat ios greater than 3-to-1 are weak andshou ld be avo ided.

There is less lat i tude in marking the angle of the pins. Toosmall an angle wi l l prevent the pieces from locking together,allowing the joint to pull apart; too great an angle stresses thecorners of the tails, causing them to break off. For softwoods,a ratio of 1:6 or 80" is required; for hardwoods, the ratio nor-mally used is 1:8 or 83 (inset). Using a dovetail square to markthe pins wi l l automatical ly give you the correct angle.

0ut l in ing the pinsThe construct ion of a dovetai l jo int begins with layingout, marking and cutt ing the pins, then using them toout l ine the tai ls on the mating board. Begin laying outthe joint by marking the outside face of the workpiecewr th a b ig X , then use a cu t t ing gauge to sc r ibe theshoulder l ine of the joinl (page l l8). Next, use adovetai l square to lay out the pins on the ends of theboard as shown in the sequence at left. (See page 1 19for ins t ruc t ions on mak ing a doveta i l square in theshop. ) Beg in w i th ha l f -p ins a t each edge, mak ingsure the narrow ends of the pins are on the outside faceof the board. Next out l ine the waste sect ions adjacentto the half-pins. On a wide workpiece, such as the onein the illustration, you next mark the center of the boardend. Outl ine a pin at the center mark, then out l ine theremaining pins, marking al l the waste sect ions with Xs.

Half-oin- r' -.---"-*. Waste

1 1 5

JIGS AND ACCESSORIEST

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Commercial dovetail jigs are ideal for producinga series of identical joints. This model consists of twotemplates fastened to backup boards. The workpieceis secured to the jig and a stop block helps withpositioning for repeat cuts. Here, a router fittedwith a dovetail bit moves in and out of the slotsof the tail board template.

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Dovetail templateeA eet of t wo fixed Lemplateefaetened t;o backup boarda Lorout throu7h dovet ail jotnLa;one LemplaLe ie for pine andthe of,her for Latla. Three mod-els are avatlable for rouLtrtqdtfferenL-etzed ptne: u6e5 top-ptloLed btl;e

I nte rch a n g ea bl e-te m pl ate ji gWtth the uae of tnterchangeable templal,eo, jtg allowe

router to cut. dovetail and box jotnLe wtt.h a otnqleeeLup: comee with quide buohin4 and router btt a

Eox joint jigFlaatic jiq aLLached to a rout er Lable for

cuLtrnq ftnqer or box jornto; rtdge incenter ofjt7 functtone ae a key Lo

n a , p m r p . i . - o - a ^ o - f - f t 9

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nffi

ted bite

ilffiNon-pilo

i l i lA #n r u

Top-prloted bita

Dovetail bite, etraight bitsand t'emplate 7uideo

A aelection of etrai4ht and dovetail bita(left) uoed with routera and commercial tem'

platea to cut dovetail iointa. Non-piloted' bita require a tempiate quide (iiqht)

affixed to the eub-baoe to keep the bit auniform diatance from the ed7e of the

template; top-prloted bita are equipped withball-bearin7 pilota to 7uide cuta

A r-@-\v ga@) 6V #

Template 7uideaand lockin7 rinq

Multi-joint jigUaed with routerto cut.dovetailand box iointa. L-ahaped bracketia faatened to backu'p board andeecured in viae; appropdate tem'plate ta attached to bracket.'Comes

with quide buahin4, ,/

Dovetailtemplate

router aub-baae and bita

Dovetail equareUsed to mark the pine of dove-tail jointa; available in ratioa of1:6 (BO") for aoftwood and 1:B(83") for hardwood

Adjuatable dovetail jigAdjuatable template uaed torout half-blind and throu4hdovetail jointa; width of pineand taila ia aet with a eingleadjuatment. lncludea guidebuahin7 and router bits

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THROUGH DOVETAIL IOINTS

Combining mechanicol strength with adistinctive appearance, the through dovetailjoint is frequently used in fine furniture to

join drawers and carcase corners.

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CUTTING A THROUGH DOVETAIL BY HAND

' l Laying out the pinsI Mark the outside face of the board with an X. Then set acu t t ing gauge to the th ickness o f the s tock and scr ibe a l inealong the end of the board to mark the shoulder of the pins andIails (above, /eff). Next, secure the stock end-up in a vise anduse a doveta i l square to ou t l ine the p ins on the end o f theboard . You can fo l low the sequence i l lus t ra ted on page I 15 ,

but for stock of the width shown above-typical for a drawer-ahalf-pin at each edge and two evenly spaced pins in betweenwill make a strong and attractive joinl (above, right). Marklhewaste sect ions with an X as you go. Final ly, use a combinat ionsquare to extend al l the dovetai l marks down both faces of theboard to the shoulder l ines.

1 1 8

DOVETAIL AND BOX IOINTS

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DOVETAIL SSUAREInstead of buying a dovetail square,you can make your own by face-glu-ing four pieces of scrap wood togeth-er at the required dovetai l angle.

Cut the pieces of the j ig about 6 or8 inches long and 1% inches wide.

To prepare the pieces, adjust themiter gauge of your table saw to theappropriate angle- l :6 (or 80") for

softwood or 1:8 (or 83') for hard-wood. Then make a cut across thecenter o f the p iece , s l i c ing i t inhalf . Make the same cut at bothends of the marking guide. Spreadsome g lue on a l l the contac t ingfaces and assemble the jig, buttingthe cu t ends o f the midd le p iecesaga ins t the mark ing gu ide , wh i leal igning their edges with the othertwo boards of the crosspiece aboveand below. Trim the ends of the mid-dle pieces flush with the crosspiece.

To use the j ig, lay the markingguide across the end of the pin boardwhile butting the edge of the cross-piece against the face of the board.

Cutting the pinsLeave the o in board in the v ise wi th

its outside face toward you. Use a dovetailsaw to cut along the edges of the pins,a l ign ing the saw b lade jus t to the wasteside of the cutt ing l ine. Cut al l the r ight-hand edges f i rs l ( lef t) , then completethe lef t-hand edges. Use smooth, evenstrokes, taking care to keep the blade per-pendicular as you cut to the shoulder lines.

1 1 9

DOVETAIL AND BOX IOINTS

Chiseling out the wasteMost of the waste wood between the

pins can be removed with a coping saw(page 112), and a chisel used only toclean up the gaps. However, it is not muchmore di f f icul t to chisel out al l the waste.The key is to work patiently, removing thinslivers of wood with each cut. Set the oinboard outside-face up on a work surfaceand c lamp a gu ide b lock on top so theedge is al igned wlth the shoulder l ine. Usea wood chisel no wider than the narrowside of the waste sect ion. Holding thechisel bevel-out against the guide blockand perpendicular to the face of the work-piece, score a %-inch-deep cut (/eft). Thenbutt the chisel blade against the end ofthe board to shave off a 7a-inch layer ofwasle (below). Cont inue removing thewaste until you are about halfway throughthe stock. Once you have removed all thewaste from one side of the board, turni t over, reposit ion the edge of the guideblock direct ly over the shoulder l ine andremove the waste from the other side.

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DOVETAIL AND BOX IOINTS

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illl lll| Ull lri llll llli lriJ lllr llll illJ l1ll llll lllJ ljl.l llll litl llll llll1HO? TI?Markingtails on wide boardsTanels and wide boarde mav beNoo cumber1ome to holdoteady while you areout l in inq Nhe t a i l son a ta i lboard .The

Laying out the tailsSet the tail board outside-face down

on the work surface. Hold the oin boardend-down with i ts inside face al ignedwith the shoulder l ine of the tai l board,making certain the edges of the boardsare f lush. Out l ine the tai ls with a penci l(above), then use a try square to extendthe l ines on the end of the board. Markall the waste sections with Xs.

";:i!":ifly\izt: \eaoy. SeNIhe tail boardouLside- face down on awork eurface and clamp a quideblock onNop of i lwi ththe edqe of Ithe block f lueh wiLh the shoulder l ine.Then hold Nhe end of the pin boardagaineN the quide block with i |e ou|-side face awav from Lhe Lai l board.Faeten a handscrew to Ihe Vin board and uee anot'her clampNo hold iN f i rmly in poeiLion whi le you out l ine Nhe t ai le.

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DOVETAIL AND BOX IOINTS

f, Cutting the tails andr.,f removing the wasteUse a dovetail saw to cut the tails the sameway you cut the pins (step 2). Angl ingthe board (left), rather than the saw, makesfor easier cutting. Secure the board so thatthe r ight-hand edges of the tai ls are ver-i ical . Saw smoothly and evenly along theedges of the tails, stopping at the shoulderline. Reposition the board in the vise to cutthe left-hand edges. Once all the saw cutshave been made, remove the waste with achisel as in steo 3.

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fi Dry-fitting the drawer\, f Before gluing up the loint , assemblei t to check the f i t . Stand the pin board onend on a work surface, then al ign the tai lboard with it. Press the joint together byhand as far as i t wi l l go, then use the mal-let to tap the boards the rest of the wayinto position (righil. f o avoid marrrng thepins and tai ls, c lose the joint evenly alongits ent i re length. The pins and tai ls shouldf i t snug ly , requ i r ing on ly a l igh t tapp ing .l f the jo in t i s too t igh t , mark the po in twhere i t binds, disassemble the boards,and use a wood chisel to pare away a littlemore wood at the mark. Dry-f i t the jointagain and adjust i t further, i f necessary.

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DOVETAIL AND BOX TOINTS

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lllt llli llll fill illt llil illl illt llll flrl illt llll illl llll llll fill fi[ l]ll5HO? Tt?Cutling aeveraltailboarde al onaelf you are makinq several Aovelail jointo,you can slreamline lhe proceeo ofcuttinq the Iails by o awing Ihem all

I Gluing up dovetails/ When g lu ing up a doveta i l jo in t ,c lamping pressure is app l ied to thetai l boards. To distr ibute clampingpressure properly, make a special lynotched clamping block for each joint.The blocks should be as long as thewidth of the stock and notched so thatthey only touch the tai ls and do notexert pressure on the pins. Spreadglue evenly on al l the contact ing sur-faces of the boards, then assemblethe jo in ts . Ins ta l l a bar c lamp a longeach pin board, then tighten the clampsa little at alime hbovd. Check thecarcase for square and adjust theclamping pressure, i f necessary.

al once. Mark Lhe Lai ls on Iheboarde,trhen stackLhe pieceo '' -together, makinq sure their <edqeo and end6 are al i7ned.Clamp the stack in a vise,anq l inq the p iecee eo lhe;:,;t;'-;^;:;,5'i"" "r "i""iu . \-.areverl ical . CuNthe r iah|- \ \

hand edgeo of a l lNheNai le, \ \^ 'Ehen leave the eaw blade in Nhelast, kerf a6 you repooiLion NheeNack No cut, Nhe lefY-handedqee, The eaw blade will keeplheboardein al iqnmenl ao you (\eh i fA the s tack in |he v ise .

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DOVETAIL AND BOX IOINTS

CUTTING A THROUGHCutting the pins

DOVETAIL ()N THE TABLE SAW

Lay out the pins (page 118), but mark onlyone end of the board. Then, screw an exten-sion board to the miter gauge that is highenough to support the workpiece duringthe cuts. Set the angle of the miter gaugeto cut the r ight-hand edges of the pins;use a dovetail square as a guide. To makethe cuts, hold the pin board with its insideface against the extension and the markedend on the table, then raise the blade to theshoulder l ine of the pins. Al ign the bladewith the waste side of the right-hand edgeof the center pin, then clamp a stop blockon the extension f lush against the r ighfhand edge of the board. Make a cut at theedge of the pin, then clear out about halfthe waste by cutting a series of kerfs, slid-ing the piece slightly to the left with eachpass. Turn the board end-for-end, butt itagainst the stop block and the extensionand repeat the procedure to make a mirrorimage of the first cut at the olher end (right,fop). (Repeat the process for all other iden-t ical workpieces.) Then, after turning theboard back to the marked end, al ign theblade with the right-hand edge of the nextmarked half-pin, reposition the stop blockagainst the edge of the workpiece, andrepeat the cutt ing process on both endsof the board. When the right-hand edgesof al l the oins are cut and half the wastehas been cleared away, reverse the angleof the miter gauge and repeat the proce-dure to cut the left-hand edges of the pins.This t ime, cont inue cutt ing kerfs into thewaste unt i l i t is c leared, sl id ing the boardto the right with each pass (right, bottom).To complete the joint , t race the pins onthe tail board (page 121) and cut the tailsby hand (page 122) or using a band saw(page 125I

Center pin

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DOVETAIL AND BOX IOINTS

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A THROUGH DOVETAIL JOINTON THE BAND SAW' l Cutting the pinsI Mark the pins on one end of the work-piece (page ll8), then cut them in twostages, first angling the table to the rightfor one series of cuts, and then to the leftfor the final ones. Start by tilting the tableto match the angle of the dovetail square(inseil. Install the rip fence and fasten awooden L-shaped auxi l iary fence to i t .Then, set the workpiece outside-face upon the saw table and al ign the r ight-hand edge of the f i rsthalf-pin with the blade. Butt the auxi l iary fence against thepiece and make the cut, keeping the board flush against tnefence. When the blade reaches the shoulder l ine, stop thecut and turn off the saw. With the blade butted on the shoul-der l ine, hold a stop block against the workpiece and screwit to the auxi l iary fence. Turn the piece end-for-end and cutthe r ight-hand edge of the f i rst hal f-pin at the other end ofthe board. Turn the workpiece again, align the blade with themarked l ine for the r ight-hand edge of the f i rst ful l p in, buttthe auxiliary fence against the workpiece and cut to the stopblock (right). Continue turning the work and shifting the ripfence as necessary to cut the right-hand edge of the pins onboth ends of the board. Cut the lef t-hand edge of each pinfollowing the same procedure with the table tilted downwardto the lef t . Finish by using a chisel to remove the wastebetween the pins (page 120).

r) Gutting the tailsL tlse the completed oin board as aguide to out l ine the tai ls on the tai l board(page 121). To make the cuts and removethe waste, return the table to the horizon-tal position. Start by sawing out the wasteat both edges of the piece with two inter-secting cuts. To clear the waste betweenthe tai ls, nibble at i t wi th the blade, piv-oting the piece as necessary to avoid cut-ting into the tails (/eff). Test-fit the jointand make any necessary adjustmentswi th a ch ise l .

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CURVED THROUGH DOVETAIL IOINTS

A decorative and challeng-ing variation of the through

dovetail joint, the curvedthrough dovetail adds a dis-tinctive touch to any pro-ject. The example shown

here is a one-sided curvedthrough dovetail, in whichonly the end of the tailboardis curved; the two-sided ver-sion requires contours on

both the pin and tail boards.

MAKING A CURVED THROUGH D()VETAIT

' l Laying out the tailsI lt takes three steps to cut a one-sided curved through dovetail.First, cut standard pins in the pin board (page 118); then cut thetai ls along a curved shoulder l ine, as shown here; and f inal ly, sawa matching curved rabbet into the bottom of the pins (step 3).foprepare the tail board, set a cutting gauge to the thickness of thepin board and scribe shoulder lines on both edges of the tail board.Make a semicircular template, using as a guide the contour of thedado head you will use in step 3. With the tail board face-down,al ign the template's curve with the shoulder marks. Using a try

square to keep the template perpendicular to the board edges,mark the curved shou lder I ine on the f ace of the board (above,left). Use the completed pin board as a guide to outline the tailson the tail board (page 121), extending the marks to the curvedshoulder. Cut the tail sides (page 122), then clamp the boardface-up on a work surface. Also clamp on the template in l inewith the shoulder to keep the chisel from straying beyond thewasle (above, right). Chisel out the waste between the tails asyou would for standard through dovetails (page 120).

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1.26

DOVETAIL AND BOX IOINTS

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r") Preparing to rabbet the pin boardL lnsLall the dado head on your tablesaw and adjust i ts width to sl ight ly morethan the length of the pins. Also instal l anauxiliary fence and notch it up to the thick-ness of the pin board (page Zl). Next, setthe pin board outside-face up on the sawtab le and center the end o f the p ieceagainst the outside blade of the dado head,using the miter gauge to keep the boardperpend icu la r to the b lade. Ad jus t thecutting height so the points where the dadohead emerges from the table are al ignedwith the edges of the workpiece. Then markreference l ines on the table insert , usingthe board edges as a guide (right). Adjus|the fence so that the actual cutt ing widthequals the lengh of the pins, then lower thedado head beneath the table.

Cutting the rabbetsButt the end of the pin board against

the fence and center its edges betweenthe reference l ines on the table insert .Slide the miter gauge up against the work-p iece , then c lamp the gauge in p lace .Holding the stock f i rmly in posit ion, turnon the saw and ra ise the dado head tomake a shallow cut in the pins (/eft). Turnthe saw off and test{it the joint. Make asl ight ly deeper cut and test again, cont in-uing to cut and test unt i l the joint f i ts. Theprocess is painstaking, but the results canbe well worth your effort.

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OUTLINED THROUGH DOVETAIL JOINTS

The pins and tails of the outlined throughdovetail are franted by thin strips of

wood of a contrasting color.

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MAKING AN OUTLINED THROUGH DOVETAIL

1 Rabbeting the pin and tail boardsI An out lrned throush dovetai l is l ike theconventional joint, except that space mustbe created for the contrasting wood-usu-al ly a veneer-around and below al l pinsand tai ls. The process is fair ly s imple. Startby cutt ing rabbets in the inside faces ofboth mating pieces of the joint . Set a cut-ting gauge to the stock thickness and scribea shou lder l ine around the ends o f theboards. Then rnstal l a dado head on yourtable saw and adjust i ts width so that i tis s l ight ly wider than the stock thickness.Also instal l and notch an auxi l iary fence(page 71), and adjust it so that the widthof cut equals the stock thickness. Raisethe cutt ing height to the thickness of theveneer. Make a test cut on a scrap boardand ad jus t the cu t t ing herght un t r l theveneer fits perfectly in the rabbet. Then cutrabbets at both ends of your stock, feedingeach board with the miler gauge (right).

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DOVETAIL AND BOX IOINTS

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r) Gluing in the veneerL me jo in t i s ou t l ined in two s tages .The veneer s t r ips tha t f i l l the rabbetsunder the pins and tails are glued in beforethe joint is cut and assembled, as shownat right. The veneer between the pins andtai ls is inserted after glue-up, For eachworkpiece, cut two strips of veneer slight-ly longer and wider than the rabbet cheek,and two clamping blocks with edges thesame size as the cheek. Set the workpieceins ide- face up on a work sur face andspread a thin coating of glue on the cheek.Then clamp the veneer in place, using theclamping block to distr ibute the pressureevenly (right). Repeat at the other endof the board . Once the g lue on a l l thepreces has cured, cut the pins and tai lsand glue up the joints.

lnserting the veneer betweenthe pins and tai ls

Secure the assembled workpiece in a viseas shown, and use a dovetai l saw to cutgrooves along the seams between the pinsand tails (left). Saw smoothly and evenly,c o n t i n u i n g t o t h e s h o u l d e r l i n e . N e x t ,cut t r iangular veneer spl ines to f i t in thegrooves. Spread a little glue in the groovesand inser t the sp l ines long-edge down( inse t ) . Once the g lue has se t , cu t andsand the so l ines f lush w i th the boards .

t29

HALF-BLIND DOVETAIL JOINTS

Half-blind dovetails are often used for drawer fronts.Virtually as strong as a through dovetail, the half-blindjoint features taik that are visible from the side, but

hidden by the drawer front.

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HAND-CUTTING A HALF-BtIND D()VETAIL

1 Marking the pin boardI Mark the outside face of the boardwith an X. Then adjust a cutting gauge tothe thickness of the tail board and scribea l ine across the ins ide face o f the p inboard to mark the shoulder line of the pins.Secure the pin board end-up in a vise andset the cutt ing gauge to about one-thirdthe thickness of the pin board and mark al ine across the end, closer to the outsidethan the inside face (below). Next, use adovetai l square to mark the pins on theend of the board (right). For the narrowboard shown, fol low the spacing patterndescribed on page 118. To f in ish marking,use a try square and a pencil to extend thel ines on the board end down the insideface to the shoulder l ine.

130

DOVETAIL AND BOX IOINTS

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r) Cutting the pinsL Suru,"one p in board in a v ise wi th the outs ide faceof the stock toward you, then cut down along the edges ofthe pins with a dovetail saw, working from one edge of theboard to the other . Hold the board steady and a l ign thesaw blade just to the waste side of the cutting l ines (/eft).

Use smooth, even strokes, continuing the cuts to the shoul-de r l i ne and the l i ne on the boa rd end .

Q Removing the waster .J Lay the p in board ins ide- face up on a work sur face andclamp a guide b lock a long the waste s ide of the shoulder l ine.Use a chisel that is no wider than the narrowest par t of thewaste area, Starting at one edge of the stock, hold the flat sideof the chisel against the guide b lock. Wtth the chisel perpen-dicular to the board face, s t r ike the handle wi th a wooden mal-le t , making a %- inch-deep cut in to the waste. Then hold thechisel bevel-uo and souare to the board end about X inch belowthe top sur face and peel away a th in layer of waste. Cont inueunt i l you reach the scr ibed l ine on the board end, then pareaway any remaining waste. Repeat the process with the remain-ing waste sect ions (below). F in ish the jo int by mark ing andcutting the tails as you would for a through dovetail joint (page

121). V ' ' lhen mark ing, remember that the ta i ls of th is jo int wi l lbe shallower than those of a through joint because they extendonly to the bot tom of the b l ind p ins.

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BOXIOTNTS

Originally develop ed for mass-pro ducedcarcases like packing crates and jewelry

boxes, the box joint now lends strength anda traditional look to modern furniture.

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."tq,i:{,ir...i

CUTTING A BOX JOINT ON THE TABTE SAW

1 Making the jigI The notches for a box joint are cut oneafter another on the table saw using a dadohead and a simple jig made from an exten-sion board clamped to the miter gauge.First adjust the width of the dado headso that the pins and notches on the edgesof the o ieces w i l l a l l be the same s ize .Make the cutting height equal to the stockthickness, c lamo the extension onto themiter gauge, and feed it into the dado headto cut a notch. Slide the extension alongthe miter gauge so the gap between thenotch and the dado head is equal to thenotch width, then screw the extension tothe gauge. Feed the extension into theblades to cut a second notch (rght). Then,insert a t ight- f i t t ing wooden key in thef i rst notch so i t projects at least 1 inchfrom the extension.

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DOVETAIL AND BOX IOINTS

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Cutting the notches in the first boardButt the edge of the board against the

key and hold its face flat against the exten-

s ion. Turn on the saw and feed the p iece

into the dado head, hooking your thumbs

around the extension to s teady the p iece

during the cut (i lghil. Then lift the work-p iece c lear of the dado head and return

the mi ter gauge to the f ront of the table.

Fi t the notch you just cut over the key and

make the second cu t . Con t i nue cu t t i ng

notches in th is manner unt i l you reach the

opposi te s ide of the workPiece.

Q Cutting the notches in the mating board.J f i t the f ina l notch vou cut in the f i rs tpiece over the key, ttren nutt one edge of

the mat ing board against the f i rs t board.Ho ld ing bo th boa rds f i rm ly aga ins t t he

extension, feed the mat ing p iece in to the

dado head (/eff). Continue cutting notches

in t he ma t i ng boa rd f o l l ow ing the same

Drocedure vou used on the first board.

1 3 3

FINGERJOINTS

An attractive and solid variation of the box joint,the finger joint derives its strength from the

Iarge gluing area provided by its numerous inter-woven fingers and notches. It is most often used

to assemble drawers and small carcases.

ItIIIIItIIIIIIIIIItIIIIIIIIIIIII

A FINGER JOINT ON THE RADIAT ARM SAW

Fence

1 Making and setting up the jigI The j ig shown above makes cutt ing accurate f inger jointson the radial arm saw an easy task. Cut the table and fencefrom %-inch plywood, and the legs from solid wood. Refer tothe illustration for suggested dimensions. Cut a 3-inch-by-25-inch corner section from one end of the fence using a band orsaber saw; the cutout will provide clearance for the motor and

blade guard when the j ig is instal led on the radial arm saw.Fasten the legs to the underside of the table with countersunkscrews. To assemble the jig, slip the fence into its slot in thesaw table, then posit ion the lef t edge of the j ig table againstthe right edge of the fence's cutout, and screw the two piecesof plywood together.

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DOVETAIL AND BOX TOINTS

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r) Cutting the first notchL t , l t t he saw b lade to t he ho r i zon ta lposition, then set both workpieces on edgeagainst the j ig fence. The depth of the f in-gers and notches wi l l be the th ickness ofthe stock; set the depth of cut by extend-ing the boards over the edge of the b ladeby the p rope r amoun t . Then s l i p a sh imthat is the same thickness as the saw bladeunder the workpiece that rests against thef e n c e . C l a m p t h e b o a r d s t o t h e f e n c e ,using protect ive wood pads and makingsure the board ends are a l igned. Insta l l ahandscrew on the saw arm to stop b ladetravel as soon as each cut is completed.Fn r t he f i r s i c r r t ad i r r s t t he b lade to t hesame leve l as t he sh im . Then , w i t h t heblade guard cover ing as much of the b ladeas possib le, pul l the b lade through the cut(right). Return the blade behind the fenceand turn of f the saw.

Cutting the remainingnotches and fingers

For each o f t he rema in ing cu ts , r a i se t heb lade by an amoun t equa l t o tw i ce t heth ickness of the shim. Refer to your saw'smanua l t o ca l cu la te t he number o f t u rnsn f t he nedes ta l c rank tha t w i l l accom-nl ish th is I lse vnr r r le f t hand to feed theb lade , l eav ing you r r i gh t hand f ree toad jus t t he b lade he igh t ; be su re t o s l i dethe b lade behind the fence before ra is ingthe cu t t i ng he igh t . Con t i nue i n t h i s man-ner unt i l a l l the notches and f ingers havebeen cut (/eff).

1 3 5

f , - ry- -- l-;"- * - ;:* -r'+-- --' ' : "0evel.e/gqd ahisel

r . IEEF

Japanese marking knife

Japaneae bteethammei : V*

M ortiae .ma rkln g g4 q 6e.

s rgh t l y se t t ee th . i s used r r j o i l e r y d1d' r re bench work . I ne ' l L , sh -cu t i i ng kug ih i k r i s used fo r de l i ca te c l eanup work . 1 thas a f l ex ib le b lade fo r t r imming tenonso r dowe ls w i t hou t mark ing the su r round

nt i l thc g rea t sa i l ing sh ips es tab-lishecl trade routes betrvcen Europre

and the C) r ien t in the 1500s, thc t r rc rarcas were larselv isolatecl fl'onr each oth-cr, and their lvooclu,urking tracl i t ionsdeveloped separatelu ln the \\rest, theevolution of l,oocl joinert,catr be traceclthroLrgh the histor,v of firrniture stvles.The half:blind clovetail joint, tbr exam-ple, u,as born liul a need to stlengthena clr l rver rvhi le hidins the conncct ion.)apanese joincrv, on the other hancl,

iTp srr r 'a ,^e hpcar .qe rs ieet l ' have noset , The chamfer p lane in the photo features screw adjusted fences; the tool isdesigned to shape the beveled mold ingcommonly used in Japanese doors.

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--3i"+i " ;*r

' Ftish Ahise!.:

A SELECTI()N ()F JAPANESE W()()DW()RKING T()()LSl ana rece l on ' d i f f e ' { r o l I t e r Wes te rnco , rn te rna r i s i r ho th s rhL le and obv ousways. A Japanese mort ise gauge worksmuch ke ts Western equivalent , exceptthat t is f t ted w th smal b lades insteadof p ins. And, the wrdth of a mort rse rs setby ad lus t ng the gap be tween the twobeans . raL l -e r t ha r by nov rng t re s tockin re ia t i on t o t he b lades .

L i k e W e s t e r n - s t y l e c h i s e l s , t h e.Japare:e vers,ons are de: igred for spec f i c pu rposes : The push ch rse l has at r i angu la r b iade fo r c ean ing up dove ta t l

l o i n t p i ns and ta i l s ; t he mor t se ch i sefeatures a th ick, square b lade w th s rghtl y concave s ides to reduce f r r c t on ; andthe corner ch sel is used to square largemor t i ses . Bu t a Japanese ch i se madewr th a s tee l -hooped hand l e s s t rongenough to w i t hs tand be ing s t ruck by as tee l hammer .

Jaoanese saws a r d o a res depa . t ' . onWestern design a l together because theycut on the pul l s t roke, rather than the pushs t roke . The r yoba i s a comb ina t i on saw ,wi th r p teeth on one edge and crosscLr tt ee th on the o the r . The dozuk i . w i t h

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1 3 6

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evolved not from furniture making butfrom the design and construction of reli-gious shrines and temples. In addition,a |apanese woodworker traditionallywore the hat of architect in addition tothat ofartisan and caroenter. In fact. theclosest English equivalent of daiku,theJapanese word often translated as "car-

penter," is "master builder."In japan, carpentry developed with-

in a family guild system characterizedby fierce competition and secrecy. In

JAPANESE IOINERY

addition to designing joints that frrlfilledthe basic requirements of structuralstrength and esthetic harmony withEastern philosophical concepts, rivalguilds sought to develop increasinglycomplex joints whose interlocking com-ponents were invisible when assembled.Of the 400 joints still in use in Japantoday, many are descended from thesesecret joints.

The complexity of Japanese joineryowes as much to native building mate-

rials as to the philosophybehind the craft.In |apan, the stone and clay necessary forbrickmaking are scarce, and therefore themason's art did not develop to the levelit did in Europe and China. On the oth-er hand, fapan's rich volcanic soil growsa wide variety of trees. The abundanceof species, as well as their woods' struc-tural resistance to earthquakes, fosteredthe ancient tradition of building fromwood-everything from sliding ricepaper doors to Shinto temples.

A GAIIERY OF JAPAI{ESE IOINTS

1liding dovetail jointCommonly ueed toattach le7e to railein chair conatruction;featurea a atabi-Iizinq tenon

Divided mortise-and-tenon jointUaed in larqe frame-and-panel pieceo;tendna cui into theraila mesh to4etherin a throuqh mortisein the atile

Mitered-shouldertenon joint)imilar to the divid-ed mortise-and-tenon joint, exceptthe aurfaceo bor-derinq the morLioeand tenona on oneeide are beveled

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Mitered corner joint,Typically uaed on larqeframea: the concealeddovetail tenon andmatchinq mortiae lockthe ioint

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JAPANESE IOINERY

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Unlike inorganic building materialslike brick and stone, wood retains awarmth that serves as a reminder that itwas once a living thing. In lapan, crafts-men hold the view that wood has a soul,inspiring a sense ofreverence that stillsurrounds traditional methods of join-ery in |apan.

For fapanese woodworkers, their artbegins with respect for the tools. Despiteadvances in technology that have giventhe modern woodworker portable pow-

er tools and stationary machines, manyfapanese woodworkers still rely mainlyon hand tools that have remained vir-tually unchanged for centuries (page136). For example, a traditional fapaneseplane, or kanna, is a simple affair, hav-ing a hardwood body, a thick blade, anda cap iron. fapanese planes cut on thepull stroke, and their blades are lami-nated with a thin layer of high-carbonsteel forming the cutting edge, backed bya thick strip of soft,low-carbon steelto

absorb shock when planing knottygrain, The blades ofJapanese chisels, ornlmi, are laminated like plane blades,with a hard, hollow-ground back sup-ported by a thick, shock-absorbing topof soft steel. A fapanese saw, or noko-giri, also cuts on the pull stroke, so itsblade can be much thinner than theWestern counterDart and its teeth canbe finely set.

Only care, diligent maintenance, andrespect for these tools can produce

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Pinned carcaae jointA cornerjoint uaed in car-caeee conetructed withheavy panela: the etoppedtonque providee aliqnmentwhile the throuqh tenonereaiat ahear stresa

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IShelf aupport jointUsed for ehelvea that must bear heauyIoada: end of ahelf aita in stoppeddado while blrnd tenon holda the ahelfetrai4ht and ti4htena joint

IInterloaking-tenon jointFeatured in chairand staircaae con-etruction, thia lock-ing joint attacheaT.wo or more Ptece?

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the elaborate and precise joints seen onmese pages.

fapanese joints are grouped into twomain categories. A splicing joint, or fsu-g, joins two pieces end-to-end to createa longer one. A shiguchi, connects twoor more pieces at an angle. Becausemany Japanese houses have few piecesof furniture, the traditional fapanesejoints originated as caryentry joints usedin the construction of houses. Theshiguchi joints shown on the following

JAPANESE IOINERY

pages are those that can be applied tocabinetmaking.

In fapan, beauty is an essential ele-ment of the art of wood joinery, and theultimate value of a joint is measured bythe subtle combination of its appearanceand the builder's skill and speed. Afapanese woodworker aims foi perfec-tion with the first saw or chisel cut.Sanding a workpiece to fit is not partofthe joinery process. Tradition alsorequires that any mistake made by a

Japanese craftsman remain on the pieceto remind him of his humble nature, soevery stroke ofthe saw or plane is crucial,requiring great concentration.

This concentration is demanded bythe tools themselves. Although theylookdeceptively simple to use, fapanese toolsrequire considerable patience and prac-tice to master. As the ancient craftsmenwho forged them understood, the keyto success is to learn to use the tool withskill and resDect.

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I nte rl o c ki n g - m ite r j oi ntUsed in heavy frame con-etruction: a half-lap-likejoint. with mitered dhoul-dera and matchin7 qrooveein the cheeka aized toaccept a apline. The jointio not qlued, allowing itto be dieaeaembled

Three-waycorner miter jointA corner joint uaedin deske and diningroom tablea: allthree pieceo havemitera, while the leqfeaturea a tenonwhich fits intonotcheg inthe rails

Three-way pinned corner miter joint)imilar to the three-way corner miter, thie joint iauaed to reinforce thick raila connected at a facemiter; two tenona in the leq pin the joint toqether

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GLOSSARY

A-B.CBench dog: A round or square pegmade of metal or wood that fitsinto a hole in a workbench to holda workpiece in place.

Bevel cut: A cut made at an anglefrom face to face along the lengthor width of a workpiece.

Biscuit A thin oval wafer of com-pressed wood, usually beech, thatfits into a semicircular slot cut bya plate joiner.

Blind joint A joint in which theinterlocking members are hidden,as in a blind mortise-and-tenonjoint. Also known as a stopped cut.

Box joint: A corner joint featuringinterlocking fingers.

Butt joinery: A method of joiningwood in which the end or edge ofone board is set squarely against theface or edge ofanother; often rein-forced when end grain is involved.

Butterflykey joint An edge-to-edgebutt joint reinforced by a wing-shaped key that is often made of acontrasting hardwood for decora-tive effect.

Carcase: The box-like basic struc-ture of a piece of furniture, formedof solid panels.

Cheek In a mortise-and-tenonjoint, that part of the tenon perpen-dicular to the shoulder.

Compression: Force that pressesthe elements of a joint together.

Countersink: Drilling a hole thatallows a screw head to lie flush withor slightly below the surface of aworkpiece.

Crosscut A saw cut made across thegrain of a workpiece.

D-E.FDado: A rectangular channel cutinto a workpiece.

Dado head: A blade-or combina-tion of blades and cutters-used toshape dadoes.

Dovetail joint: A corner joined byinterlocking pins and tails; the namederives from the shape of the parts.

DoweL A wood pin used to rein-force certain types ofjoints.

Edges: The narrower surfaces ofa workpiece.

Face jointing: Using a jointer toshave the face of a workpiece untilit is flat and square.

Faces: The wider surfaces of apiece of wood.

Featherboard: A board with thinfingers or "feathers" along one end;clamped to the fence or table of apower tool, it holds the workpiecein position.

Fencs An adjustable guide designedto maintain the distance betweenone edge or face of a workpiece andthe cutting edge of a tool.

Finger joint Similar to a box jointbut with narrower meshing fingers,typically less than/' inch wide.

G-H-r-tGrain: The arrangement anddirection of the fibers that makeup wood.

Half-lap joint A lap joint in whichthe dadoes are halfthe thickness ofthe stock; see lap joint.

Hanger bolt A bolt used to holdmovable parts of a fixture; one endhas screw threads to anchor it in thewood, while the other end featuresmachine threads.

Haunch: An extension of one edgeofa tenon intended to increase amortise-and-tenon ioint's resistanceto twisting; the hauirch can also beused to fill a panel groove, eliminat-ing the need for stopped grooves.

K-L-M-NKerf: The cut made by a saw blade.

Lap joint A joint in which one orboth of the mating boards aredadoed to increase gluing areaand allow the surfaces of the piecesto lie flush with one another whenthe joint is assembled.

Miter cut A cut made obliquelyacross the face of a workpiece; seebevel cut.

Miter joint A joint in which themating surfaces meet at an angleother than 90".

Mortise A rectangular, round oroval hole.

Mortise-and-tenon joint: A join-ery technique in which the project-ing tenon of one board fits snuglyinto the mortise of another.

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GLOSSARY

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O-P-QPins: The tapered protrusions cutinto the end of one board so thatthey lock between the tails of themating piece.

Plain-sawn lumber: Lumber thathas been sawn so that the wide sur-faces are tangential to the growthrings. Also known as flat-sawn lum-ber when referring to softwood; seequartersawn lumber.

Pocket hols An angled clearancehole that allows a screw head to berecessed below the surface; oftenused when joining rails to a tabletop.

Push block or sticlc A device usedto feed a workpiece into the blade,cutterhead, or bit ofa tool to pro-tect the operator's fingers.

Quartersawn lumber: Lumber thathas been sawn so the wide surfacesintersect the growth rings at anglesbetween 45o and 90o. Also knownas vertical-grained lumber whenreferring to softwood; see plain-sawn lumber.

R-SRabbefi A step-like cut made in theedge or end of a board; usuallyforms part of a joint.

Racking: The twisting of membersof a joint in relation to each other;common rn trame romts.

Radial section: A viewing planeacross the grain perpendicular tothe growth rings.

Rail: The board joining legs of atable to which the tabletop is at-tached; also, the horizontal memberof a frame-and-panel assembly.

Rip cut A cut that follows the grainof a workpiece.

Shear: Stress that causes two halvesof a joint to slide against each other.

Shoulder: In a mortise-and-tenonjoint, the part of the tenon perpen-dicular to the cheek. In a dovetailjoint, the gaps between pins and tails.

Spline: A thin piece of wood that fitsin grooves cut in mating workpieces,reinforcing the joint.

Starved joint A joint lacking suffi-cient adhesive; often caused whenglue is squeezed out by overtight-ened clamps.

T-U-V-W-X-Y-ZThils: In a dovetail joint, the flaringprotrusions cut into the end of oneboard that mesh with pins in themating piece.

TimgentiaL A viewing plane inwood cut along the grain tangentto the growth rings; plain-sawnlumber is sawn tangentially.

Tearout The ragged edges pro-duced when a blade or cutter tearsthe wood fibers, rather than cut-ting them cleanly.

Template A pattern used with a pow-er tool to produce multiple copies.

Tenon: The blade-like protrusioncut to fit into a mortise.

Tension: Stress that pulls a jointapart at the glue line.

Through bolt: A threaded rod usedto reinforce face-glued boards; usu-ally used in making a workbenchtop or butcher block.

Through joint A joint in which theend of one piece passes all the waythrough its mate, as in a throughmortise-and-tenon joint.

Tongue-and-groove joint A jointin which a tongue cut in the edge orend ofone piece fits into a groovein the mating piece.

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INDEX

Page references in lrallcs indicatean illustration of subiect matter.Page references in bdld indicatea Build It Yourself project.

A-B-CAdhesives. 18-19

See also Gluing upAngle cuts, /ro nt endpaperBand saws:

Dovetail joints, 125Mortise-and-tenon joints, I I I

Bevel cuts:Edge miter joints, 4Q 41,42, 51-55

Biscuit joints. See Plate jointsBox joints, 1 13, 1 14, 1 32- 133

Half-blind box joints, 114See also Finger joints

Build It Yourself:Butt ioints

center-drilling jigs, 30Dado joints

adjustable dado jigs, 82table-saw end-dadoing jigs, 85

Dovetail iointsdovetail squares, l19

Lap jointscorner half-lap joint jigs, 65

Miter jointsmiter boxes,44miter-clamping blocks, 50miter jigs for the table saw, 46

Mortise-and-tenon iointsmortising jigs forihe router, 100tenoning jigs, 93

Pocket hole jigs, 37Butcher blocks,27Butterfly key j oints,2l, 23, 39Butt ioints, 21, 22, 24-26

Britterfly key joints,2l, 23Clamping,24-26Reinforced, 21, 26

pocket holes,2I, 23, i6-37spline joints, 23, 38through bolts,27see also Dowel joints; Plate joints

Scarfjoints, 23Wood types, 17See also Miter joints

Chairs:loinery,7

Clamping, 18Butt joints, 24-26Miter joints,43,55

Clamps, back endpaper, 43Miter-clamping blocks, 50See also Clamping

Coped joints,42,47

D-EDado joints, 13, 57, 58, 62-63

Blind dado joints, 62, 81,82Dado-and-rabbet joints, 62Double dado joints, 6j, 84Drawers, 52Ends ofboards, 85Lock miter joints, 63Repeat,80

jigs for equally spaced dadoes(Shop Tip), 80

Shelves. 52Sliding dovetail joints, 63, 83

stopped, 13Sliding half-dovetail joints, 63

stopped,63Stopped dado joints, 62Through dado joints, 62, 80Tongue-and-dado joints, 62Wood types, 17

Doors, glazed:Glazing bar halfJap joints, 59,70-72

Dovetail joint s, 1 12, ll3, 1 14Blind dovetail joints, Ll4Cutting severai tail boards at once

(Shop Tip), 123Half-blind dovetail joints

hand-cut, 114,130-131lapanese, 137Jigs, 1 16- 1 17, ll9Marking tails on wide boards

(Shop Tip), I2IPin design, l-15Through dovetail joints, I 14,

124- 125curved, 114, 12G127hand-cut, 1 18- 123outlined, 114,128-129

Wood types, 17, 115See also Box joints; Finger joints

Dowel joints, 23, 28-31Center-drilling jigs, 30Doweling jigs (Shop Tip),29Using a dowel to strengthen

a dowel joint (Shop Tip), 3IDrawers:

Dado joints, 52Drill presses:

Center-drilling jigs, 30Doweling jigs (Shop Tip),29Mortise-and-tenon joints, I I 0

mortising attachments, 96Pocket hole jigs, 37

Dunbar, Mike, 6-7Edge gluing,24-25

See also Butt joints; Gluing upEnd grain:

joinery, 21,26,41,57

F-G-H-r-J-KFace gluing, 25

Reinforcement, 27See also Butt joints; Gluing up

Finger joints, ll3, 1 14, 1 34- 135See also Box ioints

Gluing up,18-i9Face gluing,2jWood qpes, back endpaper

Hollow chisel mortisers, 87Japanese tools, 136, 138Jigs, 8, 9

Drill pressescenter-drilling jigs, 30doweling jigs (Shop Tip), 29pocket hole jigs, 36-37

Pocket hole jigs, 2lRouters, 1l

adjustable dado jigs, 82box joint jigs, 1-16corner half-lap joint jigs, 65dovetail jigs, 1 16- 1 17dovetail squares, 119lapjoints,65mortise-and-tenon jigs, 88, 90, 100round-tenon jigs for the router

table (Shop Tip), IilTable saws

end-dadoing jigs, 85fence-straddling jigs, 49jigs for equally spaced dadoes

(Shop Tip), 80miter jigs for the table saw, 46tenoningjigs, 64,93

Iornery, 12, 16fapanese, 1 36- 1 39

Jointers:Butt joints, 24Rabbeting on the jointer (Shop

Tip),78Joints:

|apanese, 137- 139Mechanical stress. 15Types, 12

selection, l6-17See also Butt joints; Dado joints;

Dovetail joints; Lap joints; Miterjoints; Mortise-and-tenon joints;Rabbet joints; Tongue-and-groove joints

Kruger, Lyle, 8-9

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L-M-NLap joints, 17,57, 58-59

Full lap joints, 58Half-lap joints

angled, 59,68corner, 58,64,65cross, 59, 66dovetailed, 59,69glazingbar, 59,70-72half-blind, 59,67keyed dovetail, 59mitered, 58T ,58table-saw end-dadoing jigs, 85

Wood types, 17Miter boxes, 41, 43,44Miter joints, 40,41,42,46, 137, 138, 139

Clamping,43,55Edge miter joints, 40,41, 42, 51-55Face miter joints, 41, 42,45, 48-50fapanese, 137,139Reinforced,4l

edge miters with glue blocks, 53edge miters with splines, 52-53feather-spline joints, 42, 49- 50miter-and-spline joints, 42, 48mitered plate joints, 42, 54-55

Wood types, 17See also Coped joints

Moldings:Coped joints,42,47

Mortise-and-tenon joints, 87, 88-90Angled mortise-and-tenon joints,

89,103-105Blind mortise-and-tenon ioints, 86,

88.94-96barefaced. 89

Haunched mortise-and-tenon ioints,88,101-102

angled,88Hollow chisel mortisers. 82Japanese, 137,138Locking taper joints, 7Loose mortise-and-tenon ioints, 89Open mortise-and-tenon joints, 89,

91-92,93Round mortise-and-tenon joints, 89,

110-111round-tenon jigs for the router

table (Shop Tip), l l lThrough mortise-and-tenon joints, 88

pegged,89routing deep mortises, 98wedged,89,97-99

Tightening up loose tenons (ShopTip),99

Tusk tenon joints, 89, 106- 107

Twin mortise-and-tenon joints, 89,108-109

Two-shouldered open jointstable-saw end-dadoing jigs, 85

Wood types, 17

o-PParticleboard:

Joints, 17Picture frames,45Plain-sawn lumber, J4-15Plate joints, 20, 21, 22, 32- 35

Carcase assembly, 34-35Mitered. 54-55

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Plywood:Edgings,6.lJoints, 17,4l

Pocket holes, 21, 23,36-37Power tools:

Hollow chisel mortisers, 87lointers, 24See also Band saws; Drill presses;

Radial arm saws; Routers;Table saws

Q-RQuartersawn lumber, 14-15Rabbet joints , 57, 58, 60, 73-74

Double rabbet joints, 60Dovetail rabbet joints, 60Minimizing tearout (Shop Tip), 74Mitered,60,76Rabbeting on the jointer (Shop

Tip),78Shiplap joints, 60Stopped,60,75Wood types, l7

Radial arm saws:Dado joints, 80Fingerjoints, 134-135Miter joints, 44

Routers.11Dado joints, 81, 82Glue joints, 79Lap joints, 66,67,70Minimizing tearout (Shop Tip), 74Miter joints, 48, 53Mortise-and-tenon joints, 97, 100

deep through mortises, 98Rabbet ioints,73,74Round-tenon jigs for the router table

(Shop Tip), l l lTongue-and-groove joints

sliding dovetail joints, 83

S T-U-V-W-X-Y-ZSafety precautions, front endpaperShelves:

Dado joints, 57Shop Tips:

Butt joints, 29, 3IDad.o joints,74, 80Dovetail and box joints, 121, 123Mortise-and-tenon joints, 99, 111Rabbet joints, 74, 78

Spline joints, 23, 38Tables:

support rails, 21, 36-37Table saws:

Boxioints, l32-133Dad6 joints, 84

end-dadoing jigs, 85Dovetail joints, 124, 127Lapjoints,64Miter joints, 46,49-50, 51, 52

miter jigs, 46Mortise-and-tenon joints, 91-92, 93,

103-104Rabbet joints, 74, 76Tenoning j igs, 64,93Tongue-and-groove joints, 77- 7 I

Tongue-and-groove joints, 57, 58, 6-1,77-78

glue joints, 61, 79wood t1pes, l7

Tools:]apanese, 136- 139Miter boxes, 41,43, MSee also Clamps; Jigs; Power tools

Warner, Pat, 10-11Windows:

Glazing bar half-lap joints, 59,70-72Wood:

Anatomy ofa board, /ront endpaperAppropriate joints, l7Basic cuts, /ront endpaperGluing properties, back endpaperGrain, 13-14

end grain, 21,26,4I,57the importance of grain alignment

(Shop Tip), 15Particleboard, l7Shrinking and swelling, 14-15See also Plywood

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ACKNOWTEDGMENTSThe editors wish to thank the following

JOINERYBASICSAdjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; Steiner-Lamello A.G. Switzerland/Colonial Saw Co. Kingston, MA

BUTTIOINTSAdjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; American Tool Cos., Inc., Lincoln, NE; Delta International MachineryiPorter

Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Hitachi Power Tools U.S.A. Ltd., Norcross, GA; Robert Larson Company, Inc., SanFrancisco, CA; Lee Valley Tools Ltd., Ottawa, Ont.; Shopsmith, Inc., Montreal, Que.; Steiner-Lamello A.G.Switzerland/Colonial Saw Co. Kingston, MA; Veritas Tools Inc., Ottawa, Ont./Ogdensburg, NY; Vermont

American Corp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY; M.E. Wyant Distributing Inc., Nottawa, Ont.

MITERIOINTSAdjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; Black & Decker/Elu Power Tools, Towson, MD; Delta International

Machinery/Porter Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Hempe Manufacturing Co., Inc., New Berlin, WI; Sandvik Saws and ToolsCo., Scranton, PA; Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, IL; Steiner-Lamello A.G. Switzerland/Colonial Saw Co.

Kingston, MA; Vermont American Corp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY

LAP, RABBET, GROOVE, AND DADO JOINTSAdjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; American Tool Cos., Inc., Lincoln, NE; Black & Decker/Elu Power Tools,

Towson, MD; Delta International Machinery/Porter Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Freud Westmore Tools, Ltd.,Mississauga, Ont.; Great Neck Saw Mfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros. Division), Millbury, MA; Griset Industries, Inc., SantaAna, CA; Hempe Manufacturing Co., Inc., New Berlin, WI; Sandvik Saws and Tools Co., Scranton, PA; Sears,

Roebuck and Co., Chicago, IL; Shopsmith, Inc., Montreal, Que.

MORTISE-AND-TENON JOINTSAdjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; American Tool Cos., Inc., Lincoln, NE; Black & Decker/Elu Power Tools,

Towson, MD; Delta International Machinery/Porter Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Freud Westmore Tools, Ltd.,Mississauga, Ont.; General Tools Manufacturing Co., Inc., New York, NY; Great Neck Saw Mfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros.Division), Millbury, MA; Frank Klausz, Frank's Cabinet Shop, Inc., Pluckemin, NJ; Robert Larson Company, Inc.,

San Francisco, CA; Leichtung Workshops, Cleveland, OH; Leigh Industries Ltd., Port Coquitlam, B.C.; SandvikSaws and Tools Co., Scranton, PA

DOVETAILAND BOXJOINTSAdjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; American Tool Cos., Inc., Lincoln, NE; Black & Decker/Elu Power Tools,

Towson, MD; Delta International Machinery/Porter Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Freud Westmore Tools, Ltd.,Mississauga, Ont.; Great Neck Saw Mfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros. Division), Millbury MA; Robert Larson Company, Inc.,

San Francisco, CA; Leichtung Worlahops, Cleveland, OH; Leigh Industries Ltd., Port Coquitlam, B.C.; SandvikSaws and Tools Co., Scranton, PA; Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, IL

JAPANESEJOINERYGarrett Wade Company, Inc., New York, NY; Henry Lanz, New York, NY; Toshio Odate, Woodbury, CT

The following persons also assisted in the preparation of this book:

Lorraine Dor6, Graphor Consultation, Geneviive Monette

PICTURE CREDITSCover Robert Chartier

5,7 Bill Truslow8,9 Doug McKay

10, 1l Chris Wimpey43 Courtesy Stanley Tools, Division of the Stanley Works87 Courtesy Delta International Machinery/Porter Cable

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WORKSHOP GUIDEGLUING PROPERTIES OF VARI()US W()(]DS

Good bond Satisfactory bond Poor bondoAfrormosia oAlder oAvodi16 . Basswood . But ternut

oCedar , wes te rn red .Ches tnu t , Amer i can. Doug las - f i r . E lm , wh i t e r Hackbe r r y . l r oko . lV lahogany

r P rne , ponde rosa and wh i te . Pop la r , ye l l ow. Pu rp lehea r t o Redwood r Sape le . Span i sh ceda ro Sp ruce , s i t ka . Sycamore . Wa lnu t , b l ack . W i l l ow

.Ash , wh i t e . Beech , Amer i cano B l r c h , y e l l o w r B u b i n g a

oCedar , A laska .Che r r y . H i cko ryr Madrone . Map le , ha rd

e Oak, red and whi te . Pecan. P ine , sou the rn

o L ignum v i t aer O q : o p n r a n o p

. Pe rs immon. Rosewood

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INVENTORY (]F CLAMPS

HandscrewAleo known ae ocrewclamp: comee rnvarioue eizee withjawe l,hat can openup to 17 inchee wrdewiLh a 12-inchreach. ldeal forclampinq anqlerl work

Toggle clampQutck-acLtn4 c lampLhaL ie ecrewed Lo awork eurface or j i7 Lohold etock in place

clamped Lo Lhe work eur-face while the oLher eecureaLhe sLock. Clampin7 capac-iLy up Lo 50 rnchee

Trigger alampAvailable tn varytn4epane ranqin1 from 6 fo36 tnchea wtth a 3 /,-inch reach: deeiqned Lobe operated wi,h onehand. Featurea paddedjawa La protect eLock

"(ae' ',/,A

Pipe Pclamp

Quick-action bar clampAlao known as ahort bar clamp orcabineLmaker'e clamp; feal;uree onefixed jaw and one eltdin4 jaw with anadjueLable ecrew. )izee ran4e from4- to 36'tnch clamptnq capaciLywtth a maxrmum 5-inch reach

Pictureframe clampFour'cornerclamp ueed to

l -ep t hroot [6r - t 1en1ea ctemptn4 reacn

Jawa aLl;ach Lo /,-, /-,or ,1,- inch'diamel;ereteel ptpe: pipe len4Lhcan be cusLomized fora parLicular epan

Three-way clampA C clamp wtLh athtrd acrew 'eL ata 90" anqle to LheoLher two: for eecurinq bandin4or eolid wood ed4tnq to narrowedqee. Avai lable with a clamprn4capacity and reach of 2 / inchee

Ear clamp?teel or alumtnumclampe up Lo I feeLin len4t,h: mo6L commoneizee are 24, 36, and 4Binchea. Typically feaLureea reach of 1 / inchea

Pinch doqAleo known ae jornL clamp orjotner'e doq: the Lwo faperedpointe are driven tnto the end

Erain of two adjotnin7 boarde.pul l i n4 fhei r conLa ct i nqeuffacea to4el;her.Avatlable inetzee of 1 to3 / tnchee

aeeemble prctureframee and ot.her rec-r anlt t lar , , .or l : 2- t o 48-inch 6l2spi1n e apaci l t

tnq Ptece' are aT90" to each oLher

Eand clampA 2- inch-wtde.pre'eLreLchedcanvae bandapplteo evenPre9aurearound lar1erouncl antl trreqularlyehaped work; avatlable wiLhbancle from 10 to 30 feet lon4

Corner clampClampe miter and buttjotnLe up t.o 3 inchee wtdeeo Lhat ad.loin-

Web clampAleo known ae eLrapclamp: ueed to applypreeeure in more l,hanone tlirecLion, euch ae whenclampin4 runqe rn four chairleqe at once. Typtcally featureea 1-inch'wtde, 15-fool;- lonq nylon band

Fack-to- 'N

back clampAleo knownao double-eidedclamp: one etde te