'-rr-$*

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THEARTOFWOODWORKING

HOMEWORI$HOP
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WORKSHO
GPU I D E
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BASICWOODWORKING
CUTS I
Whether tt te aa baetc ae a buLt joinL
or aa elaborate aa a curved throu7h
The aecret tn creal;inq any jotnl; ie mak' I
in4 Lheee otmple cute precieely and tn ANATOMY
OFA BOARD
doveLail, any joinL can be made with one
or more of the baotc cuLe ehown below.
rha rnrrar+
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A tenon, for example, ie formed wtth
Lwo or more rabbeL cut6; a morLtee
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te noLhinq more Lhan a deep etopped
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7roave. A lap jotnL ia made from
Lwo dadoea or wide rabbeLo.
---*-t:t--\
Ed7e
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Compoundcut
Thtckneea I
Eevelcut
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Miter cut
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Croaacut.
Rip cut I
End notah I
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9topped groove
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. Wearappropriate safetygear:safety o Drapethe powercordof a portable o Usethe appropriate tool for the I
g l a s s e sa, f a c es h i e l df o r e x t r ap r o - p o w e r t o ool v e r y o u r s h o u l d e rkt e
oep j o b a t h a n d ;d o n o t t r y t o m a k ea
, n d h e a r i n gp r o t e c t i o nl f.
t e c t i o na i t o u to f t h ew a y . t o o ld o s o m e t h i nfgo r w h i c hi t w a s I
t h e r ei s n o d u s tc o l l e c t i o sn y s t e m , n o ti n t e n d e d .
weara dust mask.Forexoticwoods, . Usesafetyaccessories such as I
u s ea r e s p i r a t otrh; e s a w d u sm t ay p u s hs t i c k sf,e a t h e r b o a r d
a sn ,dh o l d - r C l a m py o u rw o r k p i e cteo f r e eb o t h
c a u s ea n a l l e r g i rce a c t i o nW. e a w
r ork d o w nw h e e l s . h a n d sf o r a n o p e r a t i o n . I
glovew s h e nh a n d l i n g r o u g hl u m b e r .
o K e e py o u rh a n d sw e l la w a yf r o m . C u ta w a yf r o my o u r s e rl fa t h e trh a n I
o Keepyourworkareacleanandtidy; a turningbladeor bit. towardyourbody.
c l u t t e rc a n l e a dt o a c c i d e n t sa,n d I
s a w d u sat n dw o o ds c r a p sc a n b e . C o n c e n t r a toen t h e . l o b ;d o n o t . D o n o tf o r c ea t o o l ;i f p o s s i b l et r,y
a Iire hazard. rush.Neverworkwhenyouaretired, removinglessstock. I
s t r e s s e do,r h a v eb e e nd r i n k i n g
o D o n o t u s ea t o o li f a n yp a r ti s w o r n a l c o h ool r u s i n gm e d i c a t i o ntsh a t . A l w a y ks e e pt h e e d g e so f c u t t i n g I
ordamaged. i n d u c ed r o w s i n e s s . t o o l ss h a r p .
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THEARTOFWOODWORKING

HANDBOOK
oFIOTNERY
 THEART OF WOODWORKING

NDBOOK
oFIOTNERY

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I TIME.LIFE
BOOKS
ALEXANDRIA,VIRGINIA
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ST.REMYPRESS
I MONTREAL.
NEWYORK
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THE ART OF WOODWORKING was produced by THECONSUTTANTS
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ST. REMYPRESS
JonArno is a consultant,cabinetmakerand
I
freelancewriter who lives in Tioy, Michigan. He
PUBLISHER KennethWinchester
PRESIDENT PierreL6veill6
alsoconductsseminarson wood identification
and earlyAmerican furniture design.
I
SeriesEditor
SeriesArt Director
PierreHome-Douglas
FrancineLemieux
GilesMiller-Mead taught advancedcabinet- I
making at Montreal technicalschoolsfor more
SeniorEditors Marc Cassini(Text)

Art Directors
HeatherMills (Research)
Normand Boudreault,Luc Germain,
than ten years.A nativeofNew Zealand,he has
worked asa restorerof antiquefurniture.
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SolangeLaberge
Designers Jean-GuyDoiron, Michel Gigubre,
fosephlruini is SeniorEditor of Horne
Mechanixmagazine. A former Shopand Tools
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HdldneDion
Editor of PopularMechanics,he hasworked as
ResearchEditor
Picture Editor
Iim McRae
Christopherfackson
a cabinetmaker,home improvementcontractor I
and carpenter.
Writers Andrew Jones,Rob Lutes
Research Assistant BryanQuinn I
Cont r ibuting lllu strators GillesBeauchemin,RollandBergera,
Jean-PierreBourgeois,Michel Blais,
RonaldDurepos,RobertPaquet,
Handbook offoinery
p. cm.-(The Art of Woodworking)
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famesThrien Includesindex.
Administrator
ProductionManager
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Michelle Turbide
ISBN0-8094-9941-X (trade) I
rsBN 0-8094-9942-8 (lib)
SystemCoordinator fean-LucRoy
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@ 1993Time-Life BooksInc.
Director of Editorial Resources EliseD. Ritter-Clough All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproducedin
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t
I CONTENTS
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I 6 INTRODUCTION 73 Rabbetjoints
75 Stoppedrabbetjoints
I 76 Mitered rabbetjoints
T2 JOINERYBASICS
I 14 Wood movement 77 Tongue-and-groovejoints
16 Form and function 79 Gluejoints
I 18 Bondingwood 80 Through dadojoints
I 81 Blind dadojoints
20 BUTT IOTNTS 83 Slidingdovetailjoints
I 22 A catalogof butt joints 84 Doubledadojoints
24 Making butt joints
I 27 Through bolts 86 MORTTSE-AND-TENONIOINTS
t 28 Dowel joints 88 Mortise-and-tenonjoints andjigs
32 Platejoints 9I Openmortise-and-tenon joints
I 36 Pocketholes 94 Blind mortise-and-tenon joints
I 38 Splinejoints 97 Wedgedthrough mortise-and-tenonjoints
39 Butterfly key joints 101 Haunchedmortise-and-tenon joints
I 103 Angledmortise-and-tenon joints
40 MrTER IOTNTS 106 Tusktenonjoints
I 42 Common miter joints 108 Twin mortise-and-tenon joints
I 43 |igs and accessories 110 Roundmortise-and-tenon joints
44 Making miter joints
I 45 Facemiters rr2 DOVETATLAND BOX IOINTS
I 47 Copedjoints 114 A selectionof dovetailand box ioints
48 Miter-and-splinejoints 115 Designingand marking dovetails
t 49 Feather-splinejoints 116 figs and accessories
51 Edgemiter joints 118 Through dovetailjoints
I 54 Mitered platejoints 126 Curvedthrough dovetailjoints
I 128 Outlined through dovetailjoints
s6 LAR RABBET,GROOVE, 130 Half-blind dovetailjoints
I AND DADO JOINTS L32 Box joints
I 58 Lapjoints 134 Fingerjoints
60 Rabbetjoints
I 6L Tongue-and-groovejoints 136 IAPANESEIOINERY
62 Dado joints
I 64 Corner half-lapjoints 140 GTOSSARY
I 66 Crosshalf-lapjoints
67 Half-blind half-lapjoints I42 INDEX
I 68 Angledhalf-lapjoints
I 69 Dovetailedhalf-lapjoints I44 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
70 Glazingbar half-lapjoints
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 INTRODUCTION

Mike Dunbar discusses

MAKING
\AINDSORCHAIRS
{ havebeenmaking\,Vindsor chairsfor 20yearsandI amstillasfascinatedwiththem
I aswhenI began. Thischair'sdurabilityislegendary-afamethatiswellearned.
TherearemanyWindsorchairsthathavesurvived 200years or moreof hardusebut
remainassolidasthedaytheywerebuilt.Thesecret isin thejoints,whicharehighly
engineered.
Likemostcommonchairs. Windsors usesocketconstruction-aroundtenonthat
fitsinto a roundhole.Thereisverylittleedgegrainaroundthecircumference of a
holeto create a goodgluejoint.Because mostof thecircumference is endgrain,a
roundtenonin a drilledholeisaverypoorjoint thatsooncomes apart.Itsonlyvirtue
isthatit canbeproduced quicklyandeasily. Tomakeit worksomeadditional strengh-
eningis required.
Themajorjointsin aWndsorarethosethatconnect theturnedlegsto theseat.
Theseareheldtogether with a lockingtaper,similarto thedevicethatholds-or
locks-thedrivgcenterin alathe's headstock. Thelegtenonismadeconelikewhile
thepartisstillin thelathe.Theholein ttreseatisthenfittedto thetenonwith atapered
reamer, atypeof conicalbit inserted in abrace,liketheoneI'm holdingin thepho-
tograph. Whenassembled, thetenonandmatching holelocktogether, securingthe
joint.Shouldthejointeverloosen, theweightof apersonsittingin thechairtightens
it again,whereas in othertypesof chairstheactof sittingactually wearsthejoints.
A Windsor's legsareconnected bya stretchersystem. Thechairmaker ensuresthat
these jointsremainpermanently securebyassembling themundercompression. The
trickisto measure thedistancebetween thelegswhilethechairisbeingassembled.
Thestretchers arethenmadeslightlylongerthanthemeasured distance.Beingatad
toolong,theypushthelegsapart.Fortheirpart,thelegsholdthejointsin compres-
sion.Asa result,theycannotcomeapart-evenif thegluefails.

in
Mike Dunbarbuildsfinefurniture at hisworlcshop
Portsmouth,NewHampshire.Theauthorof sevenboolcs
and a contributingeditoro/AmericanWoodworker
andEarly AmericanLife magazines, Dunbarako offers
Windsorchairmakingseminarsacross NorthAmerica.
 INTRODUCTION

LyleKrugertalksabout

IIGSANDIOINTS
s a youngboy,thebesttoysthat I possessed
were-in order-TinkerToys,
LincolnLogs,anErectorset,andAmerican Flyerelectric
trains.These
toys
preparedme for an adulthoodin which I am not afraidto tacklecomplexmechan-
icalproblems.
As mostof my powertoolsareoldermodels(my tablesawis a 1940sSearsthat I
inheritedfrom my wife'sgrandfather), I mustgetasmuchaccuracy asI canfrom my
variousjigsandattachments. Overthe yearsI havefoundthat,with a bit of time and
patience,you can adjustand fine-tunemanyolder toolsand makethem perform
almostaswellasthedaytheyleftthefactory.I geta certainsatisfaction out of restoring
theseauctionand garagesalebargainsto usableitems.
I takedelightin applyingonetechnologyto anotherdiscipline.Thehome-made
tenoningjig in thephoto,for example,worla muchlike the crossfeedon a metallathe.
It slidesbackandforth on waysmadeof walnutandfeatures a feedscrewthatindexes
movementto Yo+inch.With a little thoughtandextracarein thefinish,thesejigscan
becomeheirloom-qualityandbe passeddown througha familywith pride.I would
evensuggest that you signand dateyour betterjigs.
I find that when I am in my shoptrying to figureout a problemor a betterway
to build a jig, my creativejuicesgetgoingandtime seemsto fly by.BeforeI know it,
the eveningis over-and I've missedthe final baseballscoreson the radio.
RecentlyI haveexperimented with a Southwestern-American-inspired joint that
lockstogetirerwithout glueandyetis stillverystrong.This joint hasa steppedcorner
and a specialkeythat slidesinto a mortiseandlocksthejoint. It canbe madeon the
tablesawwiththehelpof a coupleof shop-made jigsandon thedrill pressfittedwith
a mortisingbit. Thesteppedcorneris cut without changingthebladeor fencesetting
on the tablesaw.

LyleKrugeris a professional
landsurveyor from Effingham,
Illinois,whoenjoysbuildingfull-scale
woodenreplicasof
antiquesurveyinstruments.
He haspublishedarticles
and shoptipson woodworking in variousmagazines.
H
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I INTRODUCTION

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PatWarner on

JOINE,RYAND
THE,ROI.]TER
-w

$ ama desigr-rer-craftsman of contemporary furnitureandcabinets. I usehardr,l,ood

A lumberfor nearlyeverlahing I make.Thereare,holveveq occasions rvhenI must
useplpvoodor fiberboard, suchasin dralverbottoms,doorpanels, or cabinetbacks.
\{4riietheyareoftenessential, I don'tfind thesematerialsasenjoyable to rvorkassolid
lumber,sincethewoodjoinerymethodsI oftenusecannotbe appliedto them.
Plpvoodis gluedup in laversthatlie in somanydifferentplanesthat it cannotachieve
thestructureof solidrvood.Solidlunber,on theotherhand,consists of cellsthatare
distinctlyoriented-likea br.rndle of strarvs.Thislong-axisarchitecture, in ntyr,ielv,
ailowsmanyjoinerypossibilities. No matterhowcomplexthepieceof furniture,there
is alwaysa meansof joiningthepiecestogether.
routerveryhandyforjoinerybecause
I findtheelectric ofits abiliqv
to accept a rvide
varietyofjigs,flLxtures,
andaccessories. \\hetherthetoolisguidedbv a pilotedcutter,
anedgeguide,a template collaror sub-base, or secured in a table,therouterprovides
thekind of controlthatmakesit ideailyusefulfor joiner,v. No othersinglepowertool
I , ' canproduce thesamerangeofjoints,including tongues, grooves, rabbets,tenons, mor-
I tises, dadoes, dovetails,
laps,notches, fingers,andkeys.Complernentary template join-
I : a
I er1,-orjoineryalongcun edlines-canonlybedonewith a router.Thetoolcanalso
'
' ,1 . . f
be usedto maketheprecisiontemplates requiredfor theprocess.
,l -j Because it issousefula too1,I havecollected lB differentrouters. Theycanbecou-
;* .'i pledwith anynumberof accessories, jigs,andcutters to expandtheirjoint-making
T . tri
j Mostrouterjigs
I capabilities.Fortunately,thisisusuallyquitesimpleandinexpensir,e.
t r{ .{t
areeasyto makeanduse.
Mostof my portableroutingis donewith theassistance of an acryiicoffsetsub-
'i baselike the oneattached to the routerin the pl-roto. It pror,idesextrasupporton
I ,3
if
.,{ thebase,makingit indispensable for routingcertaintemplates, Anotheljig that
I find handyis my tenoningjig; in the photoit is upsidedownrvithther,vorkpiece
I lu i F'.f
clampedin placeagainstanadjustable fence.I liketo useit rvitha plungerouter,which
I,i can be adjustedto cut diff-erent depthsmore easil.v than a standardrouter.
I i $
F S Bothjigshaveprovedso usefulthat I havestartedmanufacturing them for the
s$ commercial market.
I I rf'f
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Pst Warner rnakescontetnporary.firttittrre ht Escorttlido,Colifor-
I* tria,arul worksns a cotrstiltant
for the rotfter
arul tool bit irdustry.
He is o contributingeditor forWoodwork mtgazineartd teacltes
I rotrtirtgttt Palonnr Cortrnunity Collegein SanMarcos.

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IOINERYBASICS Mostjoints needsomesort of mech-

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I oinery,the foundationof wood- ing area.Theblind versionalsopartial-
J working,isa subtleblendof artand anicalaid-a reinforcement designed ly conceals the joint; the throughver-
engineering. Whether theproductis a to meetthe stresses head-on.Fromthat sion,in whichthetenonpasses through I
simpletabletopor an ornatechest,its needspringsthe craftofjoinery. the matingworkpiece,canbe tightened
joinerywill establishits worth:Strong The simplestsupportsare nails, by the additionof smallwedges. T
jointswill giveit longevity, andtheir screws)splines,biscuits,and dowels. In addition to lendingmechanical
designandcraftsmanship will enhance Theserequiresimplycuttinga holeand strengthand gluingareato a connec- I
itsbeauty. addingwood or metalto the intersec- tion, joinery must alsoallow for the
Theneedfor jointmakingderives tion of thepieces. Often,thisis enough movementof wood-its swellingand T
from thefactthatwoodworkers make to satisfrstructuralandestheticneeds. shrinkageas it absorbsand releases
demands on theirmaterialthatnature Sometimes-mostoftenwhenfur- moisture.The bestjoineryrelatesall I
neverintended. Interlocking curvesof niture is involved-greater strengh and threeneeds.
fiberlink a branchto thetreetrunk. beautyarecalledfor. The solutionthen Thestresses on joints andsomeways t
whilea legis attached to a tableat an is to cut the intersectingpiecesso that to relievethem aredetailedon the fac-
abrupt90ointersection. Thus,although thegluingareais increased or theyform ing page.Wood'smoisture-absorbing I
a properlygluedjoint is stronger than an interlockingbond. characteristics arediscussed on pages
woodfiber.thatbondaloneis seldom Theblind andthroughmortise-and- l4 and 15.Jointselectionis discussed I
ableto withstandtheforcesexerted on tenon joints shown below at right on pages16 and 17.Pages18 and 19
tables,chairs,cabinets, anddoorsdur- improvethe strengthof a right-angle containusefirlinformationaboutchoos- T
ingnormaluse. joint and increase the long-grainglu- ing and usinggluesand clamps.
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BASIC TYPES
JOINT ?aneljoint Blind joint
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Framejoint
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fnror6n I
joint r: 1 ,
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Reinforced
joint I
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t TOINERYBASICS

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I ()FSTRESS
TYPES
Recognizingthestresses onjoints
I Theillustrationat leftshows thefourbasic
typesof forces thataffectjoints:compres-
T sion,tension, vertical shear, andracking.
Compression forces a jointtogether,
while
I tension pullsit apart.A typicalexample
of tensionis anoverloaded shelfjoined
I to a carcasewithdado joints;theweight
ontheshelfwilltendto pulltheshelfout
I of thedadoes. Vertical shear occurswhen
thetwohalves of a jointslideagainsteach
I other,common withbuttjoints.Racking,
characterized bytwisting andbending, is
T thetoughest stress fora jointto endure.
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I IMPROVING
A JOINT'S
RESISTANCE
T()STRESS
1topped aliding dovetail joint
I Fixinqa ahelf to a carcaee eide
with a etopped olidinqdovetail
I allowethe joint
to regtgt teneian
I a5 weilaa com-
preeeion,ohear,
and rackinq
t
I
I Tong ue-a nd -g roovejoi nt
?imple,unreinforcedbuLLjointe reaiet com-
t preeeiononly:they providepoor reetatance
to Lenaion,ehear,and rackinq.Keplacinqan
Dadojoint
A aimpledadojoint reaieta com-
edqebuLt wiTha tonque-and-4roove joinL
I makestL muchmoresLreog^reaietant
preooion,ehear,and rackinq,buL
Leneioncan pull if, apart
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WOODMOVEMENT t
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Q cientists describewoodasa hygro- date this swellingand contractionand T
r.) scopicmaterial-thatis,it absorbs producejoinery that is both durable
moisture.Longaftera treehasbeen and stable. I
felledanditswoodmilledandmadeinto Thewoodof mostspecies is charac-
furniture.thefibrouscellsabsorband terizedby growthrings,which arecon- I
release moisture,mirroringthehumid- centricbandsperpendicularto the axis
ity of thesurrounding air. of the trunk. The mannerin which the I
The consequences for the wood- ringsareexposed on a woodsurfacecan
workercanbeserious: Woodswellsas help you anticipatehow the piecewill I
it absorbs moistureandshrinksasit reactto humidity changes. As the illus-
expels it, causing
motionthataccounts tration below shows,there is more T
for mostfailedjoints,wobblychairs, swellingandshrinkagealongthe growth
stickingdoors,andsplitpictureframes. ringsthan acrossthem.The waylum- I
Althoughwoodmovement is un- ber is cut from a log hasa crucialeffect
avoidable, suchconsequences arenot: on how muchthewoodwill shrinkand T
An understanding of wood'scharacter- which dimension-length, width, or
isticswill enableyou to accommo- thickness-will be most affected. I
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Anypieceof woodprovidesthreeviewsof theannualgrowthrings.
Thetransverss sssfisn-sv svs555sslisn-lies at right anglesto the t
grain and is visiblein theendgrain of stock.Thetangentialand
radialsections areat right anglesto thetransverse section.Being I
ableto distinguishthedffirent viewsof theringson a workpiece
canhelpyou compensate for woodmovementin yourjoinery. I
t
RINGS
GROWTH ANDMOVEMENT
Anticipating
woodmovement
I
Lumber doesnotshrinkuniformly. Tan-
gential
shrinkage-parallel to theannual
I
growthrings-isalmosttwicetheradial
shrinkage,whichoccurs acrosstherings.
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Thisdifference accountsforthewarping
of boardsandpanels aswoodcontracts
I
andexoands withf luctuations in mois-
turecontent.Radially cutboards, also
I
knownasquartersawn. aremoredimen-
sionally
stable thantangentiallycut,or
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plain-sawnboards because theyshrink
andswelllessacross theirwidth.Plain-
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sawnboards tendto cupat theedges.
Greatertangentialthanradialshrinkage
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cancausesquare boardsto become dia-
mondshaped andcylindrical onesto
T
become oval,asshownbythepieces on
theright-hand sideof theillustration.
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I IOINERYBASICS

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I Logsaresawnin two basicways,with
manyvariations.Themostcommonsys-
I tem, calledplain-sawing,slicesthe log
tangentto the growth rings.The other
I method,lesscommonlyused,is called
quartersawing or edge-grainsawing.It
I takesslicesat right anglesto the growth
rings.Althoughthe techniquesusedin
eachsystem areverydifferent,eachwill
producesomeboardswith characteris-
ticsof theother.Forexample, plain-saw-
ingthroughthecenterofalogproduces
a pieceof stockthatlooksmuchlikea
quarter-sawn board.
Quartersawn boardshavetheirannu-
algrowthringspeqpendicular to theface.
Thisorientationof the growthrings
accounts for thesuperiordimensional
stabilityof quartersawn boards.Wood
shrinksandexpands roughlytwiceas
muchtangentiallyto theringsasitsdoes
radially.Whenquartersawn boardsswell
or shrinktheydosomostlyin thickness,
whichisminimal,whereas aolain-sawn
boardchanges across
itswidih.A table
madefromplain-sawn pineboards, for
example, canchange asmuchasI inch
in width;a similartablemadefrom
quartersawn boardswouldonlyswellor
shrinkby one-quarter asmuchor less,
depending on thespecies.
Althoughyou maynot be ableto con-
trol the environmentwhereyour furni-
ture will be used,you can makeyour
joinerychoicesto compensate for wood
movement.Orient the growth rings in
the matingpiecesof a joint sothat they
movetogether.For example,the rings
ofthe two partsofa cornerjoint should
be parallelto eachother so that they
shrink or swellin tandem.When the
ringsof thepiecesmeetat right angles,
asin a mortise-and-tenon joint, make
suretheirtangentialsurfaces arealigned.
Workpiecesthat featureirregular
grain requireparticularattention.A
squarechairlegwith growth ringsthat
run diagonallythroughit whenviewed
in crosssection,for example,will even-
tuallyloseits squareshapeandbecome
a diamondshape,pullingthechairframe
out of squarewith it.

"fi1-ll|l"llll'lll'llll
1lrtIr1flrfir1lr'fif1fll llll'llll'llllllllllllllll
1HO?TI?
I Theimportanae
of grain alignment
I A drawer6luedup from plain-
Theannualgrowthringsin the
eawnboardeilluetrrateshow
I plain-sawn oak board (top) appear
6rainaliqnmenlcan makeor
on thefaceasan ellipticalland- breaka joinL.by aliqninqthe
I scapefigure. Plain-sawnstockis boardsso I'hat Lheannual
slicedtangentto the rings.The qrowth ringecurveinward
I growth ringsin thequartersawn (toil, vheioint may oeparare
oakboard(bottom) appearas aI the too and bottom when
I linesperpendicularto theface. lhe fron| cuze ae it dries.
lf the boardeare ali1nedoo
thallhe annualringecurve
I outv'tard(bottom), dryinq of
Nhewoodwilltend oushlhe
I top and bolt om biswardthe
mating Viece,keepinqthe
I joinlNoqether.

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FORMAND FUNCTION I
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Selectingthejoineryfor a projectinvolvesbothstructuraland I
estheticconsiderations.ThecurvedthroughdovetaiUabove)
blendsstrengthand attractiveness for drawersthat will bethe I
highlightof a piece.Theutilitarian dadojoint (right) ls a
goodchoiceto anchortheshelvingin a moderncabinet. t
I
f deally, joineryshouldachieve a bal- solid wood, plywood, and particle- Onceyouhavechosen yourjoinery,
I ancebetween form andfunction. board.A joint like the frame butt, for prepare yourstock.Carefully joint and t
Eachjointmustcomplement theover- example,canbe usedwith any mater- smoothall matingsurfaces. Thefol-
all designof a piecewhileresisting the ial, but only if the connectionis rein- lowingchapters illustratedozensof I
stressesto whichit will besubjected. forced.(As a rule of thumb, anyjoint jointsandprovidedetailed instructions
Thechoiceof a joint will oftenbe involvingendgrainmustbe reinforced for makingthem.If you areunsure I
dictatedby its functionandlocation. in someway.)The dovetail,while it aboutwhichjoint to selectfor a given
Carcase cornerscanbejoinedwith a reouires no reinforcement.is only application, choose thesimplest one, I
hostof joinerymethods, but a carcase appropriatewith solidwood. particularlyif it will behidden.
thatis morelikelyto bevisible,suchas I
a drawer,will benefitfrom a visually
pleasing joint likea half-blinddovetail
JOIl{ERY
TIPS
I
or boxjoint.Forotherprojectcompo-
nents,theoptionsaremorelimited.A .Avoidworking withfreshlycut lum- rWhenarranging the matingboards
I
frame-and-panel door,for example, ber,as it will shrinkafterthejointis of a joint,alwaystakeintoaccount
maycallfor eitherblind or haunched assembled.
a moisture
Usewoodthat hasdriedto
contentapproximating the
thegraindirection of theelements,
orientthe piecesto compensate
and
for
I
mortise-and-tenons, whilea chairwith
levelof theenvironment in whichthe woodmovement.
roundrungsshouldideallybeassem- finished piecewillbe used. t
bledwith roundmortise-and-tenons. .Cut theelements of a jointparallel
to
Thewoodyouchoose will alsohave rWhendesigning a pieceof furniture
thatwill beara heavyload,uselarger
thegrain.A tenoncut across
forexample, will notwithstand
thegrain,
shear
t
a bearingon youroptions.Thechart jointsor jointswith largerstructural andrackingstress.
opposite liststhevariousjointsshown members, suchastwin mortise-and-
r Forsomejoints,suchasdovetails,
I
in thisbookandratestheirutilitywith t e n o n sT. h i sw i l ld i s t r i b u t eh e l o a d use
overa widerareaandreducestresson thecompleted of thepart joint(thepins)
thejoint.lf the designof a piecepro- to layoutthe matingpart(thetails) I
hibitsthe useof largejoints,usea to reduceinaccuracies.
jointsto spread
number of smaller
loadandreducestress.
the
rAvoidlayingoutjointsbyeye;usethe I
appropriate
measuringandmarkingtools.
o Makesuretheelements
properly
proportioned.
of a jointare
lf a tenonin a r lf a jointrequires
reinforcement,
use
I
jointis toothick,the
mortise-and-tenon gluealongwithfasteners, dowels,
bis-
mortise
member willbeweakened. cuits,or splines. t
I
I
16 I
I
I
I IOINERY BASICS

I
t APPROPRIATE
JOINTS
F(|RW()OD
TYPES
I TYPEOFJOINT SOLIDWOOD PLYWOOD PARTICLEBOARD
I Butt joints (page22)
Frameandcasebutt (reinforce)
Excellent Good(reinforce) Fair(reinforce)
I Panelbutt Excel
lent Poor Poor
I Edgebutt Excellent Good(reinforce) Fair(reinforce)
Face-to-face
butt Excellent Excellent Excel
lent
I joint
Scarf andpocketholes Good(reinforce) Notused Notused
joint
Butterfly Excel
lent Notused Notused
I
Miterjoints (page42)
I Facemiter Good(reinforce) Good(reinforce) Good(reinforce)
Edgemiter (reinforce)
Excellent Good(reinforce) Good(reinforce)
I Endmiter Good(reinforce) Fair(reinforce) Fair(reinforce)
I Miter-and-spl
ine Excellent Fair Fai
Feather-spl
ine Fair Poor Poor
I Copedjoint Good(reinforce) Notused Notused
Lapjoints (page58)
I
Fulllap,Halflaps:T, mitered,
dove- (reinforce)
Excellent Fair Fai
I tailed,keyed
dovetail,
edge,half-blind,
angled,
corner,
cross,
glazing
bar
I Rabbetioints (page60)
Rabbet,
shiplap,
stopped rabbet,mitered Good Fair Fair
I rabbet,
doublerabbet, dovetail
rabbet
joints (page61)
Tongue-and-groove
I Throughtongue-and-groove,
blindtongue- Excellent Fai Fair
and-groove,gluejoint
I
Dadojoints (page62)
I Through,
blind,andstopped
dado Good Good Fair
Dado-and-rabbet,
tongue-and-dado,
doubledado Good Fair Fair
t Lockmiter Excellent Good Fair
I Slidingdovetail,slidinghalf-dovetai
l, Excellent Notused Notused
stopped slidinghalf-dovetail
I Mortise-and-tenon joints (page88)
Blind,haunched,angled,loose,
round, Excel
lent Notused Notused
I twin,through,wedgedthrough,pegged
through,tusk,open
I Dovetaifioints@age114)
T Through,blind,half-blind,
curved Excellent Notused Notused
through,outlined
through, boxjoint,
I boxjoint,fingerjoint
half-blind

I
r
I t7

I
 I
BONDINGWOOD I
I
f) roperbondingof matingsurfaces gluecureby evaporation of thesolvent I
I canbe achieved in threesteps: theycontain.Mostgluesseepinto the
preparingthe surfacemeticulously, wood,lockingthewoodfiberstogeth- I
applyingtherighttypeandamountof erandcreatinga bondthatisstronger
adhesive, andproperclamping. thanthewooditself.Toselecttheprop- I
First,thematingsurfaces of ajoint er adhesive for your ioinerytasks,see
mustbe madeasflat andsmoothas thechartopporit.. I
possible with ajointeror handplane. Whenapplyingglue,spreadit even-
Roughsurfaces havehundredsoftiny ly overboth matingsurfaces of the I
airpockets thatcancause unevenglu- joint; it is betterto applya thin coat
ing.Surfaces shouldalsobeclean;oil, to both surfaces thana heavycoatto I
sawdust, grease,anddirt canweaken one.Avoidspreading gluewith your
a gluebond.Someoily woods,such fingers;a setof stiff-bristled brushes I
asteakand rosewood. haveextrac- of differentsizescanhandlemostglu-
tivesthat inhibit the gluingprocess, ing tasks.Someotherapplicators are I
but planingor jointingthesewoods shownbelow.
just beforeglue-upremoves mostof Iointsshouldbeclamoed immedi- I
the residuefrom thesurfaces. atelyaftertheadhesive isapplied;posi-
Over-tightening theclampson a While gluesmadefrom organic tion your clampscarefullyto avoid I
gluejoint cansqueeze outall the materials suchasfishglueandhide cuppingor bowingof theworkpieces.
"starved" glue I
adhesive,resultingin a havebeenin usefor centuries, Clampingpresses theglueinto a uni-
joint. Applya thin, evenlayerof mostmodernadhesives arederived form thin film betweenthe mating
glueon thematingsurfaces and fromsyntheticcompounds. Gluessuch surfaces, whileholdingthepieces until I
stoptighteningwhen a smallbead asresorcinol andepoxycurebv chem- curingtakesplace.Seethebackend-
of adhesivesqueezes out ofthejoint. icalreaction,whilevellowandwhite papers for a selection of clamps. I
I
ACCESSORIES
GTUING I
Plate joiner
glue applicator
Holde qlue bottle I
upeide-down
Glue bruah ao that adheaive
Longhandleamakebruah remains near tip, I
ideal for delicate work; keepinqit ready
to prevent rust stains,
linen-woundferrule has
for application; I
nozzleia ehaped
no metal parto
For ocrapinq away excega
to apread qlue
evenryon 5Ee9
I
Printer's brayer
qlue.?laatia type leao likely of alota cut by
Rubberroller evenlyapreada
a thin film of 4lue over a to mar wood plate joiner I
widearea; can be cleaned
by repeatedly rollin7 it over I
a ocrap Doard
I
I
Olue ayringe t
For applyin4qlue in awkwardplacea:avail-
able with flexibleor curved tip whichcan t
be cut back for faater flow
t
I
l8 I
I
I
t IOINERY BASICS

t
T I(lINERY
ADHESIVES
I TYPE CHARACTERISTICS USES
I White Polyvinyl-acetate . Strongbonding;
based;nottoxicor flammable workingtime3 to 5 General
woodworking
glue minuteso Setting curesfullyin 24to 72 hours. Dries
timeabout30 to 45 minutes;
I o Doesnotsandaswellasyellowglue
clearandcolorless
Yellow Aliphatic-resin
based;nottoxicor flammable o Betterimmediateadhesion forfasrer General
woodworking
I glue grabthanwhiteglue;workingtime3 to 5 minuteso Setting
timeabout30 to 40 minutes;
curesfullyin 24to72hoursr Driesopaque (fadedyellow);moreheat-resistant
for better
I sandingpropertiesthanwhiteglue
Epory Resinandhardener mustbe mixedpriorto use;notflammable butmaybe Bonding acidicwoodssuchas
I glue toxicr Strong, waterproofbonding; working time5 minutes to 2 hours(depending on oak;useon exoticwoodsthat
type)o Setting time5 minutes to 2 hours(depending ontype);curesfullyin 24 hours bondpoorly withotherglues
I Fishglue Protein-based;nottoxicor flammable . Averagebonding;working time60 to 90 Furnitureconstruction,
luthier
minutes . Setting andcuringtime12 hourso Sandable, driesanopaque color,resists work,antiquerestoration
andtasks
I solventsr Notwater-resistant:Gluebondcanbesoftened withwaterfor disassembly thatrequire a longworkingtime
Hideglue Protein-based; in granular
available or liquidform;nottoxicorflammable . Strongbond- Cabi netconstruction, antique
I ing,working time3-5 minutes r Setting timet hour;curestullyin 24 hoursr Sandable, restoration,
veneering, andfine
driesa darkcolorr Notwater+esistant,gluebondcanbesoftened withwaterfordisassembly woodworking
I Casein Milk-based,comesin powdered form;nottoxicorflammable. Average bonding; working 0ily woodsthat bondpoorly
glue time l5 to 20 minutes. Settingtime15 to 20 minutes,
curesfullyin 8 to 12 hours withotherglues, suchasteak,
I e Highresistanceto water,driesan opaquecolor,sandscleanly,
stainsacidicwoods yew,andlemonwood; laminating

I Plastic Urea-formaldehyde-based, in powdered

available form;notflammable buttoxic Veneering,
laminating,
and
resin . Strongbonding,workingtime20 minutes. Settingtime4 to 6 hours;curesfully edge-gluing
hardwood
in 3 days. Waterresistance glues,doesnotstainacidic
higherthanthatof aliphatic
I woods, sandscleanly

I
I REMOVING
EXCESS
GLUE
I Scraping awayadhesive
Onceall yourclampshavebeentight-
t ened,usea puttyknifeto remove as
muchof thesqueezed-out glueaspos-
I sibleafterit setsbutbeforeit cures.
Themoisture fromadhesiveleftonthe
r surface
causing
will beabsorbed
swelling
bythewood,
andslowing
dryingtime;
I hardened gluecanalsoclogsandpaper,
dullplanerknives, andrepelwoodstain.
I Oncetheadhesive hasdried,usea paint
scraper to remove anysqueeze-out
t thatremains(/eff).

I
t
r
I
I t9

I
I
I

I
I
I BrrTTIONTS
t
I
I
f allthejointsusedto assem- pocketholes, isdetailed on page36.
I bleboards, the butt joint is Most other joinery needsare
certainlythe most straightforward. filled by dowels, compressed-wood
t Affixingthe edge,end,or faceof wafers or
"biscuitsl'
or splines,which
oneboardto that of another may can also serve to align parts of a
I not always produce the strongest joint that do not require reinforce-
joint. However, a properlyrein- ment.Eachdemands mastery of a
I forcedbutt joint is an excellent specialized technique-but the pro-
optionfor dozens ofwoodworking cedures aresimpleandtheyallow
I tasks,from joining smallerboards the quick assembly of strong,attrac-
intoawidepanelto assembling car- tive ioints in which themechanical
I cases andframes. parts can be hidden fromview.
joint
Thesimplebutt contains no At least one butt-joining tech-
I interlocking parts,relyinginstead nique-the butterfly key joint-is
on thegluebondfor its strength. Thecommercial jig shownabovecutsaccurate notmeantto behidden;in factit is
I Thesolidityof thatbondis deter- pocket holeswith a minimum of setup time. usedasmuchfor decoration asfor
minedby thegrainorientationof Wth thewo*piece damped in the jig the strength. In this joint a double-
t the matingboards.Gluinglong router-likecutterispivotedinto thefaceof dovetailkey-the butterfly-is cut
grainto longgrain,asin panel,edge, theboardto cut the Docket hole. froma contrasting woodandused
I andface-to-face joints (page 22), to tie together two edge-joined
produces a solidconnection, requiringno reinforcement. All boards. The butterfly demands patience, but awell-set keycan
I otherbutt jointsinvolveendgrain;thisporoussurface pro- be a striking feature of a tabletop. The steps to making oneare
videsamuchleseffective gluingsur{acethananequivalentarea shownon page 39.
I of longgrain.Therefore, endgrainjointsmustbereinforced. At theotherendof theform-to-function scale istheuseof
Nailsandscrewscanbeusedfor reinforcement, but cabi- threaded rods to reinforce such workaday surfaces asbutcher
I netmakerstry to avoidthem for two principalreasons: blocla,workbenches, and countertops. These are often builtup
Additionalworkis requiredto conceal thefasteners, andnei- of face-glued stochasshown on page 27 , andthe rods serveto
I therdoesasgooda jobjoining endgrainassomeof thealter- stabilize theheavyslab when room humidity changes.
natives. Screws areconsidered superiorfor oneapplication, Dowelingtechniques areexplained startingonpage28;bis-
r however, andthatis thetaskof fastening atabletopto itssup- cuit joinery beginson page 32, and the correctuseof splines
portingrails.Thetechnique, whichinvolves drillingangled is detailed on page 38.
I
I
I
Biscuitsprovideeffective buttjoint reinforcement.
I Here,theovalwafersare usedtojoin thesidesof
a carcase.Thegluecausesthebiscuitsto expandin
I their slots,creatingan excePtionallystrongjoint.

I 2l

I
 A CATALOGOF BUTT IOINTS
SIMPTEBUTTIOINTS
(Seepage24)

Edge-to-edge;
panel butt

PTATEJOINTS
(Seepage32)
I
I BUTTIOINTS

I
DOWETJOINTS
I (Seepage28)
t
I Edge-to-faae
iri
irti
t l\rl
t liii
il"'ji i

I it :ii: i i
t . . '
ii r qiii i ."'
I ij, ii , "
\ 1

I
t
t SPTINE
JOINTS
(Seepage38)
End-to-edge
I
,#jt"t-i
, ' a '

I Atina
f-'i':'
';t\1

ilil1
ii ti
I ffi,,
I.
ii li
iiIl
Ed6e-to-face
I: l J[ i
I: ifil
II ri ll li l!i l i
Ir
I;
Ir
Ii
- :
I:
lili
l il i
l ll i
ir'Ni
r : t , r
i."':1/
""
ill.
Edge-to-edge

,Z
',,/ i
,,)
ir,i
i..-l
:i .l

BUTTERFTY'(lINT
ii:%
(Seepage39)

I
I
I
 t
MAKINGBUTTIOINTS I
I
T umberis seldomavailablein planls videsa sturdierbondthanthewood of wood ratherthan a composite.To I
I--r wide enoughfor a tabletopor a fibersthemselves. minimizewarping,mostwoodworkers
carcase panel;sometimesit cannotbe Beforeedgegluingboards, arrange arrangethe piecessothat the endgrain I
found thick enough for a specific thestocksothefaceof thepanelwill be ofadjacentboardsfacesin opposite
direc-
task-a tableleg,for example.Often, visuallyinteresting.
Thepinel should tions(page25).Usea pencilto markthe I
whenyou canfind suchstock,it is pro- createthe illusionof a singlepiece endgrainorientationon eachboard.
hibitivelyexpensive.To compensate for I
theseshortcomings, woodworkersglue
individualboardstogether.Panelsare I
constructedfrom edge-to-edge butt
joints, asshownbelow.Legblanksare t
madeby facegluing boards (page25).
Providedthe matingsurfaces havebeen I
jointed smoothand square,and the
propergluingand clampingtechniques I
arefollowed,the resultsarestrongand
durable.In fact,a well-assembled edge- I
to-edgeor face-to-face butt joint pro-
I
I
A jointerproduces a smooth,
straight,evenedge.Gluingjointed I
boardstogetheredge-to-edge will
form a panel that is everybit as I
strongasa singlepieceof lumber.
I
EDGE
GTUING I
1 Applying theglue
I Settwobarclamps ona worksurface
I
andlaythe boards on top.Useasmany
clamps asyouneedto support thepieces
I
at 24-Io 36-inchintervals. Keepthebars
uprightbyplacing themin notched wood
I
blocks. Arrange thestockto enhance its
appearance, making suretheendgrain
I
o f t h e b o a r d rsu n si n a l t e r n a tdei r e c - I
tions.Withthe piecesbuttededge-to-
edge,marka triangleon the stockto I
helpyourearrange theboards at glueup.
Nextcut two protective woodpadsat
leastaslongastheboards. Leaving the
I
firstboardfacedown,standtheother
pieces onedgewiththetriangle marks
I
facingawayfromyou.Applya thinglue I
beadto eachedge(right),then usea
small,stiff-bristled brushto spread the I
adhesive evenlv.
I
I
24 t
t
I
I BUTTIOINTS

I
I
I
t
I
I
I
t
I
I
.
r) Tightening
theclamps
t L Settheboards facedownandlineuptheirends,making adjacentboards thatdo notlie perfectly
flushwitheachother,
surethesidesof thetrianglealign.Tightentheclamps under usea C clampanda woodpadcentered overthejointnearthe
I theboardsjustenough to pressthemtogether.Install
a third endof the boards;usea stripof waxpaperto preventthe pad
clampacross thetop centerof thestock.Finishtightening fromstickingto theboards.Thentightentheclampuntilthe
I theclamps(above) untiltherearenogapsbetween theboards boardsarealigned(insef).
anda thin beadof gluesqueezes outof thejoints.To level
I
I FACE
GTUING
I Gluing upboards face-to-face
Cutyourstockslightly longer andwider
I thannecessary to enable youto square
theblankif theboards shiftduringglue-
I up.Layouttheboards face-to-face, alter-
nating t h ee n dg r a i no f t h ep i e c eas n d
I arranging thestockto maximize grainand
color.Spread glueononematingsurface
I of eachjoint,thenuseC clamps to hold
thepieces together. Starting neartheends
I of the boards, spacethe clampsat 3-
to 4-inchintervals; protect thestockwith
I w o o dp a d s T . ighten t h e c l a m p sj u s t
enough to presstheboards together. Turn
I theassembly overso it sitson thef irst
rowof clamos andinstalla second row
I alongthe otheredge(/eft).Finishtight
e n i n ga l lt h ec l a m p us n t i tl h e r ea r en o
I gapsbetween theboards anda thinglue
beadsqueezes outof thejoints.
I
I
I 25

I
 I
BUTTTOINTS I
t
CLAMPING
TECHNIOUES
F(lRTHREE
BUTT
JOINTS I
I
I
I
t
I
t
t
t
t
I
I
Gluing upa jointwithendgrain I
Sincebothjointsshown above gluingalongendgrain,
involve loinl(above,
right),seItwobarclampsuprightin notched
wood
youwill needto reinforce theconnection;
useoneof themeth- blocks asyouwouldforgluingupa panel(page 24).(Thesec- I
odspresented laterin thischapter,
suchasdowels, biscuits,
or ondclampserves to keeptheboards level.)
Laytheboards face
splines.Spread glueonthecontacting surfaces,
thenusebar downontheclamps, making surethestockiswellsupported. I
clampsto holdthejointtogether. Forthecasebutt loint(above, Applytheadhesive, buttthepieces together,
andtighten
the
left),settheclampon itssideandtheboards onedgeon a clamps whileholding theboardsin alignment.
Forbothsetups, I
worksurface. Tighten theclampasyouholdthestocksnug usewoodpadsto protectyourstock.
upagainst thebarandkeepthejointsquare. Fora framebutt I
I
Clamping anedgebuttioint I
Settwobarclampson a worksurface and
laytheboards ontop,onefacedownand I
oneonedge.Usenotched blocksandwood
pads. Spread someglueonthemating edge t
andboard face.Holdtheuprightpiece
flush
against thebarwhiletightening theclamps I
a littleat a timeuntiladhesrve
soueezes out
of thejoint(right).lnslallasmanyaddition- I
al clampsas necessary between the.first
twoto closeanygapsbetween the boards. I
I
I
I
26 t
I
I
t BUTTIOINTS

I
I BOLTS
THROUGH
I Throughboltsare an effectivemeans
of reinforcingworkbench topsor butch-
I er blocksmadebyfacegluing boards.
In additionto helpingto aligntheboards,
I the boltswill reducethepossibility
of splittingor warpingas thewood's
I moisturecontentfluctuatesfrom sea-
sonto season.
I
I
I
I
I
I
BUTT
REINF(|RCING WITHTHROUGH
J(IINTS BOTTS
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
Gluingupandholting thepanel
t Markthreeholesfortheboltsonthefaceof oneboard, placing rod;striketheendof eachrodwitha hammer andpunchto jam
onea fewinches fromeachendandonein themiddle; center thenutin place. Standthefrontpieceonedgeandlayalltheoth-
I themarks between theedges. Installabit in thedrillpressthat ersfaceupona worksurface. Squeeze someglueonthe boards
isslightly thantheboltsandalignthebitwiththemiddle
larger andspreadit evenly witha brush(above,right).Press
the board
I mark.Clampa stopblockagainst theendoftheboardanda wood facestogether, keepingtheirendsaligned.
Feedtheboltsthrough
fenceagainstitsedge.Usethissetupto drilltheendholesin all theholes, slipontheremainingwashers andnuts,andgivean
t theboards (above,/eff).Usea similarsetupto borethemiddle Usebarclamps
initialtightening. to press
theboards together
as
holes.Counterborethetwofaceoieces to accommodate thenuts. in thephotoabove. Finishtighteningtheboltswitha socket
I Preparetheboltsbythreading a nutononeendof eachthreaded wrench andadda thirdclampacross thetopof theassembly.

I
I 27

I
 I
DOWELIOINTS t
I
I
I
I
t
I
t
I
I
Dowelscantransforma weakbuttjoint into solidjoinery.
In edgegluing(right), thewoodenpins helpalign the I
boards.In frame (above,left) and case(above,right) bun
joinery,thedowelsreinforcetherelativelyweakbond I
betweenendgrain and longgrain.Doweljointsgenerally
hold up well to shearstress-whenthepiecesarebeing r
pushedpasteachother;theyare lesseffectiveat resisting
tension-whenthepieces arebeingpulledapart (pageI 5). t
I
EDGE WITHDOWEL
GTUING JOINTS I
1 Marking thedowelholes
yourstockon barclamps
I
I Arrange as
for edgegluing(page24). Leauingone I
boardfacedown,standtheotherpieces
on edge.Toensure
precisely
thatthedowels are I
centered, marklinesacross the
edgesof the boards---one about4 inches I
fromeachendandoneinthemiddle. Then
adjusta cuttinggaugeto one-half the I
t h i c k n e sosf t h e s t o c ka n du s ei t t o
m a r kt h e c e n t e o r f t h e e d g ea t e a c h I
dowellocation point(right). Theinter-
secting l i n e sw i l la c c u r a t epl yl a c et h e I
dowels. Forlonger stock,youmaywant
t o m a r ka d d i t i o n da ol w ehl o l e s . I
I
I
I
I
I
28 I
I
I
t BUTTJOINTS

I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
t
I
I
I
t /) Boring thedowelholes
l to avoidsplitting yourstockwith
I tlltll|l'fl|l
llltlltlllltlllllltlltl]llfillilullllfilltllllluljlllll] thepins,usegrooved
morethanone-half
dowels
thethickness
thatareno
of the
I boards. Fita drillpress witha twistor
1HO?TI? brad-ooint bitthesamediameter asthe
I d o w e l st h, e ns e tt h ed r i l l i n g
d e p t ht o
Dowelingjig
%ainchmorethanone-half thelength
I Thecommercial dowelina
jiq ehownhereauLo- of thedowels. Clamp a fenceto thedrill
malicallycenlero S1 press tableto helpkeeptheboard edges
I dowelholeeon $b.\ perpendicular to thebit asyouborethe
Lhe eLock and holes. Then,holding theworkpiece flush
t epa.ceeLhem n#-"t against thefence,position onemarked
aT,tnT,ervala poind t i r e c t luyn d etrh eb i t a n db o r e
I you choooe.Clampthe workpiece \... thehole.Repeat to drilltheremaining
in handecrews,Lhee ncureNhe \ holeshbovd.
t boardto a worksurtace.Clampthe jiq
ontroIheed4eof the etock.FiIyourdrill
t wibha biILhe samediameheras Nhedowele,
Nheninolalla sloo collarNocontrollhe
t drillinqdepIh.)lideNherecLanqular buehinq
carrieralonqLhe)iq,and ineerl lhe appropri-
ate buehin7io keeVthe bit equareLo Lhe
I board.Holdinqlhe drillfirmly,borethe hole.
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BUTTIOINTS I
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CENTER.DRILTING JIG Forholeson a boardedge,clampthe stockwiththedowels flushagainst
Thissimplejig willletyouboreholes stockedge-up andsetthejig onthe oppositefacesof the board. I
thatarealways centered on a board's
faceor edge.Cutthe 18-incharm I
trom2-by-2stock,Markthe center
of thetoofaceof the armandborea
(inset).The
t
holefor a guidebushing
bushing shouldbeslightly larger than t
the holesyouplanto drill,Sizethe
h o l es ot h eb u s h i nw g i l lf i t s n u g l y , I
thenpressit in place.
Turnthearmoverandmarka line I
downits middle.Markoointsonthe
lineroughly1 inchfromeachend I
equidistant fromthecenter, thenbore
a %-inchholehalfway through the I
armat eachmark.Dabsomegluein
the holesandinsertgrooved dowels. I
Theyshouldprotrude byabout%inch,
To usethejig, placeit on thework- I
piecesothatthedowelsbuttagainst
opposite edgesof thestock,Fit the I
d r i l lb i t i n t ot h e b u s h i n ag n db o r e
the hole (right). I
I
I
Q Pinpointing themating dowelholes
r-J lnsertdowelcenters thesamediame- I
t e r a st h ed o w e l si n e a c ho f t h e h o l e s
(right),thenlaythe boardsonthe clamps I
e a r k fsa c i n gu p .A l i g n
w i t ht h et r i a n g lm
the marksandpressthe boardedges I
together, Thepointed endsof thedowel
centers will pierce the edgeof theadja- I
cent board, providing starting pointsfor
the mating dowel holes. Bore these holes I
to thesamedepth as in step 2.
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30 I
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I BUTTIOINTS

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I 1l Gluing uptheboards
-T Arrange theboards on barclamps,
I usingwoodpadsandnotched
asyouwouldfor edgegluing(page
blocks,
24).
Iltilllttllllll]tlllI]l}tljltll]tlljtll}Illlflltlll1
fiI]llltfit]ultlll1
I Applya thingluebeadontheedges to
be joined and spread it evenly. Use a 5HO7Tt?
I s t i c kt o d a ba s m a lal m o u not f a d h e -
Ueing a dowelbo etrengthen a butt joint,
sivein the bottomof eachdowelhole. )crewe do noNholdwellin endqrain,so a fasNeneron iNeownie eel-
t Donotspread gluedirectly onthedow- dom eNronqenouqhNokeepan end-No-face buLt,joinLNoqebher.To
els;themoisture willcause themto swell. reinforceIhe connecNion,borea 3/e-inch-diameter holeverlically
I Insert thedowels andusea hammer to NhroughNheendgrainpieceabouNl/z inchfrom iIe end,Gluea dowel
tapthemintofinalposition. Avoid pound- in Nheholeand leNLheadheeive dry.Thendriveyour ocrewethrouqh
t ingw , h i c hc a nc a u s a e b o a r tdo s p l i t . the maLinqpieceinNothe dowel.The ecrewewillbewell
C l a m tph ej o i n tu n t itl h eg l u ei sc u r e d . anchoredin Ihe lonqqrainof trhedowel.
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PLATEJOINTS I
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Theplate,or biscuit,joint is strongand simple,althoughit recluires
theuseof a specialized toolcalleda platejoiner,shownonpage33.
I
Thetool'sretractable bladeplungesinto thematingboqrds,cutting
semicircular slotsthat acceptovalwafersof compressed beech.Once
glueis added,thebiscuitsswell,creatinga solid,durablejoint-even
in endgrain. Theslotsarecut slightlylargerthan thebiscuits, permit- I
ting a smallmarginof errorwhileensuring properalignment.
I
I
EDGE
GTUING
BOARDS
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1t Markins slotlocations
I Arrange
-
theboards to bejoinedandmarka triangle
onthesurfaces
asin edge I
gluing(page24.fhen (above).
markcenterlinesfortheslotsacrosstheboardseams
Startatleast2 inchesin fromeachendandadda markabouteverv8 inches. I
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t BUTTIOINTS

I
I r) Cutting theslots
L Setthe platejoiner's depthof cut
I t o s u i tt h eb i s c u i tyso ua r eu s i n ga n d
adjustthefenceto centertheslotsin
I the board edges. Laying thefenceontop
of thestock,aligntheguideline onthe
I faceplate witha slotlocation markon
t h ew o r k p i e c T eu. r no n t h e t o o la n d
I plunge thebladeintotheboardto cut
theslot(/eff).Repeat the procedure at
I theotherslotlocation marks. Withthin
stock,thetool'sbaseplatemaytouch
I theworksurface, shifting thealignment
of theslots.Toprevent this,position the
I workpiece at theedgeof thetablesothe
baseplatedoesnotrestonthetabletop.
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Q Inserting thebiscuits
I r-,1andgluinguptheboards
Onceall theslotshavebeencut,Ieave
I thelastboardfacedownandstandthe
others on edgewiththeslotsfacingup.
t A p p l ya b e a do f g l u ea l o n gt h e b o a r d
edges andin theslots,insertrng biscuits
I asyougo (right).(lf youareworking with
longboards it is betterto waituntilallthe
I adhesive hasbeenapplied before insert-
i n gt h e b i s c u i ttso p r e v e nt th e mf r o m
I swelling before youhavetimeto complete
g l u eu p . )T h eb o t t l es h o w ni n t h e i l l u s -
I t r a t i o ni s s p e c i a l ldye s i g n etdo a p p l y
adhesive evenly onthesidesof theslots;
I if youareusinga standard gluebottle,
s p r e atdh eg l u ew i t ha s m a l w l ooden
I stick.Spread theadhesive evenly onthe
board edges, thenfit theboards together
t q u i c k l yt o p r e v e nt th e b i s c u i t fsr o m
s w e l l i npgr e m a t u r eHl yo. l dt h e b o a r d s
I together withbarclamps asin edgegluing.

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BUTTIOINTS I
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WITHPLATE
A CARCASE
ASSEMBLING JOINTS I
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1 Cutting theslotsat thecorners
J. Withthesetupshown here, youwill I
beableto cutalltheslotsforonecarcase
c o r n ew r i t h o um t o v i ntgh ep a n e l sS. e t I
oneof thesidepanels outside-face down
andlaythetoppieceoutside-face upon t
topof it, usingreference letters to identi-
fy thecarcase corners. Offset thetoppan- I
el bythestockthickness, thenclampthe
p i e c eisn p l a c eP . l a c ea s u p p o rbt o a r d I
the samethickness asthestockin front
of thepanels, thenmarkthe slotloca- I
tionson thetoppanel. Setting theplate
j o i n eor nt h es u p p o rbt o a r da, l i g nt h e I
g u i d e l i noen t h ef a c e p l a twei t ha s l o t
locatiom n a r ko n t h e s t o c k G . r i pt h e I
j o i n ewr i t hb o t hh a n d a s n dc u tt h es l o t
(above). Repeat theprocess at theother I
marks andthen,turning theplatejoiner
o ne n d a , l i g nt h eg u i d e l i ni net h ec e n t e r I
of thetool'sbaseplate witha slotmark
(right). Pushthetooldownto cut the t
g r o o v ei ns t h es i d ep a n e lr;e p e atth e
clamping andcuttingprocedure forthe I
othercarcase corners.
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34 I
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I BUTTIOINTS

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I '7+-==rz
uidepanel
I I
I
I Keferenceletter

I
r) Cuttingslotsfora shelf
t L MarV, slotlocation linesat bothendsof theshelf.Mark theshelfandaligningtheguideline in thecenter of theplate
linesacrosstheinside faceof bothsidepanelswhereyouwishto withthe locationmarksontheshelf(above, left).Usetheguide-
I position
theshelf,thensettheshelfatoponeside panel,aligning linesonthetool'sfaceplate
to alignandcuttheslotsin theshelf
itsedgewiththereference line.Clamptheworkpiecesin place. (above, theshelfontheothersidepaneland
righ).Reposition
I Cuttheslotsinthepanel byholdingthe tool'sbaseplateagainst repeatthe procedure.

t
Q Gluing upthecarcase
I r-,f Oncealltheslotshavebeencut,set
theoanels andshelfontheworksurface
I outside-face down.Applyglueandinsert
b i s c u i tisn t ot h e i rs l o t sa n da l o n gt h e i r
I edges asforgluingup boards @age 33).
Assemble thecarcase, f ittingthetopand
I bottom oanels andtheshelfontooneside
andthenadding theotherside(seephoto,
I page20). Installtwobarclampsacross
thetopandbottom, usingwoodpadsto
I protect thestock.Close theshelfjoints
withbarclamps at thefrontandbackof
I thecarcase, placing a %-inchlhick wood
shimunder each to pad maintain clamping
I pressure at themiddleof theshelf.Tighten
t h es h i mc l a m p as l i t t l ea t a t i m eu n t i l
I therearenogapsbetween the contact-
i n gs u r f a c easn da s m a l b l e a do f g l u e
I squeezes outof the joints(left).

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I 35

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POCKE,T
HOLES I
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Pockctltolcsart'ctttrrrrronls, trsadwitlr I
- . c r c r r , - s .tlrbt rt o c h i n gt t t t b l e t o p t o t l t c
s t r p p o r l i r trgo i l s .I ) r i l l et l o t o r t n r t g l e , I
tlrey s111t,, tlrcprLtblurrLt.l-lnt,ittg to screu/
straiglrttlrrLttrgh 3- or 4-irrch-widestock; I
tltcy olsocorrccolthe.firsturcrs. Otreo.l-
tltc rrtttttl,pockat lrclc ligstrt,silsble , thc I
t t t o t l c ls l t o w tnr t r i g l t tc l o r t t ptsl t ay , o r k -
picccitt positiort rtnd.f'cotttres o ltttsltirtg I
t l r a t k c c p st l t e t l r i l l l t i t a t t l t c c o r r e c t
nrtglc.TlrccottrLtintttiort ltit sltowrrborcs I
n clcurortcc lutlc.fitrthc screy,sltortkarrd
c o t r r t t c r s i r t tkhsc l r o l c . l ' otrh c h e n d i r r I
t t r r co p c r o t i o t tA . s t o pc o l l o ra t t o c h e d
t o t l t cI t i t r c g t r l o t ct sh c d r i l l i t r gd c p t h . I
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REINFORCING
A BUTTJ()INTWITHP()CKET
HOLES
J o i n i n rga i l st o a t a b l e t o p
t
B o r et h e p o c k eht o l e st h r o u g thh e r a r l s .
L qn p a n e l e r ^ t rdi rr i l lw i t ha c o m m e r c i a l
t
l r g l r k et h e o n es h o w na b o v eo, r a d r i l l
p r e s sa r d a s h o p - m a d1et g( p a g e3 7 ) .
t
S p a c et h e h o l e sa b o r t4 i n c h e a spart.
L fy o ua " eu s i n ga d r r l lw i t ha s p e c i aclo m
I
b i n a t i o nb i t ,t h e h o l e sc a n b e b o r e di n a
sirgleoperation. Othenryise, borethe holes
I
i n t w os t e p sw i t ht w od r f f e r e nbtr a d - p o i n t
b i t s :S t a r tw i t ho n es l r g h t llya r g etrh a nt h e
I
d i a m e t eor f I h e s c r e wh e a d s s. o t h e y I
can be recessed asshown,andthenbore
r h eo l h e ra l i t l l e' a r p etrh a nt h e s c r e w I
shanks to allowfor somemovement. Once
^l
dr
+L^ f,^l^^
lilc ilurc)
f,^.,^ a^^^
ildvv uccr
^,,+ ^^r +L^ r^Lt^
L u L , ) c L L rr c L d u r c
I
topfacedownon a worksurfaceand mark
l l n e so n i t s u n d e r s i dt oe h e l py o u p o s i - I
t i o nt h e r a l l s A . l i g na r a i lw i t ho n eo f
t h el i n e sa n dd r i v e
t h es c r e wtso a t t a c ht h e I
b o a r dt o t h e t o p ( r i g h t ) .R e p e a tf o r t h e
o t h er a i l s . I
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36 I

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I BUTTIOINTS

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I A POCKET HOI.E JIG
I To boreoocketholeson thedrill
press,usea pocketholejig (right),
I shop-made from3/a-inch plywood
andtwosmallpieces of solidstock.
I Referto the illustration forsuggest-
eddimensions.
I Screwthetwosidesof the cradle
9upport bracket
together to forman L. Thencut a
| 1/2"x 3" x 41/2".
I 90'anglewedge fromeachsupport
bracket sothatthe widesideof the
I cradle willsit at anangleof 15"from
to
thevertical. Screwthe brackets
I the jig base,andattachthecradle
ontopof the brackets.
I Tousethejig,seattheworkpiece
i n t h ec r a d l ew i t ht h es i d et o b e
I drilledfacingoutanditstopedgesit- (below,lefil. Clampthe jig to the holesjustdeepenough to recess
tingin theV of thecradle. Borethe tableandreplace thebrad-point with the screwheads(below,right).To
I holesin twosteoswithtwodiffer- the Forstner bit. completethepocketholes,reinstall
entbitsasyouwouldwithanelectric Holding theworkpiece firmlyin the thebrad-point
bitandborethrough
drill(page36). ln thiscase,a Forstner j i g ,f e e dt h e b i t s l o w l tyo b o r et h e theworkpiece.
I
bitanda brad-ooint bit areshown.
I TheForstner bit cutsa flai-bottomed
holeidealforrecessing screwheads.
I F i r s ti,n s t a l l t h be r a d - p o ibnitt
s n ds e tt h ej i g o n
i n t h ed r i l lp r e s a
I t h et o o l ' st a b l e . i t ht h em a c h i n e
W
off. lowerthe bit andposition the
I j i g t o a l i g nt h eb i t w i t ht h ec e n t e r
of thebottomedgeof theworkpiece
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SPLINEIOINTS I
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Splines arethin stripsof woodcommonlyusedto alignandreinforcebux
joints,liketheedge,case,andpaneljointsshownaboye(clockwisefrom I
top left). Madefrom plywoodor solidwoodno morethan1/:thethickness
of thestoclgsplinesextendintogrooves cut in bothmatingsurfaces.
Solid- t
woodsplinesshouldbecut with thegrain runningacross theirwidth,
ratherthanlengthwise, toprovidemaximumstrength.Thewidth of the I
grooves shouldequalthethickness of thesplines;theirdepthshouldbe
slightlymorethanone-halfthewidth of thesplinesto allowfor excessglue. I
I
REINFORCING
A BUTT WITHA SPLINE
JOINT
Cutting grooves andinserting splines
I
Markthethickness of thesolineon the I
leading endof oneboard.Installa dado
headof theappropriate widthonthetable
sawandsetthedepthof cut.Alignthe
t
m a r k so n t h ew o r k o i e cwei t ht h ed a d o
head,thenbuttthefenceagainst theface
t
of thestock.Tosecure theworkpiece dur- I
i n gt h ec u t ,c l a m pa s h i mt o t h et a b l e
andscrewa featherboard on top.The I
shimwillallowthefeatherboard to suo-
portthe middleof theworkpiece. Turn
onthesawandfeedthe boardintothe
I
dadohead,keeping
against
theworkpiece
thefence(right).lf youarework-
firmly I
ingwithnarrow stock,usea pushstick I
to complete thepass.Repeat thecuton
thematingboard, thenspread someglue I
inthegrooves, insert thespline, andclamp
theboards as in panel(page25) or edge I
buttgluing(page26). (Caution: Blade
guardremoved for clarity.) I
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38 I
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I KEYIOINTS
BUTTERFLY
I
t
Alsoknown as a doubledovetail,the but-
I terfly keyjoint servesto strengthenpanel
joints. If it is cut from a contrastinghard-
I wood, the key adds a decoratiueelement.
Thereare severalmethodsfor making the
I joint, but here,the keysarefashionedon
a table sqw and the recesses for the keys
t areplowed with a router.

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I A BUTTERFLY
MAKING KEYJOINT
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I
Making a butterfly keyjoint
I Tomakeseveral keys, outline thedouble-wing shape on
theendof your stock, making sure the grain runs along the
I length of the key rather than across its width. Adjust the
bladeangleonthetablesawto 10",alignoneof thekey
I m a r k so n t h e b o a r dw i t ht h e b l a d ea n db u t tt h ef e n c e
against thestock,Support theworkpiece witha feather-
I board setatopa shim.Makea ripcuton each sideof the
workpiece, thenturntheboard overandsaw twicemoreto
it
I cutoutthebutterfly pattern. Feedthestockwitha push
stick (/eft). Cutindivioual keysfromtheboardontheband
I saw.Routtherecesses forthekeysusinga template and
a top-piloted straight bit.Tomakethetemplate, outlineone
I of thekeyson a pieceof plywood andcut outthepattern
witha saber saw.Thenmarkintersecting reference linesfor
t thelocation of thekeyonthepanelandtemplate. Clamp
thetemplate atopthestock,aligning thereference lines
T (abovd,androuttherecess to a depthequalto thethick-
nessof thekey.Square thecorners of therecess witha chis-
I el.Toglueinthekey,spread adhesive intherecess andinsert
thekey.Laya woodpadacross thepanel, usingclamps at
I itsendsto holdthekeyin placewhilethegluedries.

I
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"ff
i l
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. r , ' l

i , : i
I llr,.
: l , l !

, ; ':1."J' .
,l
i li rr1
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I MITERIOINTS
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iters are among joints,theyarestronger.
I thecommonest of Still,anyend-grainmiter
joints.Buildersusethem mustbe reinforcedwith
I whentrimming around splines,dowels, glueblods,
windowsanddoors;cabi- or biscuits.
I netmakers usually miter
: ,
Insertingsplinesis the
carcasecomersandprcture methodmostcommonly
r framesbecause themiter usedto providereinforce-
concealsend grain. Al- ment(page48).Consist-
I thoughframesandboxes ing of nothingmorethan
usuallydemand90ocor- stripsof hardwoodor ply-
I ners,a miterjoint maybe wood,splinesare glued
anyangle.All areequally intogrooves thatarecutin
I simpleto make,solongas A miter boxis invaluablefor makingaccurateanglecuts. bothhalves of ajoint.The
the rulesof miteringare Thecommercial modelshownabovecomeswith itsown resultis a strong,durable
I followed:Eachintersect- smu,a solid metalbase,and legsthat canbefasteneddown bond-even though its
ingendmustbecutexact- to a work surfacefor addedstability. intention may be more
I lv at one-halfthe total decorative thanfunctional,
angleofthecomer.Thus,thetwopieces forminga90oangleare likethefeathered splinedemonstrated on page49.
I cutat45oeach;thoseforminga 45oanglearecutat22L/zo. Theanglesof a miterjoint canmakeit difficultto align
Therearetwo tfpesof miter joints:
facemitersandedge duringassembly; usespecialclampsandjigslike thoseillus-
I miters.Facemiters (page 45)arecut across thefacesof the tratedonpages 50and55to maketheglue-upprocess easier.
pieces,andareoftenusedto connectstilesandrailsin frame- And,properlymade, thereinforcements themselves canassure
I and-panel constructionorjoin themembers of apictureframe. properalignment.
Edgemiters(page51)canbemadealongtheedges ofthework- Whetherreinforced or not,thesuccess of everymiterjoint
r piecesor acrosstheendgrain-alsoknownasendmitersor depends on accurate cutting.Thetablesawmiterjig on page
bevelmiters.Because edgemitersconceal thematingsurfaces, 46is designed to easethattask.Butwhetheryouareusinga
I theyareusedextensively in plywoodcarcase construction. tablesaw,radialarmsaw,or abaclsawwitha miterbox,care-
Miter jointsarenot onlypreferredfor their cleanlines. ful measurement andpropersetupwill producestrong,attrac-
I Because they offer more gluing areathan ordinarybutt tivejointsthatwill lastfor years.

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Makingan octagonal carcaselilethetablesupportshownat
I lefi calkfor a seria of identicalbevelcuts.For theeightpieces
tofit properly,eachedgemustbecut at an angleof 221/2" so
t that the total of all theanglesaddsup to 360".

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COMMON MITE,RIOINTS I
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End miter
(eee page 51) I
Face mit'er I
(aeepage 45)
I
Ed6e miter T
(eeepaqe 51)
Mitered doweljoint I
Dowelainaerted ae
in butt doweljoint I
(paqe 28)
Eeveled plate joint
(aee page 54) I
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Mitered plate joint,
(aee paqe 54) I
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Miter-and-apline
(oee paqe 4B) I

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Feat'her-apline
Copedjoint
(aee paqe 47)
(eee paqe 49) I
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I JIGSAND ACCESSORIES

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

For clampinqcarcaeee,eepeciallythoee
with beveledcorners; includeabracketa of
vanoualengthato keepcornerggquare

This commercial miter box. which comeswith

its own handsaw,can be adjustedto make a cut
at any anglebetween0" and 90".For maximum
convenience,thejig isfastenedto a plywood base,
which is then clamped to the work surface.

Corner clamp
Clampemiter joinLe up to 3
tncheawtdea0 thaL adjointnq
pieceaare kep| at riqht anqlea
to each other; four clampeare
required to qlue up frame in
Piature frame alamp
one operation
Four-cornerclamp uoedto aoaemble
picture framea and other rectanqular
work;2- to 4B-tnch clampin4capacity

A $ \
Miter box
Uaedw'rtha backaawto cut mitera and bevele.
Modelahownfeaturea alota for atrai4ht cute,
45" miter cuta, and 45" bevelcute; clampe
at each end hold workpiecein place red
N
Webalamp
AIao knownae eLrap clamp:used to apply equalpreaoure
around the ctrcumferenceof a pteceae whenclamptnga
carcaaeaaaembledwith aeveralbeveledpiecee(paqe40),
Typicallyfeaturea a f-inch-wide,l5-foot-lonq nylonatrap with
a raLchettnqbuckle,four corner bracketa,and a wrench

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MAKING MITERJOINTS T
I
f) esistthetemptationto cul.miters I
r\ freehand; theslightesterrorwill
resultin gapsthat arJesthetically and I
structurallyunsound.If you aremak-
ing a standard45ocut, usea combi- I
nationsquareto setup your tablesaw
or radialarm saw;or usea miter box T
with a backsawFor a miter or bevel
cut at anyotherangle,adjustyour saw I
usinga slidingbevelanda protractor.
Maketestcutson a scrapboard,then I
checkyour results.Throughuse,the
slots in a wooden miter box can I
becomeout-of-square or too wide,
resultingin a poorlyfittingjoint; you T
canachievea goodfit by sawingone
The radial arm saw cuts miter joints cluicklyand accurately.The arm halfof a joint faceup andthe mating t
that supportsthe motor and bladeswivelsto either sidefor face miter piecefacedown.
cuts. The motor can also be tilted for bevelcuts. Swivelingthe arm I
and tilting the motor producesa compoundcut.
I
I
t
I
A MITER
BOX frontandbackpieces sothatthe lip at the bottomof the box.Screw
Cutthree15-inch-long piecesof depthof the boxwill be% inchless thefrontandbackoieces to thebase I
or 3/a-inch
hardwood plywoodfor the thanthewidthof yourbacksaw blade sothatthetopedgesof the boxare
baseandthefrontandbackoieces. fromits teethto the bottomof the level.Usea combination souare to I
Makethe basewideenough for the . u tt h ef r o n tp i e c e1 i n c h
s p i n eC markcuttinglinesfortheslotson
stockyouwill be sawing.Ripthe widerthanthebackoieceto forma the box'stop edges.Layouta 90' t
angleslot3 inchesfromoneend,
anda 45' angleslot3 inches from I
theotherend.Outline a second 45o
slotin theopposite direction between I
thefirsttwoslots.Makethecutswith
a backsaw, usingblocks clamped to
e i t h esr i d eo f t h ec u t t i n gl i n e st o
t
guidetheblade. I
To usethebox,secure the lip in a
vise,thensettheworkpiece onthe I
base, aligning thecuttinglinewith
theappropriate slot;clampthe I
boardto thebackpiece.Startthe
cut bypullingthebladetoward you I
a fewtimes,thenfinishwith push
andpullstrokes(/eft). I
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I
I FACEMITERS
I
I A FACE
MAKING MITERJ()INT
I
I
T
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I
Facemiter joints are a popular
I choicefor pictureframes;they hide
end grain end direct the eye toward
I the centerof theframe.

I
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t
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I 1 Cutting themiter
I Tousethecommercial miterbox
I shown, secure thelegsto a worksur-
face.Swivel thesawassembly until
I thepointer indicates themiterangle
youneed; check theangle. Raise the
I sawassembly ontheguidepostsand
s l i pt h ew o r k p i e cuen d etrh eb l a d e
I a n do n t h e b a s eo f t h e m i t e rb o x .
A l i g nt h ec u t t i n g
l i n ew i t ht h eb l a d e
I andbuttthe boardagainst thefence,
thenlower thebladeontothework-
I piece, Holding thestockf irmly, make
thecutasyouwouldwitha shop-made
I miterbox(above).

I
I r) Clampingthejoint
L Apply adhesiveonthecontacting of thejoint.lf youareusing
surfaces
I cornerclamps forglueup,youwillneedan individualclampforeachcorner
of theframe.Fitadjoining
boardsin theclampsandtighten thetwoscrews
I untilthejointsareIighI(above).
alternately

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 I
MITER IOINTS I
I
t
I
A MITER JIGFOR THETABTE SAW
I
Making mitercutson long,wide,or Frnnt attnnnrl niere
I
heavy workpieces canbetricky.The Clearplaettc %"x31/z"x20'1"
shop-builtmiterjig at rightmakes the 4uard I
taskeasier. Referto the illustration
for suggested dimensions. Keinforctnqblock
% "x 1 ' 1 x" 6 % "
I
Cuttwo25-inch-long hardwood
runnersthesamewidthasthesaw's
mitergaugeslots.Boreclearance
I
holesforscrews intotheundersidesof I
therunners, 3 inches fromeachend
andevery 6 inches in between.Place I
therunners in theslots,thenslide
themoutto overhang the backend I
of thetablebyabout8 inches. With
the bladelowered belowthetable, Kerf t
positionthejig basesquarely onthe
Dackauppoft piece
runners,itsedgeflushwiththeirover-
%"x3k"x13"
I
hanging ends;thenscrewtherunners
to thebase, countersinking thescrews. I
Slidetherunners andthebaseoffthe
frontendof thetableanddrivein the thejig,centered between therunners. a cutthrough thesupport pieceand I
remaining screws. Attachtheback Then,withtherunners in themiter three-quartersof thewayacross the
support piecealongtherearedgeof gauge slots,raisethebladeandmake base. Turnoffthesawandlowerthe I
blade.Next,placethemiterarmsat
90oto eachotherin themiddleof the
jig,centered
I
onthekerf.Screwthe
armsandthefrontsupport
place.Attachthereinforcing
piecein I
blocks to
thesupport
plastic
pieces andfasten
guardtotheblocks
a clear I
blade with
hanger bolts,washers,andwingnuts. I
Tousethejig,fit therunners into
themitergauge slots.Slidethe jig I
towardthebackof thetableuntilthe
bladeentersthe kerf.Buttthework- I
pieceagainsttheleftarmof thejig,
alignthecuttinglinewiththe saw I
blade,andclampa stopblockto the
armat theendof theboard. Cutthe I
miter,holding theworkpiece f irmly
againstthearmandstopblock(left). I
Makethe matingcut thesameway
usingtherightarmof thejig. I
I
I
46 I
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I
I coPEDIOINTS
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t
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I
I
I
I Copedjoints are often usedto connecttwo piecesof contouredmolding
at inside corners.They are superior to standard mitersfor concealing
I slight inaccuraciesin thefit of thepieces.Coping is a two-stepoperation.
First, a standard 45" bevelcut is made at the end of onepiece.This
I revealsa contour line, which can then befollowed with a copingsaw.

I
CUTTING
A COPED
JOINT
I
Coping contoured molding
r Cuttheendof a pieceof molding
45" angle to reveal thecontour
at a
lineon
I theface.Tomakethecopedcut,clamp
themolding face-up on a worksurface,
I protecting theworkpiece witha wood
pad.Install a narrow bladeona coping
t saw,making surethattheteetharefac-
ingthehandle sothatthesawcutson
I thepullstroke. Cutalongthecontour
l i n ec a r eufl l yw i t ht h es a wb l a d eh e l d
I perfectly upright(left).Fora tightf it,
undercut thejointslightly, sothatonly
I thefrontof theboardcontacts theface
ofthemating prece. lf theblade bindsin
t thekerf,makeoccasional release cuts
intothewaste to letsmallpieces fall
I away.Position thecopedendagainst the
faceof thematingpieceto testthef it.
t Smooth outanyslightirregularities with
a roundfileorfinesandpaper wrapped
I around a dowel.

I
I
I
I
I
I 47

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 I
MITER-AND.SPLINEIOINTS I
t
is basicallya facemiter with a splineglued
Themiter-and-spline I
into groovescut in the mitered ends.For maximum strength,
the spline should be cut so that its grain runs acrossits I
or bemadefrom plywood.
width, ratherthan lengthwise,
I
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I
ROUTING
A MITER.AND.SPTINE
'OINT
Cutting thegrooves
I
Makethe45" mitercutsin eachwork- I
piecef irst.Installa three-wing slotting
cutterin yourrouterandmountthetool I
in a table.Position thefencein linewith
the bit pilot,thenplacetheworkpiece I
f lat on thetableandcenterthe bit on
theedgeof thestock.Feedtheworkpiece I
intothecutterwitha mitergauge, hold-
ingthe edgeof the boardflushagainst I
thegaugeandonemitered endflatagainst
the fence(right).(Youcanalsoroutthe I
grooves jointsbyusing
for miter-and-spline
a straightbit andfeeding the stockon I
end intothe bit.)Onceall thegrooves
havebeenmade,cut a splinefor each
joint;makeit twiceaswideasthedepthof
I
thegroove, less%zinchforclearance.Glue I
upthejointasyouwoulda standard miter
(page45),spreading gluein thegrooves. I
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I
48 I
I
I
t FEATHER-SPLINE
IOINTS
T
I Thesplinein a feather-splinejoint serves
moreoJ
a decorative rolethana structuralone.In contrast
I to themiter-and-spline, thegroovefor thefeather
splineis cut afterthecornerisgluedup.
I
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t
I
MAKING
A FEATHER-SPLINE
J()INT
I thejig
1 Making
I Youcancutthesrooves fora feather-
I spline j o i n to nt t r ei a U t e
s a wu s i n g
the
fence-straddling jig shown at left.The
I jig feedsthecorner of a mitered frame
r across
blade.
thetableandsquarely
Cutthebodyandbracefrom3/q-
intothe

inchplywood andthearmsfroml-by-2
I stock.Makethebody,spacer, andbrace
a b o u1t 6 i n c h elso n ga n dt h ea r m s1 2
t inches long;thebodyshould beabout5
inches wide.(Thethickness of thespac-
I erandthewidthof thebrace depend on
thedimensions of yoursaw'sripfence.)
I Attachthespacer to the bodyandthe
brace to thespacer sothejig slidesfreely
I a l o n gt h ef e n c ew i t h o uwt o b b l i n T go
.
prepare
t endsandscrew
thearms,cut45" mitersat both
themto thebodysothat
theyareperpendicular
t thatthejointbetween
to eachother;
themformsa 90"
check

angle. Tocomplete thejig,screw a shim

I tothebodyandfastena toggleclampto
theshim(left),ffakecertainthereare
t noscrews closeto the bottomof thejig
where thebladecouldstrikeone.
I
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I 49

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MITER IOINTS I
I
r) Cutting thegrooves I
L t o u s et h ej i g ,p l a c ei t a s t r i dteh e
fenceandposition thetwosothecutwill I
bemadein themiddleof theworkpiece.
Slidethejig along thefenceto cutgrooves I
through themitered endsof thearms.Turn
o f ft h es a wa n dp u l lt h ej i g b a c kt o t h e I
frontof thetable.Seattheframein the
jig soa corner is butiedagainst thecenter I
o f t h eV f o r m e b
d yt h ea r m sa n dc l a m p
theworkoiece in olace.Feedthestock I
intotheblade(right), holding thejig with
b o t hh a n d sC. u t r i a n g u l sapr l i n etso f i t t
in thegrooves. Spread a littlegluein the
grooves andinsert thesplines. Oncethe I
gluehascured,cutandsandtheprojec-
tionsflushwiththeframe. I
I
I
I
MITER CTAMPING BTOCKS
I
Youcanglueup mitered with-
corners
outspecial clamps,instead using
I
handscrews andthesoecial blocks
shownat right.Youwill needone
I
clamoandtwoblocksfor eachcor-
ner.Usestockthesamethickness
I
asyourworkpiece fortheblocks;on
oneedge, cutthe45'angleandthe
I
V-shaped notch(rnsef).
Tousetheblocks, applyglueto the
I
contacting surfaces andpressthem
together. At eachcorner, usestring
t
to tie theblocks snugly to theedges
of theframe,securing thelooseend
I
in thenotch.Setthejawsof thehand-
screwagainst the 45'angleedges
I
of theblocks andtighten theclamp
(right)unliltherearenogapsbetween
I
themitered endsanda thin beadof
gluesqueezes outofthejoint.Tokeep
I
theframesquare, tighten thehand-
screws a littleat a time,checking the
I
corner witha combination souare.
I
I
I
I
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I
I EDGEMITERIOINTS
I
I
I
Edgemiterjointsfeaturematchingbevel cutsin
I thematingpieces, eitheracrosstheworkpiece
end (beIow) or alongthe edge(far right). The
I edgemiter is a popularjoint for carcase
corners
becauseit concealsendgrain.Both examples
shownarereinforcedwith splines.

t
I
I
I
ANEDGE
CUTTING MITER
JOINT
I Making thebevelcut
Tocuta standard edgemiterjointonthe
I tablesaw,setthebladeangleat 45" and
position theripfenceforthewidthof cut,
I ensuring thatthe bladeteetharepoint-
ingawayfromthefence.Raise thesplif
I terto keeothekerfooenwhilethecut is
b e i n gm a d ew, h i c hw i l lp r e v e nbti n d i n g
I andkickback. Feedtheworkoiece into
theblade, usinga pushstickto keepthe
I boardflat onthesawIable(left).(Caution:
Blade guardremoved forclari$.)Tocutthe
I bevelacross theendof a board, movethe
fenceasideandfeedtheworkpiece into
I theblade withthemitergauge. Onceallthe
bevelcutshavebeenmade,reinforce the
I jointswithsplines(page52),glueblocks
(page53),or biscuits(page54).
I
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I 5l

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 I
MITER TOINTS I
I
REINF()RCING
EDGE
MITERS
WITHSPTINES I
t
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t
I
Cutting thegrooves on a tablesaw I
I n s t a lal d a d ob l a d e a, d j u s t i n g it to cuta groove
t h e s a m ew i d t ha st h e t h i c k n e sosf y o u rs p l i n e s - I
oftent/qinch,Setthe bladeangleat 45'and make
t h e c u t t i n gd e p t hs l i g h t l ym o r et h a no n e - h a lt fh e t
w i d t h o f t h e s p l i n e s - o tf e n 3 / qi n c h .A l i g nt h e
m i t e r e de d g eo f t h e w o r k p i e cw e i t ht h e d a d oh e a d I
s o t h e g r o o v ew r l l b e c l o s e rt o t h e i n s i d ec o r n e r
o f t h e j o i n tt o e n s u r et h a tt h e c u t w i l l n o t p e n e - I
t r a t et h e t o p f a c eo f t h e b o a r d B . u t tt h e r i p f e n c e
a g a i n stth e w o r k p i e c eW. r t ht h e s a wu n p l u g g e d , I
rotatethe dadoheadby handto makecertainthat
i t c l e a r st h e f e n c e .l f n o t ,a t t a c ha n a u x i l i a rwy o o d I
f e n c e r, e p o s i t i ot nh e r i p f e n c ea c c o r d i n g layn, d
makea reliefcut.Cutthegroove asyouwoulda bev- I
el, usinga pushstickto applypressure on the table
(above). To cut a grooveacrossbeveledend grain, I
s e t u p t h e d a d oh e a da n df e n c ea s y o uw o u l df o r
a c u t a l o n gt h e e d g e T . h e nf e e dt h e w o r k p i e c e I
w r t ht h e m i t e rg a u g e( r i g h t ) .k e e p i n gt h e b o a r d
f l u s ha g a i n stth e g a u g ea n dt h e f e n c e .F a s h i o n t
s p l i n e sa n dg l u eu p t h e l o i n ta s y o uw o u l da m i t e r -
and-spline joinl (page46t. I
t
JL
I
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I
I MITER IOINTS

t
I Routing grooves
Youcanalsocut thegrooves for a spline-
I reinforced edgemiterusinga routerfitted
witha commercial edgeguide.Secure the
I matingpieces in a vise,beveled surfaces
facing out,making surethattheirendsand
I edges areflush.Install
a straightbitasthick
asyoursplines andsetthecuttingdepthat
I slightly morethanone-half thesplinewidth.
Attachan edgeguideon the routerand
I alignthebit overoneof the beveled edges
sothegroove will becloser to the inside
I cornerof thejoint.Thenbutttheguide
fenceagainst theotherbeveled edgeand
I f ix it in place.Routthegroove by riding
the baseplateflatontheedgeto becut
t whilepressing theguidefenceagainst the
mating piece.
Turntherouter around and
I repeatthe cut in the olherpiece(right).

I
I
I
I
I EDGE
REINFORCING MITERS BLOCKS
WITHGLUE
Making andattaching glueblocks
I U s e1 - b y - 1s t o c ka s l o n ga st h e
joint.Before
t assembling
screwa blockto onepiece,
thecarcase,
aligning
I theedgeof theblockwiththeinside
edgeof the bevel.Spread glueonthe
beveled surfaces, press the boards
I together, thenattachtheblockto the
I otherpiece(/eff).Repeat withthe
remaining corners of thecarcase, using
I barclampsif necessary to holdthe
assembly square.
I
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I
I 53

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 I
MITEREDPLMEIOINTS I
I
I
I
t
I
I
Platejoinery is a simpleway to I
fastenboardsor panelstogether,
whetherthejoiningsurfaces are I
miteredor beveled. Onceglueis
added,thebiscuitsswell,creating I
a strong,durable joint.
I
I
JOINING
BEVELED
CORNERS
WITHBISCUITS I
I
I
I
I
t
I
I
I
I
I
I
1 Setting uptheplatejoiner I
I Placetwoadjacent panels on a worksurface, inside-face turer's
directions.
Forthemodel shown, thepanelisclamped
up,andmarkslotlocations on bothpieces; alsoaddreference to theworksurface withonebeveled endprojecting offthe I
letters
foreaseof assembly. Startabout2 inchesin fromthe edge.Restthetool'sfaceplate againsttheend,loosen the
edges,spacing thelinesat 4- to 8-inchintervals.Repeatthe fencelockingleverandswivel thefencedownwardagainst the I
procedureat theotherthreecorners of thecarcase.Adjustthe faceof thepanel.Lockit in placewhilethefaceplate
isflush
platejoiner's
fenceto theproper angle, following
themanufac- againstthe bevel(above) I
I
54 I
I
I
I MITER TOINTS

t
I r) Cuttingtheslots
I V,ontngthe toolfirmlyagainstthe
I stock,aligntheguideline ontheface-
platewitha slotlocation mark.Switch
I onthetoolandplunge thecutterinto
the workpiece(left).RepeaIthe proce-
I dureto cuttheremaining slots.

I
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t
t
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t
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I
I
Q Gluing upthecarcase
I r-,f Oncealltheslotshavebeencut,setthepanels onthework beveled edges fromslippingoutof alignmentastheadhesive
surfaceinside-faceup.Squeeze glueintotheslotsandalong is drying,
secure thecarcasewithwebclamps. Thetypeshown
t theedges of thepanels,inserting asyougo.Assemble hereusescornerbrackets
biscuits pressure
to distribute evenlyalong
quicklyto prevent of eachjoint.Wrapstraps
r thecarcase,
before
working
youhavehadtimeto complete
thebiscuits
fromswelling thelength
theglueup.Tokeepthe themwiththebuckles before
around
locking
theunitandtighten
themin place(above).

r
I 55

I
 -*"-""-'Fntt- o

;.,:.tj: :;:.:i!,' i :..:l

I
I

I
I IAB RABBETGROO\TE,
I
I
ATDDADOIONTS
t
I
hethreedozenjointsfeatured Rabbetjoints, thesecond group
I in this chapterare usedin described, aremostfrequently used
applications asvariedasbuilding to join carcaseanddrawercorners,
I cabinetcarcases andpiecingtogeth- and lessoftenfor edgejoining.
er framesanddoors.Thisis a ver- Somevariants,like the stopped
I satilefamilyofjoins,withtheadded rabbet(page75)andthemitered
virtueof beingstrongandsimple. rabbet(page76), areintendedto
I In addition,almostall of these conceal theendgrainofthepieces.
jointscanbemadein several ways, Remember, however, thatanycor-
t usingeitherhandor powertools. nerjoinerythatmatesendgrain
Forexample, adadocanbecutwith requiresreinforcement in theform
I arouter,atablesawor aradialarm of dowels,screws, or glueblocks.
saw;it canbe startedwith a hand A thirdgroup,tongue-and-groove
I sawand finishedwith a chisel. joints,aremostoftenusedfor edge-
However,thetypicalwoodworker to-edge joinery.Theymaybe glued,
t will probablyproducebetter-fitting butsometimes areassembled dryso
jointsin les timeusingpowertools. Shelvesareoftenfued to carcasesides thatthewood canmoveashumidi-
t Perhaps thesimplestof alljoints with dadojoints. Here,a routerplowsa through tvalters
' themoisturecontent.
arelapjoints,thefirst covered in dado.An edgepide helpskeepthecutparallel Dadojoints,illustratedatleftand
t thischapter. Asthenamesuggests, to theendof thepanel. ontheoppositepage, aresimpleand
a lapjoint is formedby layingone useful;they are the method of
I boardoveranotherandfastening thetwoattherequiredangle. choicefor installingshelves or assembling drawers. A self-lock-
Thesimplelap is weakandunattractive, but thejoint canbe ingjoint canbemadeby addinga dovetail.
I renderedstrongandelegantby first cuttinga dadoin oneor A catalog
oflap,rabbetr groov, anddadojointsbeginson
bottrboardssothattheirfaces lieflushwith eachother.Thelap page58;a sectionon techniques for makingthembeginson
I provides goodlong-grainsurface contactfor gluing,andaddi- page64.Experiment with themethodsshown,or alterthem
tionalreinforcement is seldomrequiredunlessthejoint will to suityour ownskillsandthe toolsyou own.Theresults
I besubjected to tensionalstress. shouldbeusefulandenlightening.

I
I
I
I
Thedadojoint is a popularchoice for assembling
I drawers.Thedado-and-rabbet workswellfor join-
ing the backto thesides,while thedrawerfront
I demandsa strongerjoint suchasa doubledado.

I )/

I
 I
LAPIOINTS I

-f h. lap,rabbet,tongue-and-groove,
I anddadoiointsillustrated on the tAPJ(IINTS
following pagesappearquite different, I
but all arelinkedby a commonfeature:
Eachowesits strengthto a channelof I
somesort in one piecethat accepts a
matingpiece.Somejoints,likethedove- T half-lap joint I
tailedhalf-lap (page69),areessentially ldentical to croee half-lap ioint
variationson a theme,introducinga dec- (paqe 66), exceptone or 6oth
pieceainteraect betweenende,
I
orativeeffector a slightmodification rather than at enda
that addsan extrameasureof strength. I
Otherssolvea particularproblem;for
instance,the glazingbar half-Iap(page I
Z0)connectsthe muntinsof a window
sashor a glazeddoor. I
Most of thetechniques shownon the
followingpagescanbi appliedto make I
otherjoints shownin the chapterwhen
a similartypeof cut isneeded.
Forexam- I
ple,the handsawand chiseltechnique
shownon page68 canbe usedto make I
a dado,endrabbet,or lap cut;a baclaaw
andedgeguideclampedonto thework- t
piececantakethe placeof a miter box.
I
()FA C()RNER
Mitered half4ap joint I
ANATOMY HALF-LAP
J()INT Similarto cornerhaff-lap
(Seepage64) (paqe64); cheekof one t
pieceand ahoulderof
matinq board are
mitered at 45" t
I
I
I
Full lap joint I
Dado in onepieceio
deepenou1hto houae I
full thickneaaof mat-
in4 board;dado is cut
ae in croea half-lap
I
(paqe66)
I
t
I
I

I
I
I
I LAP.RABBET.GROOVE.AND DADO TOINTS

I
I
I Crose half-lapjoint
(eeepaqe66)
Half-blind
I half-lapjoint
(.eeepaqe67)
I
I
Edge half-lapjoint
I ldent.tcal to otan-
dard croaa half-lap
t @aqe66), except
joint ia cuL in edqee
t of workptecesrather
t han in facee

I
I Angled half-
Iapjoint
I ( e e ep a q e6 B )

I
Glazing bar half-lapjoint
I (eeepaqe7a)

I ,';::;:,

I
I
I
I
r
I Keyeddovetail
half-lapjoint
Dovetailed 9tmtlarto T half-lap,
I half-lapjoint avront fha +^h o).a

( ao, nano 6\Q\

of lap and ahouldera
I of maLtn7 dado are
beveled Lo tncrease
I LenetonaleLren7th
of jotnL

I
|-

I
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RABBETIOINTS
I
I TONGUE-AND-GROOVE IOTNTS
T
I
t ANATOMY ()FA T()NGUE-AND-GR()()VE
J()INT
J()INING
EDGING
S()LIDWOOD
T()PLYWO()D
(Seepage77)
I
t
I
I
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I
I
I
I
OIuejoint
I (oeepaqe79)

T
Blind tongue-
I and-groove
Tonqueand
qroovebo'h otop
I ahorLof one or
both ende;qroove
t ia cuL likeblind Plywood hasonemajordraw-
dado (pageb1) b a c kf o rc a b i n e t m a k i T nhge:
I m u l t i - p lcyo m p o s i t i o fnt h e
panels isclearly visible ontheir
I edgea s n de n d sT. h e r ea r e
several waysto conceal the
unsightly plies.Pressure-sen-
sitivewoodgraintapeor self-
T a d h e s i veed g eb a n d i ncga n
b ea p p l i e dT.h ei l l u s t r a t i o n
I aboveshowsa number of more
involved edgetreatments for
I plywood; eachisa variation on
thetongue-and-groove joint
I in whicha stripof woodband-
i n go r m o l d i nigs b o n d etdo
r 6 eveledto ng ue-a nd -gro ove
Identtcalto etandardtonque-and- theedges of thepanel.
qroove(paqe77),except, aur-
I facea abovetonqueand qroove
are beveledto concealjoinL
r
I
r 6l

t
 DADOIOINTS

5topped dadojoint
)imilar to blinddado (pa7e T
B1),except dado ebopa
ahort of one end while T
mating piecehae
matchinqnotch T
I
I
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I
Elind dado joint
(eeepaqeB1)
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t
I
Tongue-and-dadojoint
I
Featureaa ton7ue (paqe
7B\ houaedin a throuah I
I
Dado-and-rabbet joint
Containsa dado (paqeBO)
cut to houaethe ton4ue of
I
a rabbet(paqe73)
I
T
I
T

62
I
I LAR RABBET,
GROOVE,
AND DADO IOINTS
I

5liding dovetail joint

(eeegaqeBb)

r l
' : j

I
I
I Loak miter joint
Also knownaa mitered
lock rabbet joint. Type
I ahownmade up of dado
(paqeBO) and miter
t cut; variation can be 9lidin6 half-dovetail joint
cut with apecially Featurea a throuqh dado
I deai4nedehaper cut-
ter or router bit
(paqe BO) with a half-dovetail
cut alon6 one eide(paqeB3);
I matinq piecehao matching
ha lf-d oveta iI cut a lon4
one aide
I
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I
T
I dado joint
(eeepaqeO4)
5topped aliding
t half-dovetail joint
)imilar to alidinqdovetail(paqe
I BZ), except qroove atopa ahort
of one ed7eand dovetail ie cut
alonq only one eide of alide
I and groove

I
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I 63

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CORNERHALF-LAP
IOINTS I
I
MAKING
A CORNER
HALF.LAP
JOINT I
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l
\=\
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I
1 Cutting theshoulders I
I Makea half-laponthetablesawbycuttingtheshoulders
first,andthenthecheeks. Markthedepthandwidthof the I
half-lapontheedgeof theworkpiece, thenrnstall
a crosscut
Thesimplecornerhalf-lapjoint is bladeandsetthecuttingheightto one-half thestockthick- I
frequentlyusedto makeframes. ness. Clampa stopblockto theripfence;position theblock
Addingdowelsor screwsto thejoint sothatthestockwillclearit beforereachingtheblade.Align I
providesan extrame*sureof strength. thewidthmarkwiththebladeandoosition thefenceforthe
widthof cut.Thenbutttheendof theworkpiece against T
thestopblockandholding it in position
onthemitergauge,
feedit intothebladehbovd. I
r) Cuttingthecheeks
I
L lnslalla commercial tenoning jig
on thetablefollowingthemanufacturer's
I
themodelshownslidesin
instructions;
themiterslot.(lnstructionsforbuilding
a
I
shop-made tenoningjig areon page93.)
Clamp theworkpiece to thejig,usinga
I
woodpadto protect thestock.Raisethe
bladeto thewidthof the half-lap, then
I
shiftthejig laterally
to lineupthedepth
markwiththeblade.Pushthejigforward
I
to makethecut (right).
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64 t
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I
I LAP,RABBET,
GROOVE,AND DADO IOINTS

I
t
I
I CORNER HAIF-IAP JOINTJIG
lf youhaveto makecorner half-laps
I in severalboards of thesamesize,
Eaoe
piecee
9tde4urde
it is worthtakingthetimeto build
I thejig at right.Cutthetwobase
pieces andthestopblockfromply-
I woodthatisthesamethickness as
End quide
yourstock.Thebasepieces should
I bewideenough to accommodatethe
edgeguidesandsupport therouter
I baseplateasyoucut the half-laps.
Usesolidwoodstriosfor thefour
I pdoo or ridoc

To assemble the jig, markthe 9top block

I shoulder of thehaltlapononework-
pieceandsettheboardface-up ona
t worksurface. Buttthebaseoieces
against the edgesof the boardso thestockthickness. Then,withthe cuttheoutside edgesof thehalf-lap,
I thattheshoulder markis nearthe routerpositioned inside theguides, keepingthebaseplateflushagainst
middleof thebasepieces. Installa gripthetoolfirmly,turnit onandlow- a guideat alltimes.Thenroutoutthe
I straight bit in therouterandalign erthe bit intotheworkpiece. Guide remaining waste,feeding thetool
thecutterwiththeshoulder mark. therouterin a clockwise direction
to against
thedirectionof bit rotation.
I Position oneendguideacross the
I basepieces andagainst thetool's
baseplate.Without moving thework-
piece,repeatthe procedure to posi-
I tiontheopposite guide.Nowalignthe
I bit withthe edgesof theworkpiece
andattachthesideguides, leaving
I a slightgapbetween the routerbase
plateandeachguide.(Thefirsthalf-
I lapyoumakewiththejig willrout
reference grooves in thebasepieces.)
t Slipthestopblockundertheend
guide,buttit against theendof the
I workpiece, andscrewit in place.
Countersink alI fasteners.
I T o u s et h ej i g ,c l a m pi t t o t h e
worksurface andslidetheworkoiece
I between the basepiecesuntil it
buttsagainst the stopblock.Pro-
I tectingthestockwitha woodpad,
clamptheworkpiece in place. Adjust
I therouter's cuttingdepthto one-half

t
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r 65

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 I
HALF-LAPIOINTS
CROSS I
I
I
I
T
Formedby cuttingdadoesin two boards
of equalthickness,thecrosshalf-lapis I
an excellentmethodofjoiningtheinter-
sectingpiecesoffaceframes.Thisjoint I
requiresno reinforcement.
I
I
I
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I
t
ROUTING
A CROSS
HALF-LAP
JOINT t
Using a router anda shop-made jig
B u i l da j i g l i k et h eo n es h o w on n p a g e
I
65,buteliminate thestopblock; thiswill
a l l o wy o ut o a l i g na n ys e c t i o nofthe
t
w o r k p i e cwei t ht h em i d d l e o f t h ej i g .
Makea testcut in a scraoboardto rout
I
reference grooves in thebasepieces.
These will makeit easyto lineupthe
I
cuts.Markshoulder linesforthehalf- I
lapsontheworkpieces, theninstall a
straight bit in therouter andsetthecut-
tingdepthfor halfthethickness of the
I
stock.Position thestockin thejig,align- T
ingtheshoulder markswiththe refer-
encegrooves in thebasepieces. Clamp I
thejigto theworksurface, theninstall
a second clampto secure theworkpiece I
in place. Routthehalf-lap (right)asyou
wouldto makea corner half-lap joint.
I
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T
I
66 I
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I
I HALF-BLINDHALF-LAPIOINTS
I
I
A variation of the T halfJap, the half-
I blind halfJapjoint conceals theend
grain of onemember.Thesocket for the
I halfJapcanbecut with a roLtter, as
shownbelow,or by handusinga chisel.
I
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t
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I
I MAKING
A HALF.BTIND
HAIF.LAP
J(|INT
T
I
r") Cuttingthejointsocket
I Z A plywood templateis usedto rout
outthesocket. Outline thehalf-lao cut
T in Step1 onthetemplate, thencutout
the patternwith a bandsaw,saber
I sawor copingsaw.Fasten a fenceto
the cut-outedgeof thetemplate with
I countersunk screws. Secure thetemplate
andtheworkpiece in a vise,aligningthe
I cut-out withtheoutlineonthestock.
Installa top-pilotedstraight bit in your
I routerandmakethecutting depthequal
1 Gutting thehalf-lap to one-halfthestockthickness plusthe
t I Makethisjointbycuttingthehalf-lap onthetablesawfirst,andthenrouting thickness of thetemplate. Routtheout-
outthesocket. Marktheshoulderof thehalf-lap edgeof onepiece.
onthe leading lineof thesocket bykeeping thebitpilot
I Installa dadoheadandsetthecuttingheightto one-halfthestockthickness.
Butt against thetemplate, thenremove the
theshoulder markagainst
theoutside bladeof thedadohead,thenpositiontherip remaining wastebymoving therouterin
I fenceflushagainsttheworkpiece.Cutawaythewastein successive passes,
work- a clockwise direction,against thedirec-
ingfromtheendof theboard to theshoulder mark.Makethefinalpasswiththe tionof bitrotation.Usea chisel to souare
t boardflushagainstthefence(above). (Caution:
Bladeguardremovedforclarity.) thecorners.

I
I 67

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 I
ANGLEDHALF-LAPIOINTS I
I
I
Woodworkers usethe
angledhalf-Iap-or I
obliquelapjoint-to
join boardsthqt cross
at T
anglesotherthan 90",
suchasdiagonaltable I
Iegstretchers.
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rf*tj
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ANANGLED
CUTTING HALF.LAP
JOINT
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T
T
t
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I
1 Cutting kerfsin thehalf-lap
outline I
I Marktheshoulders of the half-lap
on thefaceof the
workpiece,anglingthelinesto suitthejobat hand.Thecuts t
canbemadewitha radialarmsaw,tablesaw,router, or,as
shownhere,a handsaw andmiterbox.Settheworkpiece in r') Chiselingoutthewaste I
themiterboxwiththeedgeagainst thefenceandalignone L Clamp theworkpiece face-uponthebench,protecting
shouldermarkwiththeblade.Lockthebladeat thisangle thestockwithwood pads.
Holdinga woodchiselbevel-up I
andadjustthedepthto one-half thestockthickness. Hold horizontally,strikethehandlewitha mallet
to splitoffthe
the boardin positionasyousawintoit. Repeat to cut the wastebetween theshoulder cutshbove).Afterthe bulkof I
othershoulderline.Thensawa number of kerfsbetween the the wastehasbeenremoved, parethe bottomof thehalf-
twocuts(above). laountilit is smooth andeven. I
t
68 I
I
t
I DOVETAILEDHALF-LAPJOINTS
t
I
I Combiningthestrengthof thedovetail
joint with thesimplicityof thehalf-Iap,
I thedovetailedhalf-lapisafavoritejoinery
methodfor framesand tablestretchers.
I Thejoint stronglyresists
tension.

I
I
t
I
I iljr.
'*.
I
\
I t
\"
I
I HAIF.IAPJ(lINT
A DOVETAITED
MAKING
I
I
t
Cutting thedovetailed
t half-lap andthesocket
I n o n ew o r k p i e cceu, ta c o r n ehr a l f - l a p
t (page64).Then,outlinethedovetail on
thecheek of thehalf-lap andcut it outon
I the bandsaw(lefil;usean angleof 1:8
if youareworking withhardwood, or a 1:6
I anglefor softwood. Usethedovetailed
half-lap to outline thesocket in themating
r workoiece: makesuretheshoulder of the
half-lap is buttedagainst theedgeof the
I boardasyoumarkthe lines(above). Make
thesocket usinga routerwitha template
I (page67),a tablesaw,a radialarmsaw,
or a handsaw andmiterbox(page68),
I cuttingto one-half thestockthickness.

I
I
I
I 69

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GLAZINGBARHALF-LAPIOINTS I
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I
For nnny of us,theglazirtg,or sash,bar hnlf-lapjohtt
I
is asfantiliar as the view frortr the kitclrcn window.
Featuringa miteredhalfJap utt irtto a ntoldedwood
I
strip, thejoint has traditionnlly beenusedto createo
grid to hold the glasspanesof a cabinetdoor or wirr-
I
dow. Thepanes sit in robbetsrouted along the edgesof
the barsand are held in placewith thin stripsof nnlding.
I
I
I
I
MAKING
A GTAZING
BARHALF.LAP
J()INT I
1
M o l d i ntgh eg l a z i n g bar I
I Thisjointis madein threestages: First,
t h e p r o p ep r r o f i l ei s c u t i n t ot h e g l a z i n g I
bar,as shownat right;next,rabbets arecut
intothe opposite sideof the barto holdthe I
glassand moldingstrips(sfep2); finally,
t h e m i t e r e dh a l f - l a pi s p r o d u c e d ( s t e p s3 I
to 5). For the first stage, install a piloted
round-ove b ri t i n a r o u t e rm , o u n t h et o o l I
i n a t a b l e ,a n da l i g nt h e f e n c ew i t ht h e
l - r i t ' sn i l o t h e a r i n pT h e s t o c ks h o ul d b e I
w i d ee n o u g hs o t h a t m a k i n ga p a s so n
e a c hs i d eo f t h e b a rw i l l l e a v ea r / r i n c h - I
w i d el r p b e t w e e tnh e c u t s .S u p p o rtth e
w o r k p i e cdeu r i n gt h e o p e r a t i own i t ht h r e e I
featherboards: Clamponeto thetableoppo-
s i t et h e b i t a n dt w ot o t h e f e n c eo n e i t h e r t
s i d eo f t h e c u t t e r (. l n t h e i l l u s t r a t i otnh,e
f e a t h e r b o a rodn t h e o u t f e e ds i d eo f t h e I
fencehasbeenremoved for clarity.)Feed
t h e b a r i n t ot h e b i t u n t i ly o u rf i n g e r s I
a p p r o a cthh e b i t ,t h e nu s et h e n e x tp i e c e
asa pushstickor moveto the othersideof I
t h e t a b l ea n d p u l lt h e w o r k p i e cpea s t h e
c t r t i e rR c n e atth e r ^ r rnt n t h e O t h eS r i d eO f I
the bar (right).Preparean extrabarto help
c . p fr r n i h p n r r i i n s t o n ?
I
I
70 I
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I
I LAP,RABBET,GROOVE,AND DADO JOINTS

t
I r) Cutting rabbets fortheglasspanes
L lnstalla dadoheadonyourtablesawslightly widerthan
t thedesired rabbets. Thetongue remaining aftertherabbets
arecutshould measure at leastVqinch.lnstall a wooden
I auxiliary fenceandmarkthe rabbetdepthon it-the com-
bined thickness oftheglass andthemolding strip.Position
I theauxiliary fenceoverthedadohead,ensuring thatthe
metalfenceisclearof thecutters, Turnonthesawandslowly
I c r a n ku p t h ed a d oh e a du n t i li t f o r m sa r e l i ecf u tt o t h e
marked line.Turnoffthesawandmarkthewidthof therab-
I betson the leading endof the glazing bar.Buttoneof the
marks against theouterbladeof thedadohead, thenposi-
I tionthefenceflushagainst thebar.Usethreefeatherboards
t o s u p p o tr ht ew o r k p i e caes i n s t e p1 , a d d i n g
a support
I board to provide extrapressure forthefeatherboard clamped
to thetable.(Againin thisillustration, oneof thefeather-
I boards hasbeenremoved forclarity.) Feedthebarsbyhand
(right)untilyourfingers approach thefeatherboards, thenuse
I t h en e x wt o r k p i e ct oe p u s ht h eb a rt h r o u g hF. i n i s hthe
cutsonthefinalworkpiece by pullingit fromtheoutfeed
I sideof thetable.

I
I
Making
themitercuts
I R e m o v teh e d a d oh e a da n d i n s t a lal
crosscut blade. Adjust thebladeangle to
I 45",thenattacha mitergauge extension.
T os e tt h eb l a d eh e i g h th, o l dt h ee x t r a
I glazing baronthesawtablesothetongue
youcutin step2 isflushagainst theexten-
I sion.Thetopof theblade should belevel
withthelower sideof thelip.Makea test
I c u ta n da d j u st th eb l a d e h e i g hut n t i tl h e
cuttingedgejustscores the lip (inset).
t Thenmarkoutthemitercutsonbothsides
of the bars;at theirwidestpointtheVs
I shouldbethesamewidthasthestock.
Tomakethecut,holdthetongue of the
I flat
bar against the miter gauge extension
andalignoneof themarks withtheblade.
I Butta stopblock against the endof the
i
s t o c ka n dc l a m p t ot t h e e x t e n s i ot on
I lineupsubsequent cuts.Clamp thework-
glazing
piece to theextension and feed the
r b a ri n t ot h eb l a d e
in place. Rotate the
while
piece
h o l
and
d i nigt firmly
repeat to
I c u t t h eo t h e sr i d eo f t h e V . R e p e a
the t
process to cuttheV ontheopposite side
I of thebar(left).

t
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 t
LAR RABBET,GROOVE,AND DADO IOINTS I
I
Cleaning
uptheV-cuts I
Onceallthemitercutshavebeen
made,usea narrow chiselto pareaway I
thewaste. Thewidthof thechannel at
thebottom of theV shouldeoualthe I
widthof thelip.Holding thechiselbev-
el sideup,pareawaythewaste(/eft) I
untilthebottom of theV is smoothand
f lat.Workcarefullvto avoidtearout. I
I
t
Cutting
thehalf-laps I
Adiust
thetablesawdadoheadto
thewidthof thebar'slipandsetthe I
cuttingheightto one-half thestock
thickness.Youwillbecutting a haltlap I
in thebottom of oneglazing bar,then
making anidentical cutin thetopof I
themating piece.Setupthecutby
aligningthemiddle of theV-cutwith I
thedadohead, whileholding thebar
f lushagainst the mitergaugeexten- I
sion.Keep theworkoiece flatonthesaw
tableandflushagainst theextension I
asyoucutthehalf-laps (below).
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72 t
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I
I RABBETJOINTS
I
I
I Widely usedin carcaseand drawercon-
struction,the rabbetjoint is essentially
a
I modifiedbutt joint in which the end or
edgeof one bonrdfits in a rabbetctrt it'r
I the ntatingpiece.The rabbet'swidth
shouldequalthe thicknessof the stock;
t its depthshouldbe half that amotmt.

I
A RABBET
MAKING JOINT
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I Usinga router
Y o uc a n u s ee i t h e ra p i l o t e db i t o r a n o n - p i l c t ebdi t
I w i t ha n e d g eg u i d e .I n e i t h e rc a s e c, l a m pt h e s t o c k
t o a w o r ks u r f a c eF. o ra n o n - p i l o t ebdt t , m a r kt h e
I r a b b ew t i d t ho n t h e t o p f a c eo f t h e s t o c k .A l i g nt h e
c u t t i n ge d g eo f t h e b i t w i t h t h e m a r k ,t h e nc l a m p
I a n e d g eg u i d et o t h e w o r k p i e cfel u s ha g a i n stth e
r o u t ebr a s ep l a t ea n d p a r a l l et ol t h e w o r k p i e ceed g e .
I C u tt h e r a b b e w t i t h t h e p l a t eb u t t e da g a i n stth e
guide(above).lf you areworkingwith a pilotedbit,
I choose a c u t t e rt h a tw i l l p r o d u c teh e d e s i r e d
width
o f r a b b e tT. h e n ,g r i p p i n tgh e r o u t e fr i r m l yw i t h
t b o t hh a n d s g, u i d et h e b i t i n t ot h e w o r k p i e caet
o n ee n d .R i d et h e p i l o tb e a r i n ag l o n gt h e e d g e
I (right)as you makethe cut.

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I 73

I
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LAP,RABBET,GROOVE,AND DADO IOINTS I
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t
Cutting a rabbet onthetablesaw
Install a dadoheadslightly widerthan I
t h e r a b b eyt o uw i s ht o m a k et,h e n
install an auxiliary fenceandmakea
fillillllltlfiltlltlllrffiIItilllfilllllltllllll]lllilllfilll]ltilll I
reliefcut in it asyouwouldwhencut-
tinga glazing barhalf-lap (page71). 1HO?Tt? I
Marka cuttinglinefortheinside edge Minimizing
of therabbet ontheworkpiece. Butt tea?oul
I
themarkagainst theouterbladeof KourerbiLecan -=&*i
t h ed a d oh e a dt,h e np o s i t i ot n
h er i p Learwoodfibere ,#";- t
f e n c ef l u s ha g a i n st h
t ew o r k p i e c e . ao theyexita work- W
C l a m pt w of e a t h e r b o a rt do sh o l d pieceatLhe endof a I
the workpiece securely against the croeeqrainrabbeLor dado
fenceandsawtable;a support board cut. To Vrevenf,
eplinterinq, I
provides extrastability. Feedthework- clampa woodblockLhesame
piecewith bothhands(above) unlil Ihickneeeao yourworkpiece alonqthe I
edqetrom whichthe biI willexit.Tthe?resoure
therabbetis completed. Usea push
of the blockaqainotthe otock willcompreoe I
stickto finishthepassonnarrow stock. Nhetibersand reducelheoroblem ofNearout.
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I
I STOPPED
RABBETIOINTS
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I
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I
I Thestopped rabbetjoint issimilarto thestandard
rabbet,with an importantdifference: Therabbetcut is
I stoppedshortof thefront edgeof thejoint-usually by

I
ttonlorethanI inch-and a ntatching
thenntingpiece,resulting
notchis cut in
joint.
in on invisible ,#
:&
'.i.*
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t
I
TW()WAYS
T()ROUT
A STOPPED
RABBET
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t
Routing a stopped rabbet
I Make thecutona router tableorwiththerouter hand-held. ln offthefence(above, left).Iomakethecutwitha hand-held
either case, marka cuttinglineonthefaceof theworkpiece for router, install a piloted rabbeting bitandclampthestockto a
I theendof therabbet.Fortherouter-table method, installa w o r ks u r f a c e
A.l i g nt h eb i tw i t ht h ec u t t i n gl i n eo nt h ew o r k -
straight bit,setthedepthof cut,andadjustthefenceforthe p i e c ea n dc l a m pa s t o pb l o c ka g a i n st ht er o u t ebr a s ep l a t e .
I desired widthof cut.Drawa reference lineonthefenceto mark Feedthe bit intothestockat thestarting endof therabbet,
theposition ofthecutterwhereit exitsthefence.Withthestock butting thebit'spilotbearing against theedge.Continue the
I clear ofthebit,turnontherouter andpress theworkpiece flush cut alongtheedge(above, right)untilthe baseplatetouches
against thefence whilefeeding it forward. When thecutting line thestopblock,Forbothmethods, square theendof therabbet
I l i n e su pw i t ht h er e f e r e n cl i en e ,p i v otth es t o c k
o nt h eb o a r d w i t ha c h i s e l .
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MITEREDRABBETIOINTS I
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I
A combinationof rabbetand miterjoinery,the
miteredrabbetioint is a variationof thestandard
rabbetthat coicealstheendgrain'ofthemating
I
pieces.Thejoint is createdby cuttingrabbetsin
theendsof bothpieces,thenmiteringtheprotrud- t
ing tongues. Thisjoint demands precision,but the
resultis a strongand attractiveconnection. I
t
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I
MAKING
A MITERED
RABBET
JOINT I
I
t
I
Miter aauae I
KeTerence
exteniion"
I
I
I
I
I
I
Cutting
therabbetsandmiters
Cutrabbetsin bothDieces.Makethecutsto thesamedeoth- tingheightsothebladewillcutthrough thetongue. Next,screw I
abouttwo-thirds
thethicknessof thestock.Thewidthof onerab- an extension boardto themitergaugeandmakea reference cut
betshouldequalthestock's thickness, thewidthof theother intheboard. Holding theworkpieceflushagainst theextension, I
shouldequalthethicknessof thetongueleftbythefirstrabbet alignthecuttinglinewiththereference cut,thencutthemiter
cut.Mark45' anglelinesacrossbothtongues forthemitercuts, (above).Whenmitering theworkpiecewiththeshorter tongue, I
starting
eachmarkat theoutside cornerof thetongue(inset). adjustthecuttingheightto justseverthewaste; otherwise,the
Adjustthebladeangleonyourtablesawto 45",andsetthecut- bladewill biteintotherabbetshoulderandweaken the ioint. I
I
76 I
I
I
I TONGUE-AND-GROOVEIOTNTS
t
I
t " i;-
'.,
, . i \;,;
I a,'t- "

t'
I -'-.;itir",.''
'' ..:\
;'

I '.'t...
lt
,' .'..
.:

t.
'

'. ' ','!.

I t:\.
1
\.\
'-
The tongue-ard-groove ioirtt has ntany uses ':
i.
n..":.
I for the woodworket-fronr joiningboardsedge- :{'
to-edgeto fixing shelvingto carcases. When
t panels,thejoint can be
rtsedto fonrt carcase
assembled without glue to nllowfor wood
I movenrcntcausedLtyJhtctutttionsin humidity.

I
JOINTONTHETABLE
A TONGUE.AND.GROOVE SAW
I 'l
Cutting the groove
I M a r kt h eo u t l i n eo f t h eg r o o voen t h e
I e n do f t h ew o r k p i e c e l t.s h o u l db e % t h e
s t o c kt h i c k n e s st;h e d e p t hi s o f l e nr / z
I i n c h .I n s t a lal d a d oh e a da n da d j u s it t
t o t h e d e s i r e dw i d t ha n d h e i g h t .I n s t a l l
I a n a u x i l i a rwy o o df e n c ea n dm a k ea r e l i e f
c u t i n i t ( p a g e7 1 ) . ( A l t h o u g h the auxil-
I iaryfenceis onlynecessary for cuttingthe
t o n s r r ei n s t e n2 . i t i s b e t t e rt o m o u n t
I
t ,
:

i t n o w . )A l i g nt h e c u t t i n gm a r k sw i t ht h e
d a d oh e a d ,b u t t t h e r i p f e n c ea g a i n s t
I

r///t
the stock,andclampa featherboard to the
I t a b l ef o r s u p p o r tR. est hefeatherboard
o n a w o o ds h i m t o k e e pt h e w o r k p i e c e
f r o mt i p p i n ga n dc l a m pa s u p p o rbt o a r d
I against the featherboard for extrapressure.
P r e s st h e w o r k p i e caeg a i n stth e f e n c ea s
I y o u f e e dt h e s t o c ki n t ot h e d a d oh e a d
(/eft).Complete the passwith a pushstick.
I
I
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/t#
t
t
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t 77

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 I
LAP,RABBET,GROOVE,AND DADO IOINTS I
I
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t
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t
r) Gutting thetongue I
I ltlart,the tongueon the leadingend
of the workpiece, usingthe groovefrom
step1 as a guide.Adjustthe dadohead
lXll|i Jl lll lliiJj lllll]iil$ill lll1l$il ]jlillli'* 'lllillJ I
for a slightlywidercut andlowerthe cut- I
t i n gh e i g hat l i t t l es ot h et o n g u ew i l l n o t 5HO7Tt?
r e a c ht h e b o t t o mo f t h e g r o o v eA. l i g n
Rabbetingon the jointer
I
t h e d a d oh e a dw i t h o n eo f t h e c u t t i n g
lf yourjoinberhaea rab-
m a r k sa n d m o v et h e f e n c ea g a i n stth e
beLingledge,iNcan cuL
I
s t o c k ;a l s op o s i t i o nt h e f e a t h e r b o a r d rabbetealonqeiLherNhe
a n ds u p p o rb t o a r d .F e e dt h e b o a r da s faceor ed1eof a board.ln I
youdid cuttingthe groove, usinga push facl, manywoodworkere
s t i c kt o c o m p l e t et h e p a s sT. u r nt h e considerlhe join|erNhe I
w o r k p i e c e n d - f o r - e nadn d r e p e a to n besLLoolfor rabbetinq
t h e o t h e rs i d e o f t h e t o n g u e( a b o v e ) . with lhe qrainof a work- I
T e s t - f i t h e t o n g u ei n t h e g r o o v ea n d Viece. Adjue| Lhecutt inq
a d j u s t h e r i p f e n c e ,i f n e c e s s a r y . deVLhto no morelhan 1/a I
i n c h , L h eanl i q ny o u rc u L '
Ltnqmarkfor the rabbet,
wilh lhe endof NhejoinLer
I
knivesand buNN Lhefence
againet, t he et ock.KeeV
I
the workpiece flaLon lhe Lableand buLted aqainoLlhe
f e n c ea s y o u m a k e L h e p a e e . F oar r a b b e a
l l o n qa b o a r d I
face,usea Vuohblock.Makeao many?a6eeea6 neces-
oary,increaoing the cutLinqdeVth1/oinchat,a trime. I
I
I
78 I
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I
I GLUEIOINTS
I
I
I
I '" t'.
',., ,1.r.
r'')l;
....
t
I
I
I
I Thegluejoint is a variation of the ",0,. -. "'
standard tongue-and-grooveand is easily !::- :
. n.
I producedwith the routeror the shaper.

I
I MAKING
A GLUE
JOINTONTHEROUTER
TABLE
I Making thecuts
I n s t a l l ga l u el o i n tb i t i n a r o u t ear n d
I mount thetoolin a table. Adjust thecut-
t i n gd e p t hs ot h a tt h et h i c k n e sosf t h e
I wasteremoved bytheupperpartof the
cufter willeoualthethickness of thestock
I left belowthebottompartof thecutter
r'insef). Posrtion thefencesothatthe bit
I m a k eas f u l lc u ti n t h eb o a r dr,e m o v i n g
the entireedge.Secure theworkpiece with
I twofeatherboards clamped to thefence
onbothsides of thebit;in theillustratron,
I thefeatherboard ontheoutfeed sidehas
beenremoved forclarity. Tomakea pass,
I feedthestockintothebit withyourright
h a n dw h i l ep r e s s i ni tgf i r m l ya g a r n tsht e
I f e n c ew i t hy o u rl e f th a n dT. o k e e pt h e
entire edgeflushagainst thefencethrough-
I outtheoperation, adjusttheoutfeed part
of thefencewhenthe boardreaches it.
I Stopthecutandturnoffthemachine, but
do notremove theworkpiece. Holding the
I workpiece in place, advance theoutfeed
fenceuntilit buttsagainst thecutedge.
I Thencomplete the pass(/eff).

I
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 t
THROUGHDADO IOINTS I
I
A THROUGH ()NTHERADIAL
DADO ARMSAW t
t
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t
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I
Thethroughdadoisa popularchoice I
forJixingshelves sidesorjoining
to carcase
drawerbacksto thesides. I
I
I
Cutting repeatdadoes I
rll,lltlllllltljlliil[lllJllti,lilllllllllill]illlllttllllljlltilll
I n s t a lal d a d oh e a da n da d j u s lt t t o t h e
d e s i r ew d i d t ho f t h e d a d o .S e tt h e s a w I
in the90" crosscrrttio no gsition and

1HO?Tt? a d l u s t h e c u t t i n gd e p t ht o c u t a d a d o I
h a l f w a tyh r o u g ht h e w o r k p i e c eC.u ta
A jigfor equally ::\- k e r ft h r o u g ht h e f e n c e t, h e nm a r kc u t - t
opaceddadoee t i n g l i n e sf o r t h e w i d t ho f t h e d a d o e s
Youcan cut Vre- o n t h e w o r k p i e c eP. u s ht h e s a wy o k e I
c,ioelyeVaced a n dd a d oh e a db e h i n dt h e f e n c ea n d
.....
aadoeson your a l i g no n es e to f c u t t i n gm a r k so n t h e I
table sawquickly w o r k p i e cw e i t h t h e k e r fi n t h e f e n c e .
and accuralely '/"" 1 T h e n ,h o l d i n gt h e w o r k p i e csen u g l y I
by uoinga miter a g a i n stth e f e n c e m , a k et h e c u t . S l i d e
qauqeexLension
and a woodenkey.
the workpiece to the nextsetof cutting I
l i n e sa n dc u t t h e n e x td a d ot h e s a m e
AfLeryour dado head
i o i n s L a l l e da n d a d l u o t e d w a y .T o h e l pl i n eu p r e p e act u t s ,c l a m p I
Lo Lhe ?ro?er widLh,cuLlwo a stopblockto the fence(above).
apVropriatelyopaceddadoesin a miler qauqeexlensionboard. t
7crewLheexlension to the qauqe,carefully aliqninqonedadowilh
Lhedado headand offoetLinqlhe secondcul lo lhe riqhtr;inserL I
a woodenkeyinto lhis dado.Cul trhefirsl dado ir yourworkViece.
Toachieve?ro?eroVacingfor Nhesecondcut, slideyourworkViece I
to lhe ri7hLand placeLhefirst dado overtrhekey,Vtakelhe second
dadocut,and reVeat, the Vroceoeunlil the job io compleled. I
t
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I
I BLINDDADOIOINTS
I
I
I
I
I Theblind dadojoint, in which
thedadostopsshortofboth edges
I of the board,isjust asstrong
asthe throughdado,but invis-
t ibleonceit is assembled.
The
joint is commonlyusedfor
I attachingshelvingto cabinets.

I
I
I
I
I
ROUTII{G
A BLII{DDADO
I Usinga plunge router
t Setthestockon a worksurfaceandmark
outthedado;it shouldbeaswideasthe
t thickness of the matingboard.Installa
straightbit thesamewidthasthe dado.
I Alignthebit overthewidthmarksforthe
cut andclampanedgeguideto thework-
t pieceflushagainst therouterbaseplate.
Thenlineuothebitwitheachof thedado
I endmarksandclampstopblocksto the
workpiece. Gripping therouterfirmlywith
t bothhands,buttits baseplateagainst
edgeguideandonestopblockandplunge
the

I thebit intothestock.Cutalongtheguide
(left)untilthebaseplatetouchesthe oth-
t er stopblock.Youwill needto square
theendsof thedadowitha chiseland
I cut notchesat bothedgesof the mating
boardto fit it intothedado.
I
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I
t 81

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 I
LAP,RABBET,GROOVE,AND DADO IOINTS I
I
I
I
ADJUSTABLE DADO JIG
I
T h ej i g a t r i g h tw i l le n a b l yeo ut o Adjuotablefence I
routdadoes quickly andaccurately. 1/2"x31/+"x20"
Withitsadjustable fence,it canalso I
helpsolvethe problem of making Daee pieceo (2)
1/2"x43/+"x20"
dadoes thatarewiderthanthediam-
eterof yourlargest straightbit.Cut
1,/2"x53/+"x20" t
the partsof thejig fromeitherply- I
woodor solidwood; thedimensions
shownin theillustration
mostrouters.
willsuit I
Ftxed fence
Attachthe basepiecesto the 1/2"x2"x20"
Cteat (2) I
cleats sotheirouteredges areflush. t/2"x2"x12"
Fasten thefixedfencein olaceflush
withtheoutside edgeof thenarrow-
I
er basepiece, countersinking allthe I
screws. To attachthe adjustable androutthedado,ridingthe base measuringto makesurethedistance
fence,boreholesthrough
at eachendof thewiderbaseoiece
thecleats platealongthefencesthroughout
thecut (below).
Fora dadothat is
between
length.
fencesis uniform
alongtheir
Ridethe baseplateagainst
t
fora hanger bolt.Screwthe boltsto widerthanyourbit'sdiameter,
slide thefencesto routthe edgesof the I
thejig,leaving about1 inchof each theadjustable
fenceawayfromthe dado,thenremove thewastebetween
oneprotruding abovethebasepiece. baseplatebytheappropriate
amount, thecuts. I
Toprepare theadjustable fence,cut
a 1-inch-long slotat eachend.Make I
theslotsslightly widerthanthebolts,
ensuring thattheywilllineupwith
theboltswhenthefenceis installed.
t
(Youcanmaketheslotsbyboringa
I
rowof connected holesonthedrill
pressandcleaning upthecutswith I
a chisel.) Usewashers andwingnuts
to attachtheadjustable fenceto the I
widerbasepiece.
To usethejig, setyourstockon
a worksurface andoutlinethedado
t
on it. Aligntheedgeof thenarrower
basepiecewithoneedgeof theout-
t
l i n ea n dc l a m pt h ej i g t o t h ew o r k I
surface. Placetherouter onthebase
pieces, buttingits baseplateagainst I
thefixedfence.Loosen thewingnuts
andslidetheadjustable
t h eb a s e p l a t e .
T i g h t
fenceagainst
e tnh e n u t s ,
r
c h e c kt h a tt h ef e n c e as r eo a r a l l e l . t
I
I
82 I
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I SLIDINGDOVETAILIOINTS
T
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t
Theslidingdovetailis commonly
I usedto assembledrawers,attach crown
'
lS_]*\X
molding to cabinets,and install shelvesin t
*_If
I carcasesBecauseglue is not required to lock \
the mating piecestogether,thejoint is a good
t choicefor furniture that must be disassembled.

I
A SLIDING IOINT()NTHEROUTER
DOVETAIT TABLE
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I Makingthedovetailslide
Withthedovetail bitstillin therouter,reducethecutting
I depthslightly.Thiswillmaketheslideshorter thanthedepth
1 Routing thedovetailgroove of thegroove, improvingthefit of thejoint.Movethefence
t I Cutthegroove in twopasses, firstwitha straightbit to towardthebit untilabouthalfthediameter of thecutteroro-
remove mostof thewaste, andthenwitha dovetail bitto com- jectsbeyond thefence;reposition thefeatherboard according-
I pletethegroove. Forthefirstpass,installa r/q-inch straight ly.Cuttheslidein twopasses: Makethefirstpassthesame
bit in therouterandmountthetoolin a table.Setthecutting wayyourouted thegroove,pressing thefaceof thestockflush
t depth,thencenteranedgeof theworkpiece overthebit and againstthefence.Tocomplete theslide,turntheworkpiece
buttthefenceagainst itsface.To keeptheworkpiece flush end-for-end
andmakethesecond passwiththeoppositefaceof
I against thefence,clampa featherboard to thetable.Complete thestockrunning alongthefence(above). Test-fittheslidein
thepasswitha pushstick.Install a dovetail bit in therouter thegroove, thenmovethefenceawayfromthe bit for sub-
I andmakethesecond passthesamewavGbove). seouent cuts.untiltheslidefits.
I
I 83
I
 I
DOUBLEDADO IOINTS I
I
I
I
The doubledadojoint ffiatestwo through
dadoes-one on a faceand the other,with one
I
tongueshortened,on en end. Thejoint is stronger
than an ordinary throughdado because it provides
I
ntoregluing surface.It workswell whenpiecesof dif-
must bejoined together,making it
I
ferent thicknesses I .:.;
idealfor joining a drawerfront to the sides.
. ,
-: i?R
-'ff I
n*: ii'"-
".
,r-:.,,.. _,.,.i I
,4-*,--
"-..: ' .:."
/- t ..-:' .'.'.-
I
*rFW':
-{Z-r4-_{r-}F-./ '"'';1':'::
,.-i":.,_ - I
'ffi t:;'f: =:"
:#rp2:.:- I
I
I
A DOUBLE
DAD() ()NTHETABTE
J()INT SAW I
I
I
I
1
Making thecuts I
I I n s t aal l d a d oh e a do ny o u rs a wa, d j u s t i ni tgsw i d t ht o
one-third thestockthickness. Alsoinstall a tenoning jig;the I
commercial model shown slidesin themiterslot.Clamp the
workpiece to thejig,protecting thestockwitha woodpad. I
A d j u stth ej i g t o c e n t etrh ee d g eo f t h ew o r k p i e coen t h e
b l a d essot h a tt h ed a d ow i l lb ec u t i n t h em i d d l e t h i r do f I
theboard. Slidethejigforward to feedthestock, thenturn
theworkpiece end-for-end andrepeat to cutthedadoin the t
otherend(/eff). Next,install anauxiliary fenceandnotchit
(page 71).Marka cuttinglineononeof thetongues onthe I
inside faceof theboard to divideit in half.Holdingthe work-
piece f lushagainst themitergauge, inside-face down,align I
t h e m a r kw i t ht h ed a d oh e a d B . u t tt h ef e n c ea g a i n st h te
stockandadjust thecutting height to cutthetongue in half. I
Feed theworkpiece withthemitergauge to makethecut;
repeaton theotherend(above). Complete thejointbycut- I
t i n gm a t c h i ndga d o eisn t h ef a c eo f t h em a t i n gp i e c etso
a c c e ptth eh a l f - t o n g u e s I
I
84 I
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I
I LAP,RABBET,GROOVE,AND DADO IOINTS

I
I
t
I
TABLE.SAW END-DADOING JIG
I Easyto assemble, thefence-strad-
dlingjig shownat leftworkswellfor
I cuttingdadoes in theendsof boards.
(Thejig canalsobeusedto cut half-
I lapjointsor two-shouldered open
mortise-and-tenon joints.)Refer to the
I dimensions suggested in the illus-
tration,makingsurethethickness
I of thesoacer andwidthof the brace
allowthejig to slidesmoothly along
t yourripfencewithoutwobbling.
Cutthe bodyandbracefrom3/q-
I i n c hp l y w o oadn dt h eg u i d ea n d
spacer fromsolidwood.Sawanoval
I 9pacer
holefora handlein onecorner of
thejig body.Attach theguideto the
2" x 12"
I bodydirectlyin frontof the handle
hole,making surethat it is perfectly
I vertical.(Thescrewsshouldbe in
the top halfof the guide,because
I the bladewill cut intoit for some
cuts.)Screwa smallwoodblockto
I thebodybelowtheholeandattacha
toggle clampto theblock.Finally,
I fastenthespacer
jig,
andbracein place.
Tousethe place it astride the
I fence.Butttheworkpiece against
thejigguideandclampit in place.
t Position thefenceto alignthecut-
ting markson the boardwiththe
T b l a d ea n ds l i d et h ej i g a l o n gt h e
fenceto makethe cut (\eft,bottom).
I
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I 85

I
6ffiffi
I
T

I
I MORTISE,-ATD-TENON
T
I IOINTS
I
I
hemortise-and-tenon joint is
I one of the oldestmethodsof
fasteningwood.It wasreliedupon
I by buildersof the sarcophagi of
ancientEgyptand, centurieslater,
r the sailingships of Columbus.
Today,the joint is usedmost often
T in furnituremaking-most typical-
ly for building framesin frame-and-
I panelconstructionandjoiningrails
to legson desks,tables,and chairs.
I Thejoint consists of two keyele-
ments:thetenon,a projectionfrom
I the endof oneboardthat fits into a
slot-the mortise-in the mating
t piece.Themortise-and-tenon fea-
turesa relativelylargegluing area,
I involving good contactbetween
long-grainsurfaces-thecheeksof
I thetenonandthe sidesof the mor-
tise.Providedthe tenonfits snugly
I in the mortise,thejoint offersvir-
tually unparalleledresistanceto
t mostof thestresses thatwoodjoints
endure.Only the dovetailjoint is
T moredifficultto pull apart.
Therearedozens ofvariations
ofthestandard
I manyareshownin theinventory ofjointsonpages
Forexample, thetusktenonis a commonwayof reinforcing
I a trestletable;a variationofthe roundtenonservesbothan
estheticand a structuralrole in
Wndsor chairs.
Whethera tenon is haunched,
wedged,pegged, rounded,or angled,
a fewrulesof thumb dictatetheoro-
portionswhencuttingthisjoint.
Thethicknessof a tenonshouldbe
one-thirdthethickness of thework-
piece;its width may be from two-
thirdsof thewidth to the full width
of theworkpiece.
A tenontslength dependson
whetherit passescompletely through
the mortise workpiece or remains
hidden,or blind. The lengthof a
blind tenon(page9a)is often%inch
or longer,dependingon the use
of thematingworkpiece;a through
tenon (page97) will be as long
as the width or thicknessof the
Thehollowchiselmortisercandrill mortises mortiseworkoiece.
up to 3 inchesdeepquicklyand accurately. Thepagesthat follow showsev-
Thebench-mounted toolisfixed with the eralhand- and oower-toolmeth-
samechiselbitsand mortisingattachment odsfor cuttingmortise-and-tenon
usedby thedrill press. joints.Tenonscanbe cut on the
tablesaw(page92),with abacksaw
joint,and
(page95),or onthedrillpress(page110). canbepro-
Mortises
88and89. ducedon thetablesawor drill press, out by hand
chiseled
(page94),or routed(page 97).Choosethemethodthatsuits
yourneeds andthetoolsin yourshop.

I
I
T
t A tenonat theendof a rail fi* snuglyin a mor-
tisecut out of a tableleg.Thisblind mortise-
I and-tenonjoint is bothsturdyand longJasting.

I 87

I
 I
MORTISE-AND-TENON
IOINTSAND JIGS r

ANATOMY
OFA MORTISE-AND-TENOI{
JOINT ACottEcTt0N
0F
MORTISE.AND-TEI{ON t
JOINTS

li - r i i l
I
l i
il
t
Haunched I
(oeepage 1O1)
I
i

thoulder
ffi : r
it : i,
r.i
, , ' ' , . ]
I
I
I
Blind I
(aeepa1e94) . :
I
:
I

ff
Mottiae :
workpleae
I
I
i : i
i . . ' ' , , . T
Through
MorLieepaeees completely
I
th rough workpiece, revealin4
end qrain oftenon I

ff
I
T
I
Clamped in a benchvise, Angled haunahed
a commercial mortise-
Alao knownaa a elopinqor aecret
haunch;identical to
I
and-tenonjig guidesa the haunchedmor-
router as it cuts a tenon. tiae-and-tenon, I
Thejigtemplate is turned exaept that the
end-for-end to rout the haunchio anqled,
concealinqit
t
matching mortise.
whenthe joint
io asaembled
I
T

88 I
I
I
I MORTISE-AND_TENON
TOINTS

t Wedgedthrough
(eeepaqe97)
I Barefaced blind
';" A haunched blind
I .. ) : morbise-and-Lenon
ii wtth no ahouldere
I or cheeka; offere
leee qlutnq eurface
Lhan a blind mor'
I t;toe-and-tenon,
but. easrer Lo cut
I
?egged through
A Lhrou7h Lenon rein-
I forced by one or more
round pe7e paeoinq Tuak
I Lhrouqh mortiee sidee (oeepaqe 106)
and I;enon cheeke; hole
tt,';.
I in ltenon ia offaet; eltghLly
Lo pull pieceo t oqether
:;,

when peg is ineerLed

,,:ii:-i'
' ;4..;.,'
I
I
t
.;:.,:;
I .,
Round
(eeepa7e 11O)
I Angled
(eeepaqe 1OZ)
I
I
t
t open
(eeepa1e 91)
I
I

[ ,"1]
I Wtn
I (eeepaqe 1OB)

I Loose
Featuree morl;see cuL in boLh
I halveeof the joinL and a epline'
Itke1,enon;for maxtmum etrenqLh,
I Lhe l;enonahould be cut.ao that
Lhe qratn rune alon7 tLo length
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I B9

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MORTISE-AND-TENONIOINTS I
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t
T
Mofiieinq jig
Attachea to router baae plate for
routinq morLiaea;Tuidepinaare poei- I
tioned a7ainat oppoeite board fAcea,
centerinq mortiae in edqe I
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ji6, it allowa router to cut mor\iaea
and tenons without reaet- I
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----l6
-..--< $7-> I
S7>."a I
S1s\
\
-o
'-A I
t
Tenon
template

m m
V). o .VC
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Kouter aub-baee I
I
%'@*- I
Multi-joint jig
Moftiae-and-tenon Jig Uoed with router to cut
Uaed with a router to morbise-a nd -tenon jointe. t
cuL mortigesand tenona: L-ehapedbracket ia faa-
workpieceia secured in
vieeand ji4 ia clamped
tened to backup board
and secured in viae;appro-
I
to workpiece A \ 6
priate template ia attached
\ ' \ to bracket. Comeawith I
guidebuehin4,router aub-
baae.and bits I
t
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90 I
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I
I
OPENMORTISE-AND-TENON
IOINTS
I
T AIsoknown as a bridlejoint or slipjoint, the
openmortise-and-tenonis commonlyusedin
I frame construction.Both the openmortiseand
two-shouldered tenoncan be cut on a
T tablesaw or radinl erm saw.

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I ANoPEN
MORTIsE.AND.TENON
tlNTHE
TABLE
SAw V
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r) Cutting thetenoncheeks
I 1t 0utlinins
-
thetenon L lttal.,e a tenonwiththetablesawbycutting thecheeks
I Secure t h e s t o c ke d g e - u pi n a v i s ea n d m a r ka l i n ea c r o s s s .s t aal lt e n o n i nj iggo nt h e
f i r s ta, n dt h e nt h es h o u l d e rI n
I t h e e d g ef o r t h e t e n o nl e n g t hT. h e na d j u s ta m o r t i s e g a u g es o table;themodelshown slidesin themiterslot.Protecting
t h a tt h e g a pb e t w e e n i t s p i n se q u a l st h e t e n o nt h i c k n e s s - t y p - thestockwitha woodpad,clamptheworkpiece to thejig
I i c a l l yo n e - t h i rtdh e t h i c k n e sosf t h e w o r k p i e c e A.d j u s t h e m o r - andraise thebladeto thetenonlength mark.Position thejig
tise gaugesothatthetenonoutlineis centered between opposing sothatoneof thecuttinglinesforthesidesof thetenonis
I f a c e so f t h e w o r k p i e c eH. o l dt h e s t o c kf l u s ha g a i n stth e f a c e aligned withtheblade.Feedthejig forward to makethecut
o f t h e w o r k p i e caes y o ug u i d et h e g a u g ea l o n gt h e s u r f a c e , (above). Turnoffthesaw,turntheworkpiece around in the
I s c r i b i n gt h e s i d e so f t h e t e n o no u t l i n ei n t h e w o o d( a b o v e ) . j i g ,a n dc u tt h eo t h ecr h e e k .

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MORTISE-AND-TENONIOINTS I
I
Sawing thetenonshoulders I
Attachanextension to yourmiter
gauge. Holding theedgeof thework- I
pieceagainst theextension, adjust the
bladeto theheightof oneof thecut- I
tinglinesforthetenoncheeks. Align
thetenonlength markwiththeblade, I
butta stopblockagainst thestock,and
clampit to theextensi0n; cuta small t
notchfromonecorner of theblockto
/ \ l. )
prevent sawdust fromaccumulating I
between it andtheboard. Holding the
workpiece flushagainsttheextension I
andthestopblock,usethemitergauge
to feedthestockintotheblade. Turn I
offthesawandremove thewaste, then
fliptheworkpiece overandrepeat to cut I
thesecond (left).(Caution:
shoulder
Bladeguardremoved for clarity.) t
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Cutting themoftise I
Reinstallthe tenoning jigonthetable.
O u t l i nteh em o r t i steh es a m ew a yy o u I
marked thetenon(step1)andclamp the
workpiece to thejig.Raise thebladeto I
themortise depthmarkandcutthesides
ofthemortise, using thesame technique t
youusedforthetenoncheeks(right).
Oncethesideshavebeencut,makeas I
manypasses asnecessary to remove the
wastebetween them. T
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92 I
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I MORTISE_AND_TENON
IOINTS

t
I
T
I A TABLE.SAW TENONING JIG
I Youcanusethejig shownat rightto
cut bothoartsof anoDenmortise-and-
I tenonjoint.Adaptthedimensions sug-
gested intheillustration to customize
I thejig foryoursaw,if necessary.
Cutthejigfenceandbackfrom3h-
I inchplywood andsawa 45" bevelat
o n ee n do f e a c hb o a r dt ;h ep i e c e s
I shouldbewiderthantheheightof
y o u rs a w ' sr i p f e n c e F
. a s t e tnw o
I preces together face-to-face to fash-
iontheback,thenusecountersunk
I screws to attachthefenceandback
in an L shape; makesurethe
together Fence
3/.'x 5t/2" x 24"
I fasteners willnotbe in theblade's
pathwhenyouusethejig.Next,cut
I thebracefromsolidstock,bevelits
ends,andattachit along thetopedges theclamptothejig back,leaving a theclamoto accommodate different
t of thefenceandback,forming a tri- gapbetween theedgeof theclamp stockthicknesses.) Next,cuttherun-
angle.Maketheclampbyfaceglu- andthefenceequal to thethickness nerfromsolidwoodandattachit
T ingthreepiecesof 3/q-inch plywood of thestockyouwilluse.Offset the to thejig fencesothatthejig runs
together andcuttingthe assembly boltsotheclampcanpivoteccentri- s m o o t h layc r o stsh et a b l ew r t h o u t
I intotheshape shown. Usea hanger cally.(Youcandrilladditionalholes wobbling. Forsomemodels, youwill
bolt,washer, andwingnutto attach in thejig backto enableyouto shift haveto milla groove downthelength
I of therunner, asshown, to fit therip
fence. Finally, cuta piece of clearplas-
I tic asa bladeguardandscrewit to
thejig backflushwithitsfrontface.
I T o r r s et h e i i g s e ti t o n t h es a w
l r b r
v v ! r ! '

tablein frontof thebladewiththe

I runnerandfencestraddling therip
fence.Clamptheworkpiece in the
jig andposition
I theripfenceto align
thecuttingmarkon theworkpiece
I withtheblade. Feedthejig intothe
cuttingedge. (Your firstuseof thejig
I willproduce a kerfin theback.) Flip
the workpiece around and repeat to
(/eff). (Refer
I cut theothercheek
page85 forinstructions
to
onmaking and
t usinganother styleof jig thatcancut
openmortise-and-tenon joints,)
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-TENONIOINTS
BLIND MORTISE-AND t
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Completelyhiddenonce
assembled,
theblind mortise- I
and-tenonisfrequentlyused
to join table legsto rails. t
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HAND.CUTTING
A BLIND
M()RTISE.AND.TEN(lN
t
1 Chopping themoftise
I Clamp theworkpieceto a worksurface. I
Usinga mortise chiselthatisthesame
widthasthemortise, makeyourfirstcut I
about%inchinside themoriise endmark.
Holdthechiselvertically,withthebevel I
facingthewaste, andstrikeit sharply with
a wooden malletsoit oenetrates
inch.Makethesecond
about% I
cutabout%inch
backfromthefirst(inset), thentilt the I
chiselhandledownandbackto pryout
thewaste(right).Continue makingcuts I
%inchaparI,levering outthewasteafter
eachone.One-eighth
endof themortise,
inchfromtheother I
turnthechiselaround
sotheflatsidefacesthecuttinglineand I
begina newseries of cutsin theother
direction.
Continueto passbackandforth, I
cutting andclearing outwasteuntilyou
reach thedesireddepth.Finally,pareaway I
thewaste remainingat eachendof themor-
tise.Usea lockmortisechiselto smooth the I
bottomof thecavity.
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94 t
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t MORTISE-AND-TENONTOINTS

f
I r) Cutting thetenoncheeks
C- Makea four-shouldered tenonbycutting
I thecheeks first,andthentheshoulders. Mark
a shoulder lineallaround theendof thework-
I o i e c ea n do u t l i n teh ec h e e kws i t hf o u rl i n e s
thatintersect ontheboardend.Secure the
I workpiece upright in a viseandcutdownthe
cheeklineswitha backsaw untilvoureachthe
I shoulder line(lefD.

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t Sawing thetenonshoulders
To remove thewastefromthetenon
I c h e e k sc ,l a m pt h ew o r k p i e ci nea m i t e r
boxwiththeshoulder markaligned with
I t h e9 0 ' s l o tC. u ta l o n g
t h es h o u l d e l i rn e
on thefaceof the board(left);Iurnthe
I w o r k p i e coev e ra n dr e p e atth ec u t o n
theotherside.Tocutawaythewasteon
I theedges of thetenon,secure thework-
piece end-uo in theviseandcutthesides
t of thetenon, stopping at theshoulder line.
Then, withthepieceedge-up in thevise,
I s a wa l o n g t h es h o u l d el i rn et o t h et e n o n .
Finally, turntheboard overin theviseand
I repeat to sawawaythewasteonthetenon's
oihpr pdop (ahnvp)

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-TENON IOINTS
IVIORTISE-AND I
I
()NTHEDRILLPRESS
A M()RTISE
CUTTING I
'l Setting upthemortising attachment
I A mortisins attachment consists of
I
a drillbitsurroinded bya four-sided hol- I
lowchisel thatsquares theholecutbythe
bit.Afterinstalling theattachment onyour I
d r i l lo r e s sc.h e c kw h e t h et hr em o r t i s e
chiselwillbecentered ontheworkoiece I
bysecuring a scrapboardthesamewidth
a n dt h i c k n e sasst h ew o r k p i e ct oet h e I
mortising attachment fence.Borea shal-
lowcutrntotheboard, thenturntheboard I
around end-for-end andmakea second
cutnextto thefirst.Thecutsshould be t
a l i g n e dl f. n o t ,s h i f t h ef e n c eb yo n e -
h a l ft h ea m o u nt th a tt h ec u t sa r em i s - t
alignedandrepeatthetest(right).(ln
t h i si l l u s t r a t i ot hne, h o l d - d o w
anr mi s I
raised forclarity.)
I
I
()FCUTS
I
SEOUENCE
I
NarrowmorLtae
I
Wtde morttee
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r) Drilling themortise I
L S"t thedrilling depthto themortise
d e p t ha n ds e c u r teh ew o r k p i e ct oe t h e I
fence, centering themortise outline under
thechisel. Adjustthehold-down armand t
rodssothestockcanslidefreelyalongthe
fence,Makea cutat eachendof theout- I
line,thena series of staggered cuts,fol-
lowing thesequence shown above to com- I
p l e t et h em o r t i s eM. a r ka s i n g l er o wo f
c u t si f y o ua r eu s i n ga c h i s eel q u ailn I
widthto themortise, or twoparallel rows
i f t h em o r t i s ies t o ow i d et o b ec u t i n I
a srngle pass.
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96 r
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I WEDGEDTHROUGHMORTISE-AND-TENON
IOINTS
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Wedgescan tighten and strengthena through mortise-
I qnd-tenon. The wedgedmortise-and-tenonjoint is made
by cuning slots in the end of the tenon, and drivingwedges
I into the cuts after the tenon isfixed into the mortise.The
wedgespush the tenon more tightly againstthe mortise walls.
t By using wedgescut from contrastinghardwood, thejoint
can lend a decorativetouch to a pieceoffurniture.
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I MAKII{G
A WEDGED
THR(IUGH
M(IRTISE.AND.TENON
t 1 Routing
I Secure
outthemortise
theworkoiece between
I twobenchdogs,usingwoodpadsto
protect thestock.Sinceyouwillbe
cuttinga throughmortise, placea
I backupboardunderthe workpiece
I to protect yourbenchtop. Fita plunge
routerwitha straight brtthe same
I d i a m e t earst h ew i d t ho f t h e m o r -
tise,thensetthe depthof cut.As
I thisis typically a deepcut,several
passes will be necessary. Attacha
I wooden extension to thefenceof a
commercial edgeguideto increase
I its bearing surface, thenfastenthe
guideto therouterbaseplate.Center
I thebit overthemortise
adjusttheextension
outlineand
soit restsflush
I against
router
theworkpiece.
f irmly,plunge
Holding the
thebit intothe
I stockat oneendof the mortise out-
line,thenfeedthebitto theotherend.
I Whenthemortise is cutto thefull
depth,square itscorners witha chisel.
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_TENONIOINTS
MORTISE_AND I
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ROUTING
DEEP
THROUGH
MORTISES
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lf the desired depthof a mortise exceeds yourrouter's t o b o r ea h o l et h r o u gthh er e m a i n i nwga s t e( B ) .I n s t a l l

t
m a x i m udme p t ho f c u t ,u s ea ne l e c t r idcr i l l t oh e l pc o m - a p i l o t e fdl u s h - t r i m m ibnigt i n t h er o u t ear n dt u r nt h e
pletethecavity.Theillustration aboveshows thethree workpiece over.Inserting the bit through the holemade
I
stepsnecessary to cut a deepthroughmortise. Startby bythedrill,routoutthewaste(C);throughout thispartof
installinga mortising bit in therouter andmaking asmany theoperation, keepthepilotbearing pressed against the
I
passes asyoucanuntilyoucango nodeeper (A).Then wallsof themortise to comolete thecut.Usea chiselto
usethedrillwitha bit thatis larger thanyourrouterbit souare the mortise corners.
t
I
r) Sawing theslotsin thetenon
I
1 Cutafour-shouldered tenon(page95),
making surethetenonis longenough to
I
passcompletely through thematingpiece.
Clamp thestockupright in a viseanduse
I
a backsaw to cuttwokerfsintotheendof
thetenon(right),slopping % inchshort
t
of the shoulder:sDace thekerfsin from
eachedgeofthetenona distance roughly
I
eoualto thethickness of thetenon.
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I MORTISE-AND-TENON IOINTS

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Inserting
thewedges
I rl orttwo
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 rtrh ersSaw rsc ur thardwood
ri nrs rt ero2rwedses
rmra kr eto
rhrfite rminto
lllrl
{ll ill lll tii lti in ur ru rr ru ul lll IIJ lll Ui ill Ul i$ : t as
I w i d ea st h et e n o nb, u ta f e wi n c h e s
longer, andnothickerIhanr/qinchat
I 5HO7Tt? t h eb r o a ed n d G . l u eu pt h ej o i n tt,h e n
lightening up a loooelenon secure theoieces in a visewiththeend
I Uoea otrip of veneerlo enuguVa loooemorlise-and-Nenon joinL. of thetenonfacingup.Applysomeglue
SeforeqluinquVNhejoint, cul the veneerto Lheoamelenqt'h to thewedges andusea malletto drive
I and widthas Ihe lenon.Aeeemble Lhejoinl wilh the veneerwedged themintothekerfsasfarastheywillgo;
in belweenlhe Lenonand Ihe morLiee,or kerl the lenon alonqite tapthewedges alternately to keepthem
I lenqlhand inserDa wedqeae deecribedabove.lf a lenon ie eo e q u a l0. n c et h eg l u eh a sd r i e du, s ea
looeelhat a oin4lewed4eor pieceof veneerwill f l u s h - c u t t i sn ag wt o t r i mt h ew e d g e s
I evenwiththeendof thetenon(above),
thensandthesurface smooth.
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I 99

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MORTISE-AND-TENONIOINTS I
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A MORTISING JIGF(lRTHEROUTER
t
Usethejig shownat rightto secure
theworkpiece andguideyourrouter
I
as you cuta mortise. Thedimensions
suggested in theillustrationwillsuit
I
mostrouters. Cutthejig baseand
sidesfrom3/a-inch plywood. Fasten
I
three pieces together for the base.
Attachthe sidesto the basewith
t
countersunk screws, makingsure 9ide
the piecesareperfectly square to
3/+"x6"x16" I
eachother.Fashion eachstooblock
o
fromsolidwood,routa groove in
I
oneface% inchdeepand3/o inch
wide,thencut a 4-inch-long slotto
I
accepta %-inchhanger bolt.Mount
the bolts3 inchesfromeachend
I
of oneside,slipthestopblocksin
olaceandfix themwithwashers
I
andwingnuts. jig, pressthe baseplateagainst one thejig asyoudrawtherouterthrough
To usethejig, settheworkpiece stopblockandplunge the bit into thecut untilit contacts
theother
I
on the basewiththe mortise outline thework.Holdtheedgeguideagainst stopblock(below).
between the stooblocksandone
t
surface f lushagainst thesidewith
theblocks. Placea shimunderthe
I
stockso its too surfaceis butted
against theblocks, thenclampthe
I
workpiece to thejig andsecure the
jig in a vise.Tosetup therouter for
I
thecut,installa straight bitthesame
diameter asthewidthof the mor-
I
tise,setthedepthof cut andattach
a commercial edgeguideto thebase
I
plate,centerthe bit overthe mor-
tiseoutlineandadjusttheguideso
I
it restsflushagainst theopposite side
of thejig. Adjusteachstopblock
I
by aligning the bit withthe endof
themortise outline,butting theblock
I
against the router's baseplateand
tightening thewingnut.Aftercon-
I
f irmingtheposition of theblocks
andedgeguide,griptherouierfirm-
I
ly,butttheedgeguideagainst the
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100 t
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I -TENONJOINTS
HAUNCHEDMORTISE-AND
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I The haunchedmortise-and-tenon t'eaturesmating notches
cut in the tenoncheekand mortise.The resultis a joint that provides
I ntoreresistance to twist than the blind mortise-and-tenon.The
haunchedjoint is often usedin frnme-and-panelconstruction,
I wherethe haunchfills theend of thegroovethat is cutfor the
panel, eliminating the needfor stoppedgrooves. ,id.!t
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I ' ".; l..l'
, rt':-::..'r,:'"
I l/'.t''"
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MORTISE-AND.TEN()N
A HAUNCHED
MAKING
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I 1 Cutting thetenoncheeks
I O n a t a b l es a w ,i n s t a lal d a d oh e a ds l i g h t l yw i d e rt h a nt h e a st h e w i d t ho f t h e m o r t i s e r i t y o uw i l l b e u s i n g .
c h i s e ol r r o u t e b
I l e n g t ho f t h e t e n o n ,t h e na t t a c ha n d n o t c ha n a u x i l i a rfye n c e F e e dt h e s t o c kf a c e - d o winn t ot h e d a d oh e a d h , olding t h ew o r k -
( p a g e7 1 ) . S e t t h e w i d t h o f c u t e q u a lt o t h e t e n o nl e n g t h ; p i e c ef i r m l ya g a i n stth e f e n c ea n dt h e m i t e rg a u g eT. u r nt h e
I a d j u s t h e c u t t i n gh e i g h t o l e a v ea t e n o nt h e s a m et h i c k n e s s workoiece overand repeatthe cut on the otherside (above).

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MORTISE-AND-TENON IOINTS I
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r) Cutting thehaunch I
L Setthebladeheieht to cuta shoulder
ontheinside eOge of theworkpiece. Once I
thecut is made, advance theripfenceto
cutthehaunch in thetenon. Thehaunch I
shouldbeapproximately aswideasthe
tenonisthick.(lf youaremaking therails I
a n ds t i l e so f a f r a m e - a n d - p aansesl e m -
b l y ,i h ew i d t ho f t h eh a u n cshh o u ledq u a l r
the depthof thegroove forthepanel.) With
theworkpiece onedge,usethefenceand I
themitergauge to guideit overthedado
head(right).lf thereis no panelgroove I
in thematingworkpiece, youmustnext
notchthemortise (step3). I
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Notchingthemortiseforthehaunch I
Secure theworkpiecein a viseandchopouta mortise
asyou chiselto splitoffthewastein 7e-inch
layersbetween
thecuts
wouldfora blindtenon(page 94).Usethehaunchedtenonasa untilyoureach therequired
depth.Holdingthebladebevel-up I
guideto outline
thewidthanddepthof thenotchonthework- andparallelto thesurface,
strikethehandle
witha malletbbovd.
piece,thenkerftheedges of theoutline
witha backsaw.
Usea Parethesidesof thenotchwiththechisel,if necessary. I
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I ANGLE,D -TE,NON
MORTISE.AND JOINTS
t
I
Angled tenonsare often usedin building chairs to
I get around thejoinery problemcausedby seatsthat
are wider at thefront than at the back-a tradition'
I aI designfeature. To accommodatethe angledside
rails, tenonsmust be cut at oppositeendsat opposing
I angles,while the tenon shouldersmust beparallel
to eachother.Although the tenon is tricky to mark
I out and produce,it fits into a standardmortise.

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I TENONS
ANGTED
CUTTING
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1 Planning theiob
t I Tomarkoutangled tenons,sketch theprojectfull-size
ona andtransfer theangle to theblades. Installandnotch anauxil-
pieceof plywood or hardboard.ln thisexample, theunderside iaryfence(page 71)andseta cuttingwidthof % inchanda
I of a chairframehasbeendrawn, including thelegsandrails. height of X inch.Feeda scrappiecethesamesizeasyourstock
Standard blindtenons areneeded onthefrontandbackrails; face-down intothedadoheadto maketestcutsacross both
I angled tenons mustbecutonthesiderails;andstandard mor- ends. Thenposrtion thetestpieceonyouroutline (inset).The
tisesmustbechopped outin thelegs.Tosetthebladeangle r e so nt h ep i e c e
s h o u l d lei n a n dt h ed r a w i nsgh o u l ldi n eu p ;
t onyourtablesawforcutting theangled tenoncheeks, aligntwo if not,increase thecuttingwidthandmakeanother setof cuts,
boards alongonecorner oftheoutline andadjusta slidingbevel continuing untiltheshoulders align.Adjust thecutting height
I to theangleformedbytheboards (above).Installa dadohead untilthetenoncheeks onthepiecelineupwiththedrawtng.

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MORTISE-AND-TENON
IOINTS I
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Cutting thetenoncheeks I
Oncethecuttingwidthandheight of
thedadobladehavebeenproperly set,put I
thetestpieceasideandmakethecutson
yourworkpiece. Usethemitergauge and I
fenceto guidetheboardforonepass,then
turntheboardoverandrepeat thecutat I
theotherend(above). To lineup thesaw
cutsfortheothersideof thecheeks, set I
theworkpiece onedgeandusethesliding
bevelto extend theshoulder lineacross the I
edgeof the board(insef).Thenmovethe
ripfence totheothersideofthedadohead, I
andreposition andnotch theauxiliary fence
accordingly. Aligntheshoulder markwith I
theoutside bladeof thedadoheadand
buttthefenceagainst theendof thestock. t
Cutthe remaining cheeks(right)thesame
wayyouproduced the f irsttwo.(Make I
t h e s ec u t so n t h e t e s tp i e c ef i r s t ,a n d
then adjustthecuttingwidthandheight, I
if necessary.)
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I MORTISE-AND-TENONIOINTS

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Q Setting upthesawforthetenonshoulders
I J Adjust theangle of thedadoheadto 90".Holding a board parallel
to themiterslot,
usetheslidingbevelto setthemiter gauge
to thesameangleusedto adjusttheblades in
I step1 (aborze).Butttheworkpiece onedgeagainstthemiter gauge.Theshouldershould
beparallel overto itsotheredge.Setthewidth
to theripfence;if not,fliptheworkpiece
I of cutto thewidthofthecheek andadjust thedadoheadto thedesired cuttingheight.

I Cuttingthetenonshoulders
Likethetenoncheeks, theshoulders
I arecut in twosteos.Forthefirstsetof
cuts,guidetheworkpiece onedgeusing
I themitergauge andfence(left),thenturn
theboardend-for-end andrepeat thecut.
I Tomakethesecond setof cuts,usethe
sliding
bevel asin step3 to anglethemiter
I gauge in theopposite direction.Cutthe
lasttwoshoulders ontheotheredsethe
I samewayyoumadethef irsttwo.

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I 105

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TUSKTENONIOINTS I
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The tusk tenon is contmonly usedto I
joirt the legsnnd stretcherof a trestle
table.The tenon extendsbeyondthe I
throughntortiseso that a tusk-like
wedgecnn be insertedto lock thejoint I
while enablirtgit to Ite disassentbled.
Dependingon the length and width I
of the tenon, the wedgecqn be inserted
througheither its thicknessor itswidth. I
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MAKING
A TUSKTENON
JOINT I
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Mortiae
workpiece t
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r) Drillingthe holefor thewedge I
Marking thelocation ofthetenonwedge Z . D i s a s s e m bt hl eej o i n ta n dm a k ea d r i l l i n gm a r k% oi n c h
I Cuta four-shouldered tenon(page 94),butmakeit long o n t h es h o u l d esri d eo f t h es c r i b e d l i n e t; h i sw i l le n s u r e
a I
enough to extend fromthemortise workpiece byat least t i g h tf i t w h e nt h e w e d g ei s d r i v e ni n t op l a c e S . e ta m o r t i s e
1 rnch. Thiswillprovide sufficient stockto resist being split g a u g et o o n e - t h i rtdh e t h i c k n e sosf t h e t e n o na n d u s et h e I
bythewedge. Cuta through mortise to accommodate the g a u g et o o u t l i n et h e h o l ei n t h e m i d d l et h i r do f t h e t o p
t e n o na n da s s e m btl he el o i n t T
. h e n h, o l d i ntgh ep i e c e s c h e e kb , o r d e r i nogn y o u rm a r k .U s i n ga b i t s l i g h t l ys m a l l e r I
together ona worksurface, marka linealong thetopof the i n d i a m e t etrh a nt h e o u t l i n eb, o r et h e h o l et h r o u g ht h e
cheekwhere thetenonemerges fromthemortise (above). tenonon the drill press(above). I
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I MORTISE-AND-TENON
TOINTS

I
I Q
A n g l i ntgh ew e d g eh o l e
r . J E n l a r g ae n ds q u a r et h e h o l ey o ud r i l l e dt o
I accommodate the wedge.Holdrng a mortisechis-
e l a t a 1 0 " a n g l ea w a yf r o mt h et e n o ns h o u l d e r s ,
I c u t a t a p e r e ds l o t ,a s i n d i c a t e db y t h e d o t t e d
l i n e si n t h e i l l u s t r a t i o n
C.h o po u t t h e w a s t ea s
I y o uw o u l dc u t a b l i n dm o r t i s e( p a g e9 4 ) .

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Inserting
thetenonwedge
I hardwood
Cuta triangular wedge thatistapered
to fit theslotyouchopped
outin step3; itslength
I c : n h c r r nt o t w i c pt h e t e n o nw i d t h .T o a s s e m b l e
t h e i o i n t s l i d et h e t e n o ni n t ot h e m o r t i s ea n ds t r i k e
I t h ew e d g ef i r m l yw i t ha m a l l e ut n t i lt h ej o i n ti s t i g h t
( r i p h f )D o n o t r r s ep l r r ea s t h i s i o i n ti s d e s i s n etdo
t b ed i s a s s e m b l e d ,

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-TENONIOINTS
TWIN MORTISE-AND I
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'!! I
':'f: I
' '::''
:,i;r. I
i.;:,
r! I
Cut acrossthe grain into the t
face of a workpiece,lwin mortises
makefor a strongerjoint than a
single,wide cavity.
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MAKING
A TWINMORTISE.AND.TENON
J()INT I
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1 Laying outthetenons I
I Beginbycuttinganordinary four-shouldered through tenonasyouwouldfora wedged
joinl(page97).fhenusea combination squareto markoutthe twintenons(above). I
T h en o r m apl r a c t i ci es t o d i v i d e
t h et e n o ni n t ot h i r d sm
, a k i n g t h e w iodftthh e t e n o n s a n d
thegapbetween themthesame.Markthemiddlewasteportion withXsto avoidconfusion. I
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108 I
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I MORTISE-AND_TENONIOINTS

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12) Cutting
I outthewaste
I Cta^pthetenonworkpiece end-up
I in a viseandcutalong theedges of the
wastesection witha backsaw, stopping
I at theshoulder.Thenusea coping saw
to remove thewaste(above), takingcare
I to avoidcuttingintotheshoulder. Use
a chiselto pareto theline.
t
I
I Laying outthemortises
Drawtwolinesrepresenting thewidth
I of thetwinmortises on thefaceof the
mortise workpiece, thensetbothwork-
I pieces on a worksurface withthetenon
workpiece ontop.Alignthetenonshoul-
I derwithoneofthemarked linesandout-
l i n et h et w om o r t i s euss i n gt h et e n o n
t cheeks asguides(left),Ihen remove the
wasteasyouwouldforanydeepthrough
r mnriisp (neop
\rede
QRI'
' vt

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-AND-TENONIOINTS
ROUNDMORTISE t
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Roundtenonsareoftenproduced on turned I
workpiecessuchaschairlegsand rungs
with thehelpof a latheor bandsaw,but they I
canalsobecut in squarestockwith a drill
Dressand tenoncutter.Themortiseis I
alsoboredon a drill press.
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MAKING
A R()UND
MORTISE.AND.TENON
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Gutting
a roundtenonona square workpiece I
Make a roundtenonin twosteps, startingonthedrillpress and e n c i r c l i ntgh e t e n o na n ds c r e wa b o a r da s a n e x t e n s i otno t h e
thenremoving thewasteonthetablesaw.Installa tenoncutter m i t e r g a u g eA.l i g nt h e s h o u l d el ri n ew i t ht h e b l a d e b, u t t a s t o p t
onthedrillpressandtilt thetableto 90".Clamptheworkpiece b l o c ka g a i n st th e e n do f t h ew o r k p i e caen dc l a m pi t t o t h e e x t e n -
anda supportboardto thetable,usingpadsto protectthewood, s i o n .H o l d i n gt h e s t o c kf l u s ha g a i n stth e e x t e n s i oann dt h e s t o p I
thenboretheholeto thedepthof theshoulder (above,left).On block,makea cut on eachedgeof the workpiece (above,rrght)
thetablesaw,adjust thecuttingheight to cutawaythewaste to severthe waste.Makethe matingmortiseon the drill press. I
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I MORTISE-AND-TENONIOINTS

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I Cutting a round tenonin turned stock
A bandsawcanbe usedto fashion a
I llllultllllllfll]lliltllflllllllillll l]ltllllllltllflitiiilltl]llilil r o u n dt e n o ni n a t u r n e dw o r k p i e c e .
Clamp themitergauge to thetableso
t thatthegapbetween itsfaceandthe
1HO? TI? cuttingedgeof thebladeisthesame
t A round-tenonji6 for the router table
asthedesired depthof tenonshoulder.
Aligntheshoulder lineontheworkpiece
jiq ehownhereenablee
t Theoimpleplywood
rout roundNenone in lurned oiecee,
youLo
MakeNhe
w i t ht h e b l a d ea, n dc l a m pa b o a r d
L-ehaped jiq hiqherLhanyour roulerNable's against theendof thestockasa stop
I fence,wiLha bracetha| holdeNheworkpiece block;makesuretheboardis parallel to
enuqly,lneLalla ef,raiqhi themitergauge slot.Cutthetenonin
t bit in XherouLerand an twosteps.First,rotatetheworkpiece
inserLin lhe Lablelhat eur- clockwise onthetableandmitergauge
I roundsLhe cutNeras whilecuttinga series of concentric kerfs
cloeelyae poeoible. 7sinchapartfromtheendof thestock
I Adjuet,Nhe cutler t o t h es h o u l d el irn e .T h e nc l e a trh e
heiqhtf,o lhe wastebypushing theworkpiece across
I lenqthof the
thebladewhilerotating iI (abovelCut
Lenon.Then clamp
deepshoulders in twoorthreepasses,
L h ej i q r o t h e
I cenler of the fence moving themitergauge awayfromthe
and oetlhemfor a bladebetween eachoass.
t parlialcut, Holdinq
lheworkpiece oecurelyinlhe jiq \
t with onehand,turn on lhe rouler and lowerNhesbockonboNhe
biLwhileLurninqit clockwise, a4ainoLbit rotation.Advance
t Nhefence1/oinchaL a time unlil NheLenonie compleNed.

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I DO\MTAIL
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A]\TDBOXIONTS
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I 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

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

I
thecostly,hand-wrougl
I thenavailable,
theinterk
c 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 -

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 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

lvl rr rr r-r r r rL arrLr r rr r!!L t tsL

-L'luuuLr

t joint togetherwithout
I 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

t 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 stillcalleduponto holdthecor- for gluing.

t nersof carcasesanddrawerstogeth- Fitted with a straightbit, a table-mounted Both dovetailandbox joints can
er. Today,the rationalefor using it routercutsthenotches for a box joint. A hard- be cut by handor machine.Boxand
I is esthetic;the dovetailis visual woodkeygluedintothemitergaugeextensionfingerjointscanbecutequallywell
shortlrandfor durability andwood- guaranteesuniform spacingbenveenthecuts. with the router,the table saw(page
I workingskill. 132),or the radial arm saw(page
Thejoint consistsof taperedpins that fit aroundflaredtails 134).Hand-cuttinga dovetailjoint is oftenconsidereda rite of
I resembling thetail feathersof a dove,whichgivesthejoint its passage for apprenticewoodworkers. It takesmoretime and
name.Thejoint provides goodlong-grain gluingsurface,
which effortthanmachinecutting,but thetechniqueallowscom-
I addsto its strength. pletecontroloverthelayoutof thejoint.Dovetailscanbepro-
Several of thedovetailjoint areshownin thischap-
varieties ducedquicklyandaccurately ontherouterusinga commercial
I ter., Thethrough
throushdovetail (pase118)isthestrongest,
dovetail(page stronsest,sincethe jig.
iis.In many
manvcases, however.
however,thespacing
spacine aneleof thepins
andangle oins
tailsandpinsarecutthroughthefull thickness of theboards. andtailscannotbevaried,andsomewoodworkers findthatthe
I Thecurvedandoutlinedthroughdovetailjoints,shownon resultingjoint lackstheesthetic
appealof a handcutjoint.

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A copingsawis usedto cut auraythewastebetvveen the
I pins of a dovetailjoint. Thenarrowbladeallowsthesaw
to curvesharplyfrom thesideof thepins to theshoulder
t line. Theremainingwastewill beparedau,aywith a chisel.

I 113

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A SELECTIONOF DOVETAILANDBOXIOINTS I
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Outlined through I
dovetail
(aee paqe 12O) I
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Eoxjolnt
(aee pa6e 134)
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-r+ i Half-blind
qri : dovetail
(eee pa4e 15O)
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h; ..-,-' I
W#-v'-' ir;i'u t
'l.'
i:lL,.r
Fingerjoint
(aee pa1e 135) '.-l'';Y i,'
''r.1.-:; I
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t

Elind dovetall
M
)imilar to the half-blind dove-
Lailjoint, except the enda of
Half-blind boxjoint'
jimilar to the standard box
joint with the ahoulderof
one boardand the pina
of the mating piece
mitered at 45"; \
theendqrain 1\
ut utto uuaru E-
. ,
''l'i-,
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the boarda are rabbeted Fr. ie hidden
and t,he edqea are -' uli ,,
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mitered before the [iit,.1._..-
pina and tails are cut,
concealinqthe end
I
7rain of both pieceo
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t DESIGNINGAND MARKING DOVETAILS
I
I Spacing andangling thepins
T h es p a c eb e t w e et nh ep i n sa n dt a i l so f a d o v e t aai ln dt h e
I slopeangleof the pinsaffectboththestrength of thejoint
a n di t s e s t h e t iacp p e a S l . e v e r ac lo m m osnp a c i nrga t i o s -
I expressed astail-to-pin size-areshownat right.The1-to-
1 ratiocreates thestrongest joint,butresults in the least
I a t t r a c t i vl a
e y o u tT. h eo t h e sr p a c i nrga t i o si l l u s t r a t eadr e
moreattractive andvirtually assturdy. The3-to-iratiois
I a g o o dc h o i c feo ra j o i n t h a tw i l lf e a t u rper o m i n e not lnya
piece.Pin-spacing ratiosgreater than3-to-1areweakand
I should b ea v o i d e d .
Thereis lesslatitude in marking theangle ofthepins.Too
I smallanangle willprevent thepieces fromlocking together,
allowing thejointto pullapart;toogreatananglestresses the
I corners of thetails,causing themto breakoff.Forsoftwoods,
a ratioof 1:6or 80" is required; for hardwoods, therationor-
I mallyusedis 1:8or83 (inset). Using a dovetail square to mark
thepinswillautomatically giveyouthecorrect angle.
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0utlining thepins
t Theconstruction of a dovetail jointbegins withlaying
out,marking andcutting thepins,thenusingthemto
I outline thetailsonthemating board. Beginlaying out
thejointbymarking theoutside faceof theworkpiece
I w r t ha b i gX , t h e nu s ea c u t t i n g a u g teo s c r i b e the
shoulder lineof the joinl(pagell8). Next,usea
t dovetail square to layoutthepinsontheendsof the
board asshownin thesequence at left.(Seepage119
I f o r i n s t r u c t i o on ns m a k i n a
g d o v e t asi lq u a r ien t h e
Half-oin
- r' s h o p .B ) e g i nw i t hh a l f - p i nast e a c he d g e m , aking
I -.---"-*. Waste
surethenarrow endsof thepinsareontheoutside face
I of theboard. Nextoutline thewaste sections adjacent
to thehalf-pins. Ona wideworkpiece, suchastheone
in theillustration, younextmarkthecenter of theboard
I end.Outline a pinat thecenter mark,thenoutline the
remaining pins,marking allthewaste sections withXs.
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I 115

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JIGSAND ACCESSORIES t

Commercial dovetailjigsareidealfor producing

a seriesof identicaljoints. Thismodelconsists
of two
I
templates fastenedto backupboards.Theworkpiece
is securedto thejig and a stopblockhelpswith
T
positioningfor repeatcuts.Here,a routerfitted
with a dovetailbit movesin and out of the slots
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of thetail boardtemplate.
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Eoxjoint jig
Flaaticjiq aLLachedto a rout er Lablefor
cuLtrnqftnqer or boxjornto; rtdge in
t
center ofjt7 functtoneae a key Lo
na,p mrp.i.-o -a^o-f - ft9 I
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Dovetail templatee
A eet of t wo fixed Lemplatee I
faetened t;o backup boarda Lo
rout throu7h dovet ail jotnLa;
one LemplaLe ie for pine and
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the of,her for Latla. Three mod-
els are avatlable for rouLtrtq I
dtfferenL-etzed ptne: u6e5 top-
ptloLed btl;e I
I
Inte rch a n g ea bl e-te m pl ate ji g
Wtth the uae of tnterchangeable templal,eo, jtg allowe
T
router to cut. dovetail and boxjotnLe wtt.ha otnqle
eeLup: comee with quide buohin4 and router btt a I
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I DOVETAILAND BOXIOINTS

i l i l il n
t Dovetail bite, etraight bits
A r-@-\
I and t'emplate 7uideo
A aelectionof etrai4ht and dovetail bita
vg
A #
(left) uoed with routera and commercialtem'
I 'platea to cut dovetail iointa. Non-piloted

n r u ffiffi
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bita require a tempiate quide (iiqht)
affixed to the eub-baoeto keepthe bit a a@) 6
I
uniformdiatance from the ed7eof the
template; top-prloted bita are equippedwith
ball-bearin7pilota to 7uidecuta
V #
Template7uidea
Top-prlotedbita Non-piloted bite and lockin7rinq
I
I Multi-joint jig Dovetail
Uaedwith routerto cut.dovetail template
I and box iointa. L-ahapedbracket
ia faatened to backu'pboard and
I eecuredin viae;appropdate tem'
plate ta attached to bracket.
'Comes
with quide buahin4, ,/
I router aub-baaeand bita
Dovetail equare
I Usedto mark the pine of dove- 9ub-baee
tail jointa; availablein ratioa of
I 1:6 (BO") for aoftwood and 1:B
(83") for hardwood
T - w6,
I Adjuatable dovetail jig 5n-
I
Adjuatable template uaed to
rout half-blindand throu4h
dovetailjointa; width of pine
and taila ia aet with a eingle
%*@-
?ae (
r adjuatment. lncludeaguide
buahin7and router bits

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THROUGHDOVETAILIOINTS I
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Combiningmechanicolstrengthwith a
I
distinctiveappearance,the through dovetail
joint isfrequently usedin fine furniture to
I
join drawersand carcasecorners.
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CUTTING
A THROUGH
DOVETAIL
BYHAND
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'l Laying outthepins I
I Marktheoutside faceof the boardwithan X. Thenseta butforstockof thewidthshown above-typicalfora drawer-a
c u t t i n g a u g teo t h et h i c k n e sosf t h es t o c ka n ds c r i b e
a line half-pinat eachedgeandtwoevenly spacedpinsin between I
along theendof theboard to marktheshoulder of thepinsand joinl(above,
will makea strongandattractive right).Marklhe
Iails(above, /eff).Next,secure thestockend-upin a viseand waste sectionswithanX asyougo.Finally,
usea combination I
u s ea d o v e t asi lq u a rteo o u t l i n et h ep i n so n t h ee n do f t h e square to extendallthedovetail
marks downbothfacesof the
b o a r dY. o uc a nf o l l o wt h es e q u e n ci lel u s t r a t e
odn p a g eI 1 5 , board to theshoulderlines. I
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118 I
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I DOVETAIL AND BOX IOINTS

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DOVETAIL SSUARE Cutthepieces of thejig about6 or softwood or 1:8 (or83') for hard-
I Instead of buyinga dovetail
square, 8 incheslongand1%inches wide. wood.Thenmakea cut across the
youcanmakeyourownbyface-glu- To prepare
thepieces, adjustthe c e n t eor f t h e p i e c es, l i c i n gi t i n
I ingfourpieces of scrapwoodtogeth- mitergaugeof yourtablesawto the
(or80")for
half. Makethe samecut at both
er at the requireddovetail
angle. angle-l:6
appropriate endsof themarking guide.Spread
I s o m eg l u eo n a l l t h ec o n t a c t i n g
facesandassemble thejig, butting
I t h ec u te n d so f t h em i d d l ep i e c e s
t e m a r k i nggu i d ew, h i l e
a g a i n st h
I aligning edges
their withtheother
twoboards the of crosspiece above
t andbelow.
pieces
Trimtheendsof themid-
flush
dle withthecrosspiece.
I To usethejig, laythe marking
guideacross theendof thepinboard
I whilebuttingtheedgeof thecross-
pieceagainst thefaceof theboard.
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thepins
Cutting
I L e a v et h e o i n b o a r di n t h e v i s ew i t h
itsoutside facetoward you.Usea dovetail
I sawto cut alongtheedges of the pins,
j u s t
a l i g n i ntgh es a wb l a d e t o t h ew a s t e
I sideof thecuttingline.Cutalltheright-
handedgesfirsl (left),thencomplete
I the left-hand edges. Usesmooth, even
strokes, takingcareto keepthebladeper-
I pendicular asyoucuttotheshoulder lines.

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I 119

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DOVETAIL AND BOX IOINTS I
I
I
Chiseling outthewaste I
Mostof thewastewoodbetween the
pinscanbe removed witha copingsaw t
(page112),anda chiselusedonlyto
cleanupthegaps.However, it is notmuch I
moredifficult to chiseloutallthewaste.
Thekeyisto workpatiently, removing thin I
slivers of woodwitheachcut.Settheoin
boardoutside-face up on a worksurface I
a n dc l a m pa g u i d eb l o c ko nt o ps ot h e
edgeisaligned wlththeshoulder line.Use t
a woodchiselnowiderthanthe narrow
sideof thewaste section. Holding the T
chiselbevel-out against theguideblock
andperpendicular to thefaceof thework- I
piece, scorea %-inch-deep cut (/eft).Then
buttthechiselbladeagainst theendof t
the boardto shaveoff a 7a-inch layerof
wasle(below). Continue removing the I
wasteuntilyouareabouthalfway through
thestock.Onceyouhaveremoved allthe I
wastefromonesideof theboard, turn
it over,reposition theedgeof theguide I
blockdirectly overtheshoulder lineand
remove thewastefromtheotherside. I
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I DOVETAIL AND BOX IOINTS

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I Laying
outthetails
Setthe tail boardoutside-face
down
I illllll|UlllrilllllllilriJ lllllllJljl.llllllitlllllllll
lllrllllillJl1ll ontheworksurface.
end-down
Holdtheoinboard
withits insidefacealigned
I withtheshoulder lineof thetailboard,
1HO?TI? making theedges
certain of theboards
I Markingtails on wide boards
thetailswitha pencil
aref lush.Outline
(above),thenusea try square to extend
Tanelsand wideboardemav be
I N o o c u m b e r 1 o m et o h o l d thelinesontheendof theboard. Mark
oteady whileyou are all thewastesections withXs.
I q h et a i l s
o u t l i n i nN
o na t a i l b o a r d . T h e
I ";:i!":ifly\izt:
I
\
eaoy.SeNIhetail board
o u L s i d e - f a c ed o w n o n a
I workeurfaceand clampa quide
I
blockonNopof ilwiththe edqeof
I the blockfluehwiLhthe shoulderline.
ThenholdNheend of the pin board
againeNthe quideblockwith i|e ou|-
I sideface awavfrom LheLail board.
Faetena handscrew to Ihe Vinboardand ueeanot'herclamp
I NoholdiNfirmly in poeiLion whileyou outlineNhet aile.

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DOVETAILAND BOX IOINTS I
t
f, Cutting thetailsand I
r.,f removing thewaste
Usea dovetail sawto cutthetailsthesame I
wayyoucut the pins(step2). Angling
theboard(left),rather thanthesaw,makes t
foreasier cutting.Secure theboard sothat
theright-hand edges of thetailsarever- I
iical.Sawsmoothly andevenly alongthe
edges of thetails,stoppingat theshoulder T
line.Reposition theboard intheviseto cut
theleft-hand edges. Onceall the sawcuts I
havebeenmade,remove thewaste witha
chiselasin steo3. I
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fi
Dry-fitting thedrawer I
\,f Before gluinguptheloint,assemble
it to checkthefit. Stand thepinboard on I
endona worksurface, thenalignthetail
boardwithit. Press thejointtogether by I
handasfarasit willgo,thenusethemal-
letto tapthe boards therestof theway
(righil.f o avoidmarrrng
I
intoposition the
pinsandtails,close thejointevenly along I
itsentirelength. Thepinsandtailsshould
f i t s n u g l yr ,e q u i r i nogn l ya l i g h t a p p i n g . t
l f t h ej o i n ti s t o ot i g h t ,m a r kt h ep o i n t
whereit binds,disassemble theboards, I
andusea woodchiselto pareawaya little
morewoodat the mark.Dry-fit thejoint I
again andadjustit further, if necessary.
T
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I DOVETAILAND BOXTOINTS
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I I Gluing updovetails
/ W h e ng l u i n g u p a d o v e t aj iol i n t ,

I llltlllillllfillilltllililllilltllllflrlilltllllilllllllllllfillfi[l]ll c l a m p i npgr e s s u irsea p p l i etdo t h e

tail boards. Todistribute clamping
pressure properly, makea specially
I 5HO?Tt? notched clamping blockforeachjoint.
Theblocks should beaslongasthe
I Cutling aeveraltailboardeal onae widthof thestockandnotched sothat
lf you are makinqseveralAovelailjointo,
theyonlytouchthetailsanddo not
t you can slreamlinelhe proceeoof
cuttinqthe Iails by oawingIhem all exertpressure onthepins.Spread
al once.MarkLheLailson Ihe glueevenly onallthecontacting sur-
I boarde,trhen stackLhe pieceo
''
- facesof the boards, thenassemble
together,makinqsuretheir < t h ej o i n t sI.n s t a al l b a rc l a m pa l o n g
I edqeoand end6are ali7ned. eachpinboard, thentighten theclamps
Clampthe stack in a vise, a littleat alime hbovd.Checkthe
I a n q l i n qt h e p i e c e ee o l h e
"r"i""iu . \-.
carcase for square andadjustthe
;:,;t;'-;^;:;,5'i"" clamping pressure, if necessary.
I areverlical.CuNtheriah|- \ \
h a n d e d g e oo f a l l N h e N a i l e , \\^'
I Ehenleavethe eaw blade in Nhe
last, kerf a6 you repooiLion Nhe
I eNackNocut,NhelefY-hand
edqee,Theeaw bladewillkeep
lheboardeinaliqnmenl ao you (\
I e h i f At h e s t a c k i n | h e v i s e .
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DOVETAILAND BOXIOINTS I
I
CUTTING
A THROUGH ()NTHETABLE
DOVETAIL SAW I
Cuttingthepins I
Layoutthepins(page118),butmarkonly
oneendof theboard. Then,screwanexten- I
sionboardto themitergauge thatis high
enough to support theworkpiece during I
thecuts.Settheangleof themitergauge Centerpin
to cuttheright-hand edges of thepins; I
usea dovetail square asa guide. Tomake
thecuts,holdthepinboardwithitsinside I
faceagainst theextension andthemarked
endonthetable,thenraise theblade to the I
shoulder lineof thepins.Aligntheblade
withthewastesideof theright-hand edge I
of thecenter pin,thenclampa stopblock
ontheextension flushagainst therighf I
handedgeof theboard. Makea cutat the
edgeof thepin,thenclearoutabouthalf I
thewastebycuttinga series of kerfs,slid-
ingthepieceslightly to theleftwitheach I
pass.Turnthe boardend-for-end, buttit
against thestopblockandtheextension I
andrepeat theprocedure to makea mirror
imageof thefirstcut at the olherend(right, I
fop).(Repeat the process for all otheriden-
ticalworkpieces.) Then,afterturning the I
boardbackto themarked end,alignthe
bladewiththeright-hand edgeof thenext t
marked half-pin, reposition thestopblock
against theedgeof theworkpiece, and I
repeat thecuttingprocess on bothends
of the board. Whentheright-hand edges I
of alltheoinsarecutandhalfthewaste
hasbeencleared away,reverse theangle I
of the mitergaugeandrepeatthe proce-
dureto cuttheleft-hand edges ofthepins. t
Thistime,continue cuttingkerfsintothe
waste untilit iscleared, sliding theboard I
to therightwitheachpass(right,bottom).
Tocomplete thejoint,tracethe pinson I
thetail board(page121)andcutthetails
by hand(page122)or usinga bandsaw I
(page125I
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I DOVETAIL AND BOX IOINTS

I
I A THROUGH
DOVETAIL
JOINT
ONTHEBAND
SAW
I 'l Cutting thepins
I Markthepinsononeendof thework-
I piece(pagell8), thencutthemin two
stages, firstangling thetableto theright
I foroneseries of cuts,andthento theleft
forthefinalones.Startbytiltingthetable
I to matchtheangleof thedovetail square
(inseil.Install theripfenceandfastena
I wooden L-shaped auxiliaryfenceto it.
Then,settheworkpiece outside-face up
I onthesawtableandaligntheright-hand edgeof thefirst
half-pin withtheblade. Butttheauxiliary fenceagainst the
I pieceandmakethecut,keeping theboard flushagainst tne
fence. Whenthebladereaches theshoulder line,stopthe
I cutandturnoffthesaw.Withthebladebuttedontheshoul-
derline,holda stopblockagainst theworkpiece andscrew
I it to theauxiliary fence.Turnthepieceend-for-end andcut
theright-hand edgeof thefirsthalf-pinat theotherendof
I theboard. Turntheworkpiece again, alignthebladewiththe
marked linefortheright-hand edgeofthefirstfullpin,butt
I theauxiliary fenceagainst theworkpiece andcutto thestop
block(right). Continue turningtheworkandshifting therip
I fenceasnecessary to cuttheright-hand edgeof thepinson
bothendsof theboard. Cuttheleft-hand edgeof eachpin
I following thesameprocedure withthetabletilteddownward
to the left.Finishby usinga chiselto remove thewaste
I between the pins(page120).
I
I
t
I
I r) Gutting thetails
L tlsethecompleted oin boardasa
I guide to outline thetailsonthetailboard
(page121).Tomakethecutsandremove
I thewaste, return thetableto thehorizon-
tal position. Startbysawing outthewaste
I at bothedges of thepiecewithtwointer-
secting cuts.Toclearthewastebetween
t thetails,nibble at it withtheblade,piv-
otingthe piece asnecessary to avoidcut-
t tingintothetails(/eff).Test-fit thejoint
andmakeanynecessary adjustments
t w i t ha c h i s e l .

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I 125

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CURVEDTHROUGHDOVETAILIOINTS I
I
t
A decorativeand challeng-
ing variation of the through I
dovetailjoint, the curved
through dovetail adds a dis-
tinctive touch to any pro- Trl I
ject. The exampleshown
hereis a one-sidedcurved
Y I
through dovetail, in which
only the end of the tailboard
is curved;the two-sidedver- r I
I

6
sion requirescontourson
both the pin and tail boards. I
I
MAKING
A CURVED
THROUGH
D()VETAIT I
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'l Laying
I
outthetails
I lt takesthreestepsto cuta one-sided curved through dovetail. squareto keepthetemplate perpendicularto theboardedges, I
First,cutstandard pinsin thepinboard(page118);thencutthe markthecurved shou lderIineonthef aceof theboard(above,
tailsalong a curved shoulder line,asshown here; andf inally,saw left).Usethecompleted pinboardasa guideto outlinethetails I
a matching curvedrabbet intothebottom of thepins(step3).fo onthetail board(page121),extending the marksto thecurved
prepare thetailboard, seta cuttinggauge to thethickness of the shoulder. Cutthetailsides(page122),thenclamptheboard I
pinboard andscribe shoulderlinesonbothedges ofthetailboard. face-up ona worksurface. Alsoclamponthetemplate in line
Makea semicircular template, usingasa guidethecontour of the withtheshoulder to keepthechiselfromstraying beyond the I
dado head you will usein step 3. Withthe tail board face-down, wasle(above, right).Chisel out the wastebetween the tails as
alignthetemplate's curve with theshoulder marks. Using a try youwould forstandard through dovetails(page 120). I
I
1.26 I
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t DOVETAIL AND BOX IOINTS

I
I r") Preparing to rabbet thepinboard
L lnsLall the dadoheadon yourtable
I sawandadjustitswidthto slightly more
thanthelength of thepins.Alsoinstall an
I auxiliary fenceandnotchit upto thethick-
nessof the pin board(pageZl). Next,set
t thepinboardoutside-face uponthesaw
t a b l ea n dc e n t etrh ee n do f t h ep i e c e
I against theoutside bladeof thedadohead,
usingthe mitergaugeto keepthe board
I p e r p e n d i c ut loatrh eb l a d eA. d j u stth e
cuttingheight sothepoints where thedado
I heademerges fromthetablearealigned
withtheedgesof theworkpiece. Thenmark
I reference linesonthetableinsert, using
the boardedgesasa guide(right).Adjus|
I thefencesothattheactualcuttingwidth
equals thelenghofthepins,thenlower the
I dadoheadbeneath thetable.

t
I
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t Cutting therabbets
Butttheendof thepinboardagainst
the fenceandcenterits edgesbetween
I thereference lineson thetableinsert.
Slidethemitergauge upagainst thework-
I p i e c et h, e nc l a m pt h eg a u g ei n p l a c e .
Holding thestockfirmlyin position, turn
I o n t h es a wa n dr a i s et h ed a d oh e a dt o
makea shallow cut in thepins(/eft).Turn
I thesawoff andtest{itthejoint.Makea
slightly deeper cutandtestagain, contin-
I uingto cutandtestuntilthejointfits.The
process is painstaking, buttheresults can
I bewellworthyoureffort.
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I r27

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OUTLINEDTHROUGHDOVETAILJOINTS I
I
Thepins and tails of the outlined through I
dovetail arefranted by thin strips of
wood of a contrastingcolor. I
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MAKING THROUGH
ANOUTLINED DOVETAIL I
1 Rabbeting thepinandtailboards
I Anoutlrned throush dovetail is likethe
I
conventional joint,except thatspacemust
becreated forthecontrasting wood-usu-
I
allya veneer-around andbelow all pins
andtails.Theprocess isfairly simple. Start
I
bycuttingrabbets in the inside facesof
bothmating pieces of thejoint.Seta cut-
t
tinggauge tothestockthickness andscribe
a s h o u l d el irn ea r o u ntdh ee n d so f t h e
I
boards. Thenrnstall a dadoheadonyour
tablesawandadjustitswidthsothatit
I
is slightly widerthanthestockthickness.
Alsoinstall andnotchanauxiliary fence
I
(page71),andadjustit sothatthewidth
of cutequals thestockthickness. Raise
I
thecuttingheight to thethickness of the
veneer. Makea testcutona scrapboard
t
a n da d j u stth ec u t t i n gh e r g hut n t rtl h e
veneer fitsperfectly in therabbet. Thencut
I
rabbets at bothendsof yourstock,feeding
eachboardwiththe milergauge(right).
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I DOVETAIL AND BOX IOINTS

I
I r) Gluing in theveneer
L m e j o i n ti s o u t l i n eidn t w os t a g e s .
I T h ev e n e esrt r i p st h a tf i l l t h er a b b e t s
under thepinsandtailsaregluedin before
I thejointiscutandassembled, asshown
at right.Theveneer between thepinsand
I tailsis inserted afterglue-up, Foreach
workpiece, cuttwostripsof veneer slight-
r ly longer andwiderthantherabbet
andtwoclamping blocks withedges
cheek,
the
I samesizeasthecheek. Settheworkpiece
i n s i d e - f a cuep o n a w o r ks u r f a c a en d
I spread a thincoating of glueonthecheek.
Thenclamptheveneer in place, using the
I clamping blockto distribute thepressure
evenly(right).Repeatat the otherend
I o f t h eb o a r dO. n c et h eg l u eo n a l l t h e
preces hascured, cutthepinsandtails
I andglueupthejoints.

I
I lnserting theveneer between
thepinsandtails
I Secure theassembled workpiece in a vise
asshown, andusea dovetail sawto cut
I grooves alongtheseams between thepins
andtails(left).Sawsmoothly andevenly,
I continuin t ogt h es h o u l d el i rn e .N e x t ,
cuttriangular veneer splines to fit in the
I grooves. Spread a littlegluein thegrooves
a n di n s e rtth es p l i n elso n g - e d g de
own
I (insetO ) . n c et h eg l u eh a ss e t ,c u t a n d
s a n dt h es o l i n efsl u s hw i t ht h e b o a r d s .
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HALF-BLINDDOVETAILJOINTS I
I
Half-blinddovetailsareoftenusedfor drawerfronts. I
Virtuallyasstrongasa throughdovetail,thehalf-blind
joint featurestaik that arevisiblefrom theside,but I
hiddenby thedrawerfront.
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HAND-CUTTING
A HALF-BtIND
D()VETAIL
thepinboard
t
1 Marking
I Marktheoutside faceof theboard
withanX.Thenadjusta cuttinggauge to
I
thethickness of thetail boardandscribe
a l i n ea c r o stsh e i n s i d ef a c eo f t h ep i n
I
board to marktheshoulder lineof thepins.
Secure thepinboard end-up in a viseand
I
setthecuttinggauge to aboutone-third
thethickness of thepinboard andmarka
I
lineacross theend,closer to theoutside
thanthe insideface(below). Next,usea
I
dovetail square to markthe pinson the
endof the board(right).Forthe narrow
I
boardshown, followthespacing pattern
described on page118.Tof inishmarking,
I
usea trysquare anda pencilto extend the
lineson theboardenddownthe inside
t
faceto theshoulder line.
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130 I
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I
I r) Cutting thepins
L S u r u , " o n ep i n b o a r di n a v i s ew i t ht h e o u t s i d ef a c e
I of the stocktowardyou,thencut downalongthe edgesof
the pinswith a dovetailsaw,workingfromoneedgeof the
I b o a r dt o t h e o t h e r .H o l dt h e b o a r ds t e a d ya n d a l i g nt h e
sawbladejust to the wastesideof the cuttinglines(/eft).
I Usesmooth,evenstrokes, continuing the cutsto the shoul-
d e rl i n ea n dt h e l i n eo n t h e b o a r de n d .
I
I
I
I Q
Removing thewaste
r . J L a yt h e p i n b o a r di n s i d e - f a cuep o n a w o r ks u r f a c ea n d
I c l a m pa g u i d eb l o c ka l o n gt h e w a s t es i d eo f t h e s h o u l d elri n e .
U s ea c h i s e tl h a t i s n o w i d e rt h a nt h e n a r r o w e spta r to f t h e
I wastearea,Startingat oneedgeof the stock,holdthe flat side
o f t h e c h i s eal g a i n stth e g u i d eb l o c k W . t t ht h e c h i s e p l erpen-
I d i c u l atro t h e b o a r df a c e ,s t r i k et h e h a n d l ew i t ha w o o d e n mal-
l e t ,m a k i n ga % - i n c h - d e ec p u t i n t ot h e w a s t eT . h e nh o l dt h e
I chiselbevel-uo andsouareto the boardendaboutX inchbelow
t h et o p s u r f a c ae n dp e e la w a ya t h i n l a y e or f w a s t eC . ontinue
I u n t i ly o ur e a c ht h e s c r i b e dl i n eo n t h e b o a r de n d ,t h e np a r e
awayanyremaining waste.Repeat the process withthe remain-
t i n gw a s t es e c t i o n s( b e l o w )F. i n i s ht h e j o i n t b y m a r k i n ga n d
cuttingthe tailsas youwouldfor a throughdovetailjoint (page
I 1 2 1 ) .V ' ' l h emn a r k i n gr ,e m e m b et hr a tt h et a i l so f t h i sj o i n tw i l l
be shallower thanthoseof a throughjoint because theyextend
I o n l yt o t h e b o t t o mo f t h e b l i n dp i n s .

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BOXIOTNTS I
I
Originally developedfor mass-produced I
carcaseslike packing cratesand jewelry
boxes,the boxjoint now lendsstrengthand ,,. , .:'l.
--/-.
I
a traditional look to modern furniture. , ".-
.
.

:i,;.-.
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?,,,.j:

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CUTTING
A BOXJOINT
ONTHETABTE
SAW I
1 Making thejig
I Thenotches fora boxjointarecutone
I
afteranother onthetablesawusinga dado
headanda simplejig madefromanexten-
I
sionboardclamped to the mitergauge.
Firstadjustthewidthof thedadohead
t
sothatthepinsandnotches ontheedges
o f t h e o i e c ew
s i l la l l b et h es a m es i z e .
I
Makethecuttingheight equalto thestock
thickness, clamotheextension ontothe
I
mitergauge, andfeedit intothedadohead
to cuta notch.Slidetheextension along
I
the mitergaugesothegapbetween the
notchandthedadoheadis equalto the
I
notchwidth,thenscrewtheextension to
thegauge.Feedthe extension intothe
I
blades to cut a second notch(rght).Then,
inserta tight-f ittingwooden keyin the
I
firstnotchso it projects at least1 inch
fromtheextension.
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r32 I
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t DOVETAILAND BOX IOINTS

t
I in thefirstboard
thenotches
Cutting
Butt the edgeof the boardagainstthe
I keyand holdits faceflat againstthe exten-
sionT . u r no n t h e s a wa n df e e dt h e p i e c e
I i n t ot h e d a d oh e a d ,h o o k i n ygo u rt h u m b s
a r o u n dt h e e x t e n s i otno s t e a d yt h e p i e c e
I duringthe cut (ilghil.Then lift the work-
p i e c ec l e a ro f t h e d a d oh e a da n d r e t u r n
I t h e m i t e rg a u g et o t h e f r o n to f t h e t a b l e .
F i t t h e n o t c hy o uj u s tc u t o v e rt h e k e ya n d
I m a k et h e s e c o n dc u t . C o n t i n u ceu t t i n g
n o t c h e si n t h i s m a n n e ur n t i ly o ur e a c ht h e
I o p p o s i t sei d eo f t h e w o r k P i e c e .

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Q Cutting the notches in the matingboard
I . J f i t t h e f i n a ln o t c hv o uc u t i n t h e f i r s t
pieceoverthe key,ttrennutt oneedgeof
I t h e m a t i n gb o a r da g a i n stth e f i r s t b o a r d .
H o l d i n gb o t hb o a r d sf i r m l ya g a i n stth e
t extension f e, e dt h e m a t i n gp i e c ei n t ot h e
dadohead(/eff).Continuecuttingnotches
I i n t h e m a t i n gb o a r df o l l o w i n tgh e s a m e
Drocedure vou usedon the first board.
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I 133

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FINGERJOINTS t
I
An attractiveandsolidvariationof theboxjoint, I
thefingerjoint derivesitsstrengthfrom the
Iargegluingareaprovidedby itsnumerousinter- I
wovenfingersand notches. It is mostoftenused
to assemble
drawersand smallcarcases. I
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A FINGER
JOINT
ONTHERADIAT
ARMSAW I
I
Fence
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1 Making upthejig
andsetting I
jig
I The shownabovemakescuttingaccurate f ingerjoints bladeguardwhenthejig is installed on the radialarmsaw.
on theradialarmsawan easytask.Cutthetableandfence Fastenthe legsto the undersideof thetablewithcountersunk I
from%-inchplywood, andthe legsfromsolidwood.Referto screws.Toassemble thejig,slipthefenceintoits slotin the
theillustration
forsuggesteddimensions.
Cuta 3-inch-by-25- sawtable,thenposition the leftedgeof thejig tableagainst I
inchcornersection fromoneendof thefenceusinga bandor therightedgeof thefence'scutout,andscrewthetwopieces
sabersaw;thecutoutwill provideclearance
forthe motorand of plywoodtogether. I
I
134 I
I
I
I DOVETAILAND BOX TOINTS

I
I r) Cutting thefirstnotch
L t , l t t h e s a wb l a d et o t h e h o r i z o n t a l
I position, thenset bothworkpieces on edge
a g a i n st th e j i g f e n c eT . h ed e p t ho f t h ef i n -
I g e r sa n d n o t c h ew s i l l b e t h e t h i c k n e sosf
the stock;setthe depthof cut by extend-
I i n gt h e b o a r d so v e rt h e e d g eo f t h e b l a d e
b y t h e p r o p ear m o u n tT. h e ns l i pa s h i m
I that isthe samethickness asthe sawblade
underthe workpiece that restsagainstthe
I f e n c e .C l a m pt h e b o a r d st o t h e f e n c e ,
u s i n gp r o t e c t i vw e o o dp a d sa n d m a k i n g
I s u r et h e b o a r de n d sa r ea l i g n e dI.n s t a lal
h a n d s c r eown t h e s a wa r mt o s t o pb l a d e
I t r a v e la s s o o na s e a c hc u t i s c o m p l e t e d .
F n rt h e f i r s ic r r t a d i r r stth e b l a d et o t h e
I s a m el e v e a l s t h e s h i m .T h e n ,w i t ht h e
b l a d eg u a r dc o v e r i nags m u c ho f t h e b l a d e
I a s p o s s i b l ep,u l lt h e b l a d et h r o u g h t h ec u t
(right).Returnthe bladebehindthe fence
I a n dt u r no f f t h e s a w .

I
I
t
I
Cutting
theremaining
I notchesandfingers
F o re a c ho f t h e r e m a i n i ncgu t s ,r a i s et h e
I b l a d eb y a n a m o u n te q u a lt o t w i c et h e
t h i c k n e sosf t h e s h i m .R e f e tro y o u rs a w ' s
I m a n u atlo c a l c u l a tteh e n u m b eor f t u r n s
n f t h e n e d e s t acl r a n kt h a t w i l l a c c o m -
I n l i s ht hi s I l s ev n r r l e f th a n dt o f e e dt h e
y o u rr i g h th a n df r e et o
b l a d e ,l e a v i n g
I a d j u s t h e b l a d eh e i g h tb; e s u r et o s l i d e
t h e b l a d eb e h i n dt h e f e n c eb e f o r er a i s i n g
t t h ec u t t i n gh e i g h tC. o n t i n uien t h i sm a n -
n e r u n t i la l l t h e n o t c h e sa n d f i n g e r sh a v e
t beencut (/eff).

I
I
I
I
r
I 135

I
 n t i l t h c g r e ast a i l i n sg h i p se s t a b - t
lishecl traderoutesbetrvcen Europre
f ,- r y - - --
-r'+-- I
' ' : " * - ;:*
- l-;"- r. IEEF a n dt h eC ) r i e ni tn t h e 1 5 0 0 st h , ct r r c r
0evel.e/gqd ahisel Japanese marking knife arcas werelarselvisolatecl fl'onreachoth-
cr,andtheirlvooclu,urking traclitions I
developed separatelu ln the\\rest,the
Japaneaebteethammei : V*
evolution of l,oocljoinert,catr betracecl I
throLrgh thehistor,v of firrniturestvles.
Thehalf:blindclovetail joint,tbr exam- I
ple,u,asbornliul a needto stlengthen
a clrlrver rvhilehidinstheconncction. I
Mortiae .ma rklng g4 q6e. )apanese joincrv,on the otherhancl,
I
t
";*r --
3i"+i
' Ftish Ahise!. I
:
I
()FJAPANESE
I
A SELECTI()N W()()DW()RKING
T()()LS
l a n a r e cleo n' d i f f e '{ r o l I t e r W e s t e r n s r g h t l sy e tt e e t h i. s u s e dr r j o i l e r yd 1 d i T ps r r r ' a , ^hep c a r . q res i e e t l 'h a v en o I
c o , r n t e r n a irri sh o t hs r h L l a e n do b vo u s ' r r e b e n c hw o r k .I n e ' l L , s h - c u t i iknugg i
s e t ,T h ec h a m f e p r l a n ei n t h e p h o t of e a
w a y sA . J a p a n e sm e o r t i s eg a u g ew o r k s h i k ri s u s e df o rd e l i c a tcel e a n u w
p o r k .1 t t u r e ss c r e wa d j u s t e fde n c e st;h e t o o l i s I
m u c h k e t s W e s t e renq u i v a l e net x, c e p t h a sa f l e x i b l b
e l a d ef o rt r i m m i n tge n o n s d e s i g n etdo s h a p et h e b e v e l em d olding
t h a t t i s f t t e dw t h s m a l b l a d e si n s t e a d o r d o w e lw s i t h o umt a r k i ntgh es u r r o u n d c o m m o n luys e di n J a p a n e sdeo o r s . t
o f p i n s .A n d ,t h ew r d t ho f a m o r t r s ress e t
b y a d l u s tn g t h e g a p b e t w e etnh e t w o I
b e a n s .r a L l - et hr a r b y n o v r n gt r e s t o c k .:--.''
i n r e i a t i otno t h e b l a d e s . I
L i k eW e s t e r n - s t yc lhei s e l st ,h e
. J a p a r e :vee r s , o nasr ed e : i g r e df o r s p e I
c f i c p u r p o s e sT:h e p u s hc h r s ehl a sa
t r i a n g u l abri a d ef o r c e a n i n gu p d o v e t a t l I
l o i n tp i n sa n dt a i l s t; h e m o r ts e c h i s e
f e a t u r eas t h i c k ,s q u a r eb l a d ew t h s r g h t I
l y c o n c a vsei d e st o r e d u c e f r r c to n ;a n d
t h e c o r n e cr h s e l i s u s e dt o s q u a r el a r g e I
m o r t i s e sB. u t a J a p a n e scehi s e m a d e
w r t ha s t e e l - h o o p ehda n dl e s s t r o n g
. . , . I
. t . .. . .::
: t ._.,:
e n o u g ht o w i t h s t a n b d e i n gs t r u c kb y a
s t e eh l ammer. "-'{$ ' , s ,
\ +\5
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Jaoanese a w sa rd o a r e sd e p a . t ' . o n n'.r:J*i... ?! ;.i:

W e s t e r dn e s i g na l t o g e t h ebre c a u steh e y I
c u t o n t h ep u l ls t r o k er ,a t h etrh a nt h ep u s h
s t r o k eT. h er y o b ai s a c o m b i n a t i osna w , I
w i t h r p t e e t ho n o n ee d g ea n dc r o s s c L r t
t e e t ho n t h e o t h e r T . h ed o z u k iw . ith I

136
I
I JAPANESE
IOINERY

I evolved notfromfurnituremakingbut jointsthatfrrlfilled rialsasto thephilosophybehind

additionto designing thecraft.
fromthedesign andconstruction of reli- the basicrequirements of structural In |apan,thestoneandclaynecessary for
I giousshrines andtemples.In addition, strengthand estheticharmonywith brickmaking arescarce,
andtherefore the
a |apanese woodworker traditionally Eastern philosophical concepts, rival mason's art did not developto thelevel
I worethehatof architect in additionto guildssoughtto develop increasingly it didin EuropeandChina.Ontheoth-
thatofartisanandcaroenter. In fact.the complex jointswhoseinterlocking com- erhand,fapan's richvolcanicsoilgrows
I closest Englishequivalentof daiku,the
"car-
ponents wereinvisible
whenassembled. a widevarietyof trees.Theabundance
Japanese wordoftentranslated as Of the400jointsstill in usein Japan of species, aswellastheirwoods'struc-
I penter," is
"master
builder." today,manyaredescended fromthese turalresistance to earthquakes, fostered
In japan,carpentrydeveloped with- joints.
secret theancienttraditionof buildingfrom
I in a familyguildsystemcharacterized Thecomplexity of Japanese joinery wood-everythingfrom slidingrice
by fiercecompetition andsecrecy. In owesasmuchto nativebuildingmate- paperdoorsto Shintotemples.
I
I
A GAIIERYOFJAPAI{ESE
IOINTS
I
Divided mortise-
I and-tenon joint
Uaed in larqe frame-
and-panelpieceo;
I tendna cui into the
raila meshto4ether
I in a throuqh mortise
in the atile
I Mitered-shoulder
tenon joint
I )imilar to the divid-
ed mortise-and-
tenon joint, except
the aurfaceobor-
derinq the morLioe
and tenonaon one
eide are beveled
t
t
I Mitered corner joint,
1liding dovetail joint Typicallyuaed on larqe
I Commonlyueedto
attach le7e to raile
framea: the concealed
dovetail tenon and
in chair conatruction; matchinqmortiae lock
I featurea a atabi- the ioint
Iizinqtenon
I
t
I
I

I r37
I
 I
JAPANESE
IOINERY I

Unlike inorganicbuilding materials er toolsandstationary machines, many absorbshockwhen planing knotty I

like brick and stone,wood retainsa fapanese woodworkers still rely mainly grain,ThebladesofJapanese chisels,
or
warmththat servesasa reminderthat it on handtoolsthat haveremainedvir- nlmi, arelaminatedlike planeblades, I
wasoncea living thing.In lapan,crafts- tually unchangedfor centuries(page with a hard,hollow-groundbacksup-
menhold theviewthatwoodhasa soul, 136).Forexample, a traditionalfapanese portedby a thick,shock-absorbing top I
inspiringa senseofreverence that still plane,or kanna,is a simpleaffair,hav- of soft steel.A fapanesesaw,or noko-
surroundstraditionalmethodsof join- ing a hardwoodbody,a thick blade,and giri, alsocutson the pull stroke,so its I
eryin |apan. a capiron. fapanese planescut on the bladecan be much thinner than the
Forfapanese woodworkers, theirart pull stroke,and their bladesarelami- WesterncounterDart and its teethcan I
beginswith respectfor thetools.Despite natedwith a thin layerof high-carbon be finelyset.
advances in technologythat havegiven steelformingthecuttingedge,backedby Only care,diligentmaintenance, and I
themodernwoodworkerportablepow- a thick stripof soft,low-carbon steelto respectfor thesetools can produce
I

I
I
I
Pinned carcaaejoint
I
{i.'5
'" A cornerjoint uaedin car-
<} qt'
-
caeeeconetructed with I
.r-f\
'\j/ heavypanela:the etopped
tonque provideealiqnment I
whilethe throuqh tenone
*&t
w
w reaiat ahearstresa
I
I
I
Shelf aupport joint I
Interloaking- Used for ehelveathat must bear heauy
tenon joint
Featured in chair
Ioada:end of ahelf aita in stopped
dado whileblrndtenon holda the ahelf
I
and staircaae con- etrai4ht and ti4htena joint
etruction, thia lock- I
ingjoint attachea
T.woor more Ptece? I
I
I
I
I

I
I
I
I JAPANESE
IOINERY

I
I theelaborate andprecise jointsseenon
mesepages.
I fapanese joints aregroupedinto two
maincategories. A splicingjoint,or fsu-
t g, joinstwo piecesend-to-endto create
a longerone.A shiguchi, connectstwo
I or more piecesat an angle.Because
manyJapanese houseshavefewpieces
I of furniture, the traditional fapanese
jointsoriginatedascaryentryjointsused
I in the constructionof houses.The
shiguchijoints shownon the following
I
I
pagesarethosethat canbe appliedto
cabinetmaking.
In fapan,beautyis an essentialele-
mentof theart of woodjoinery,andthe
ultimatevalueof a joint is measured
by
thesubtlecombinationof its appearance
and the builder'sskill and speed.A
fapanese woodworkeraimsfoi perfec-
tion with the first sawor chiselcut.
Sandinga workpieceto fit is not part
ofthe joineryprocess. Traditionalso
requiresthat any mistakemadeby a
Japanese craftsmanremainon thepiece
to remindhim of hishumblenature,so
everystrokeofthe sawor planeiscrucial,
requiringgreatconcentration.
This concentration is demandedby
thetoolsthemselves. Althoughtheylook
deceptively simpleto use,fapanese tools
requireconsiderable patienceandprac-
ticeto master.As the ancientcraftsmen
who forgedthem understood, the key
to success is to learnto usethetool with
skill and resDect.

I
I Inte rl oc king - mite r j oint
I Used in heavyframe con-
etruction: a half-lap-like
joint. with mitered dhoul-
I deraand matchin7qroovee
in the cheekaaized to
I accept a apline.Thejoint
io not qlued,allowingit
to be dieaeaembled
I
t
t
I
I
Three-way
corner miter joint
A cornerjoint uaed
in deskeand dining
room tablea: all
three pieceohave
W
I mitera, whilethe leq
featurea a tenon
I whichfits into
notchegin
the rails
t
I
I' Three-waypinned corner miter joint
)imilar to the three-waycorner miter, thie joint ia
I uaed to reinforce thick raila connected at a face
miter; two tenona in the leq pin the joint toqether
I

I r39
I

A-B.C
Bench dog: A round or squarepeg
made of metal or wood that fits
into a hole in a workbench to hold
a workpiece in place.
Bevel cut: A cut made at an angle
from faceto facealong the length
or width of a workpiece.
Biscuit A thin oval wafer of com-
pressedwood, usually beech,that
fits into a semicircularslot cut by
a platejoiner.
Blind joint A joint in which the
interlocking membersare hidden,
asin a blind mortise-and-tenon
joint. Also known asa stoppedcut.
Box joint: A corner joint featuring
interlocking fingers.
Butt joinery: A method of joining
wood in which the end or edgeof
one board is set squarelyagainstthe
faceor edgeofanother; often rein-
forced when end grain is involved.
Butterflykey joint An edge-to-edge
butt joint reinforced by a wing-
shapedkey that is often made of a
contrastinghardwood for decora-
tive effect.
Carcase:The box-like basicstruc-
ture of a piece of furniture, formed
of solid panels.
Cheek In a mortise-and-tenon
joint, that part of the tenon perpen-
dicular to the shoulder.
Compression: Forcethat presses
the elementsof a joint together.
I
GLOSSARY I
t
Countersink: Drilling a hole that G-H-r-t t
allowsa screwhead to lie flush with Grain: The arrangementand
or slightly below the surfaceof a direction of the fibers that make I
workpiece. up wood.
I
Crosscut A sawcut made acrossthe Half-lap joint A lap joint in which
grain of a workpiece. the dadoesare halfthe thicknessof I
the stock; seelapjoint.
D-E.F
Dado: A rectangularchannelcut Hanger bolt A bolt usedto hold
I
into a workpiece. movableparts of a fixture; one end
hasscrewthreadsto anchor it in the
I
Dado head: A blade-or combina- wood, while the other end features
tion of bladesand cutters-used to machine threads. I
shapedadoes.
Haunch: An extensionof one edge I
Dovetail joint: A corner joined by ofa tenon intendedto increasea
interlocking pins and tails;the name mortise-and-tenonioint's resistance t
derivesfrom the shapeof the parts. to twisting; the hauirch can alsobe
DoweL A wood pin usedto rein-
usedto fill a panel groove,eliminat-
ing the need for stoppedgrooves.
I
forcecertaintypesofjoints.
K-L-M-N
I
Edges:The narrower surfacesof Kerf: The cut made by a sawblade.
a workpiece. I
Lap joint A joint in which one or
Facejointing: Using a jointer to both of the mating boards are I
shavethe faceof a workpieceuntil dadoed to increasegluing area
it is flat and square. and allow the surfacesof the pieces t
to lie flush with one another when
Faces:The wider surfacesof a the joint is assembled. I
pieceof wood.
Featherboard:A board with thin
Miter cut A cut made obliquely
acrossthe faceof a workpiece;see
I
"feathers"
fingersor along one end; bevelcut.
clampedto the fenceor table of a t
power tool, it holds the workpiece Miter joint A joint in which the
in position. mating surfacesmeet at an angle t
other than 90".
Fencs An adjustableguide designed I
to maintain the distancebetween Mortise A rectangular,round or
one edgeor faceof a workpieceand oval hole. I
the cutting edgeof a tool.
Finger joint Similar to a box joint
Mortise-and-tenon joint: A join- t
ery techniquein which the project-
but with narrower meshingfingers,
typically lessthan/' inch wide.
ing tenon of one board fits snugly
into the mortise of another.
I
I
I
t
I
I
r40 I
I
I
I GLOSSARY

t
I O-P-Q
Pins: The taperedprotrusions cut
I into the end of one board so that
they lock betweenthe tails of the
t mating piece.
Rail: The board joining legsof a
table to which the tabletop is at-
tached;also,the horizontal member
of a frame-and-panelassembly.
Rip cut A cut that follows the grain
Tenon: The blade-likeprotrusion
cut to fit into a mortise.
Tension: Stressthat pulls a joint
apart at the glue line.

t Plain-sawn lumber: Lumber that

hasbeen sawn so that the wide sur-
facesare tangentialto the growth
I rings. Also known as flat-sawn lum-
ber when referring to softwood; see
I quartersawnlumber.
I Pocket hols An angledclearance
hole that allows a screwhead to be
I recessed below the surface;often
usedwhen joining rails to a tabletop.
I Push block or sticlc A deviceused
t to feed a workpiece into the blade,
cutterhead,or bit ofa tool to pro-
of a workpiece.
Shear:Stressthat causestwo halves
of a joint to slide againsteachother.
Shoulder: In a mortise-and-tenon
joint, the part of the tenon perpen-
dicular to the cheek.In a dovetail
joint, the gapsbetweenpins and tails.
Spline: A thin pieceof wood that fits
in groovescut in mating workpieces,
reinforcing the joint.
Starvedjoint A joint lacking suffi-
Through bolt: A threadedrod used
to reinforce face-gluedboards;usu-
ally usedin making a workbench
top or butcher block.
Through joint A joint in which the
end of one piecepassesall the way
through its mate, asin a through
mortise-and-tenonjoint.
Tongue-and-groovejoint A joint
in which a tongue cut in the edgeor
end ofone piecefits into a groove
in the mating piece.

tect the operator'sfingers. cient adhesive;often causedwhen

I glue is squeezedout by overtight-
Quartersawn lumber: Lumber that enedclamps.
I hasbeen sawn so the wide surfaces
intersectthe growth rings at angles T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z
I between45oand 90o.Also known Thils: In a dovetailjoint, the flaring
asvertical-grained lumber when protrusions cut into the end of one
I referring to softwood; seeplain-
sawnlumber.
board that meshwith pins in the
mating piece.
I R-S TimgentiaLA viewing plane in
Rabbefi A step-likecut made in the wood cut along the grain tangent
I edgeor end of a board; usually to the growth rings; plain-sawn
forms part of a joint. lumber is sawntangentially.
I
Racking: The twisting of members Tearout The raggededgespro-
I of a joint in relation to eachother; duced when a blade or cutter tears
common rn trame romts. the wood fibers,rather than cut-
I ting them cleanly.
Radial section:A viewing plane
I acrossthe grain perpendicularto
the growth rings.
Template A pattern usedwith a pow-
er tool to produce multiple copies.
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I t4r

I
 I
INDEX I
t
Pagereferencesin lrallcsindicate D-E F-G-H-r-J-K I
an illustration of subiectmatter. Dado joints, 13,57, 58,62-63 Facegluing, 25
Pagereferencesin bdld indicate
a Build It Yourself project.
Blind dadojoints, 62, 81,82
Dado-and-rabbet joints, 62
Reinforcement,27
SeealsoButt joints; Gluing up
I
Double dado joints, 6j, 84 Fingerjoints, ll3, 114,134-135
A-B-C Drawers,52 SeealsoBox ioints I
Adhesives.18-19 Endsofboards,85 Gluing up,18-i9
SeealsoGluing up
Angle cuts,/ro nt endpaper
Lock miter joints, 63
Repeat,80
Face gluing,2j
Wood qpes, backendpaper
I
Band saws: jigs for equally spaceddadoes Hollow chiselmortisers,87
Dovetailjoints, 125 (ShopTip), 80 Japanese tools, 136,138 I
Mortise-and-tenonjoints, I I I Shelves.52 Jigs,8, 9
Bevelcuts:
Edgemiter joints, 4Q 41,42, 51-55
Sliding dovetailjoints, 63, 83 Drill presses I
stopped,13 center-drilling jigs, 30
Biscuitjoints. SeePlatejoints Sliding half-dovetailjoints, 63 dowelingjigs (ShopTip), 29
Box joints, 1 13,1 14,132-133 stopped,63 pockethole jigs, 36-37 I
Half-blind box joints, 114 Stoppeddado joints, 62 Pocketholejigs, 2l
SeealsoFingerjoints
Build It Yourself:
Through dado joints, 62, 80
joints, 62
Routers,1l t
Tongue-and-dado adjustabledado jigs, 82
Butt ioints
center-drillingjigs, 30
Wood types,17
Doors, glazed:
box joint jigs, 1-16
cornerhalf-lapjoint jigs, 65
I
Dado joints Glazingbar halfJap joints, 59,70-72 dovetailjigs, 116-117
adjustabledado jigs, 82
table-sawend-dadoingjigs,85
Dovetailjoint s, 112, ll3, 114 dovetailsquares,119 I
Blind dovetail joints, Ll4 lapjoints,65
Dovetail ioints
dovetailsquares,l19
Cutting severaitail boards at once
(ShopTip), 123
mortise-and-tenonjigs, 88,90, 100
round-tenon jigs for the router
t
Lap joints Half-blind dovetailjoints table (ShopTip), Iil
corner half-lap joint jigs, 65 hand-cut,114,130-131 Table saws I
Miter joints lapanese,137 end-dadoingjigs, 85
miter boxes,44
miter-clampingblocks,50
Jigs,116-117, ll9
Marking tails on wide boards
fence-straddlingjigs, 49
jigs for equally spaceddadoes
t
miter jigs for the table saw,46 (ShopTip), I2I (ShopTip), 80
Mortise-and-tenonioints Pin design,l-15 miter jigs for the table saw,46 I
mortisingjigs forihe router, 100 Through dovetailjoints, I 14, tenoningjigs,64,93
tenoningjigs,93
Pockethole jigs, 37
124-125 Iornery, 12, 16 T
curved, 114,12G127 fapanese,136-139
Butcher blocks,27
Butterfly key j oints,2l, 23, 39
hand-cut,1 18-123
outlined,114,128-129
Jointers:
Butt joints, 24
I
Butt ioints, 21,22, 24-26 Wood types,17, 115 Rabbetingon the jointer (Shop
Britterfly key joints,2l, 23
Clamping,24-26
SeealsoBox joints; Fingerjoints Tip),78 I
Dowel joints, 23, 28-31 Joints:
Reinforced,21, 26
pocketholes,2I, 23, i6-37
Center-drilling jigs, 30
Dowelingjigs (ShopTip),29
|apanese,137-139
Mechanicalstress.15
I
splinejoints, 23, 38 Using a dowel to strengthen Types, 12
through bolts,27
seealsoDowel joints; Platejoints
a doweljoint (ShopTip), 3I selection,l6-17 t
Drawers: SeealsoButt joints; Dado joints;
Scarfjoints,23
Wood types,17
Dado joints, 52
Drill presses:
Dovetail joints; Lap joints; Miter
joints; Mortise-and-tenonjoints;
I
SeealsoMiter joints Center-drilling jigs, 30 Rabbetjoints; Tongue-and-
Chairs: Dowelingjigs (ShopTip),29 groovejoints I
loinery,7 Mortise-and-tenonjoints, I I 0 Kruger,Lyle,8-9
Clamping,18
Butt joints, 24-26
mortising attachments,96
Pocketholejigs, 37
I
Miter joints,43,55 Dunbar, Mike, 6-7
Clamps, backendpaper,43 Edge gluing,24-25 I
Miter-clamping blocks, 50 SeealsoButt joints; Gluing up
SeealsoClamping
Copedjoints,42,47
End grain:
joinery,21,26,41,57
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t L-M-N Twin mortise-and-tenonjoints, 89,
108-109
ST-U-V-W-X-Y-Z
Lapjoints, 17,57, 58-59 Safetyprecautions,front endpaper
Two-shoulderedopen joints
I Full lap joints, 58
Half-lap joints table-sawend-dadoingjigs, 85
Shelves:
Dado joints, 57
angled, 59,68 Wood types,17 ShopTips:
I corner,58,64,65 Butt joints, 29, 3I
cross,59, 66 o-P Dad.ojoints,74, 80
I dovetailed,59,69
glazingbar, 59,70-72
Particleboard:
Joints,17
Dovetailand box joints, 121,123
Mortise-and-tenonjoints, 99, 111
half-blind, 59,67 Picture frames,45 Rabbetjoints, 74, 78
I keyeddovetail, 59 Plain-sawnlumber, J4-15 Splinejoints, 23, 38
mitered, 58 Platejoints, 20, 21, 22, 32-35 Tables:
t T,58
table-sawend-dadoingjigs, 85
Carcaseassembly,
Mitered. 54-55
' 34-35 support rails,21, 36-37
Table saws:
Plywood:
t Wood types, 17
Miter boxes,41,43,44 Edgings,6.l
Boxioints,l32-133
Dad6 joints, 84
Miter joints,40,41,42,46,137,138,139 Joints,17,4l end-dadoingjigs, 85
I Clamping,43,55 Pocketholes,21,23,36-37
Power tools:
Dovetailjoints, 124,127
Edgemiter joints, 40,41, 42, 51-55 Lapjoints,64
t Facemiter joints, 41, 42,45,48-50
fapanese, 137,139
Hollow chiselmortisers,87
lointers, 24
Miter joints, 46,49-50,51,52
miter jigs,46
Reinforced,4l SeealsoBand saws;Drill presses; Mortise-and-tenonjoints, 91-92,93,
I edgemiters with glue blocks, 53 Radialarm saws;Routers; 103-104
edgemiters with splines,52-53 Table saws Rabbetjoints, 74, 76
t feather-splinejoints, 42, 49-50
miter-and-spline joints, 42, 48 Q-R
Tenoningjigs,64,93
Tongue-and-groove joints, 77-7I
mitered plate joints, 42, 54-55 Quartersawnlumber, 14-15 Tongue-and-groove joints, 57, 58, 6-1,
I Wood types,17 Rabbetjoints , 57, 58, 60, 73-74 77-78
SeealsoCopedjoints Double rabbetjoints, 60 glue joints, 61, 79
Dovetail rabbetjoints, 60
I Moldings:
Coped joints,42,47 Minimizing tearout (ShopTip), 74
wood t1pes,l7
Tools:
Mortise-and-tenonjoints, 87, 88-90 Mitered,60,76 ]apanese,136-139
I Angled mortise-and-tenonjoints, Rabbetingon the jointer (Shop Miter boxes,41,43,M
89,103-105 Tip),78 SeealsoClamps;Jigs;Power tools
I Blind mortise-and-tenon ioints, 86,
88.94-96
Shiplapjoints, 60
Stopped,60,75
Warner,Pat, 10-11
Windows:
barefaced.89 Wood types,l7 Glazingbar half-lap joints, 59,70-72
I Haunchedmortise-and-tenonioints, Radial arm saws: Wood:
88,101-102 Dado joints, 80 Anatomy ofa board, /ront endpaper
I angled,88 Fingerjoints,134-135
Miter joints, 44
Appropriatejoints, l7
Hollow chisel mortisers. 82 Basiccuts,/ront endpaper
Routers.11
I Japanese, 137,138
Locking taper joints, 7 Dado joints, 81,82
Gluing properties,backendpaper
Grain, 13-14
Loosemortise-and-tenonioints, 89 Glue joints, 79 end grain,21,26,4I,57
I Open mortise-and-tenonjoints, 89, Lapjoints,66,67,70
Minimizing tearout (Shop Tip), 74
the importance of grain alignment
91-92,93 (ShopTip), 15
Miter joints, 48, 53
I Round mortise-and-tenonjoints, 89,
110-111 Mortise-and-tenonjoints, 97, 100
Particleboard,l7
Shrinkingand swelling,14-15
round-tenon jigs for the router deepthrough mortises,98 SeealsoPlywood
I table(ShopTip), lll Rabbetioints,73,74 Workbenches.22
Through mortise-and-tenonjoints, 88 Round-tenon jigs for the router table
I pegged,89
routing deepmortises,98
(ShopTip), lll
Tongue-and-groovejoints
wedged,89,97-99 sliding dovetailjoints, 83
I Tighteningup loosetenons(Shop
Tip),99
I Tusk tenon joints, 89, 106-107

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ACKNOWTEDGMENTS I
Theeditorswish to thank thefollowing I
JOINERYBASICS
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Steiner-LamelloA.G. Switzerland/ColonialSawCo. Kingston,MA I
BUTTIOINTS
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Inc., Lincoln, NE; Delta InternationalMachineryiPorter
I
Cable,Guelph,Ont.; Hitachi PowerTools U.S.A.Ltd., Norcross,GA; RobertLarsonCompany,Inc., San
Francisco,CA; LeeValleyTools Ltd., Ottawa,Ont.; Shopsmith,Inc., Montreal, Que.;Steiner-LamelloA.G. I
Switzerland/ColonialSawCo. Kingston,MA; VeritasTools Inc., Ottawa,Ont./Ogdensburg,NY; Vermont
AmericanCorp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville,KY; M.E. Wyant Distributing Inc., Nottawa,Ont. t
MITERIOINTS
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; Black& Decker/EluPowerTools,Towson,MD; Delta International I
Machinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.; HempeManufacturingCo., Inc., New Berlin,WI; SandvikSawsand Tools
Co., Scranton,PA; Sears,Roebuckand Co., Chicago,IL; Steiner-LamelloA.G. Switzerland/ColonialSawCo.
Kingston,MA; Vermont AmericanCorp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville,KY
I
LAP, RABBET,GROOVE,AND DADO JOINTS I
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Inc., Lincoln, NE; Black& Decker/EluPowerTools,
Towson,MD; Delta InternationalMachinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.; FreudWestmoreTools,Ltd.,
Ont.; GreatNeck SawMfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros.Division), Millbury, MA; GrisetIndustries,Inc., Santa
Mississauga,
I
Ana, CA; Hempe ManufacturingCo., Inc., New Berlin, WI; SandvikSawsand Tools Co., Scranton,PA; Sears,
Roebuckand Co., Chicago,IL; Shopsmith,Inc., Montreal, Que. I
MORTISE-AND-TENONJOINTS
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Inc., Lincoln, NE; Black& Decker/EluPowerTools,
I
Towson,MD; Delta InternationalMachinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.; FreudWestmoreTools,Ltd.,
Mississauga, Ont.; GeneralTools ManufacturingCo., Inc., New York, NY; GreatNeck SawMfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros. I
Division), Millbury, MA; Frank Klausz,Frank'sCabinetShop,Inc., Pluckemin,NJ; RobertLarsonCompany,Inc.,
SanFrancisco,CA; LeichtungWorkshops,Cleveland,OH; LeighIndustriesLtd., Port Coquitlam,B.C.;Sandvik
Sawsand Tools Co., Scranton,PA
I
DOVETAILAND BOXJOINTS I
AdjustableClamp Co., Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Inc., Lincoln, NE; Black& Decker/EluPowerTools,
Towson,MD; Delta InternationalMachinery/PorterCable,Guelph,Ont.; FreudWestmoreTools, Ltd.,
Ont.; GreatNeck SawMfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros.Division), Millbury MA; RobertLarsonCompany,Inc.,
Mississauga, r
SanFrancisco,CA; LeichtungWorlahops, Cleveland,OH; LeighIndustriesLtd., Port Coquitlam,B.C.;Sandvik
Sawsand Tools Co., Scranton,PA; Sears,Roebuckand Co., Chicago,IL I
JAPANESEJOINERY
GarrettWade Company,Inc., New York, NY; Henry Lanz,New York, NY; Toshio Odate,Woodbury, CT I
Thefollowingpersonsalsoassisted
in thepreparationof this book: t
LorraineDor6, GraphorConsultation,GeneviiveMonette
I
PICTURECREDITS I
Cover RobertChartier
5,7 Bill Truslow
I
8,9 Doug McKay
10,1l ChrisWimpey I
43 CourtesyStanleyTools,Division of the StanleyWorks
87 CourtesyDelta InternationalMachinery/PorterCable I
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r WORKSHO
GPUIDE
I
t GLUING
PROPERTIES
OFVARI()US
W()(]DS

I G o o db o n d Satisfactory
bond Poorbond
o A f r o r m o s io a A l d e ro A v o d i 1. 6B a s s w o o .d B u t t e r n u t . A s h ,w h i t e. B e e c h A , merican o L i g n u mv i t a e
o C e d a rw , e s t e r nr e d . C h e s t n u A
t,merican o B l r c h y, e l l o wr B u b i n g a
I . D o u g l a s -.f iEr l m ,w h i t er H a c k b e r r.yl r o k o . l V l a h o g a n y o C e d a rA, l a s k a
. C h e r r y. H i c k o r y
r Oq:op nranop

. Persimmon
r P r n e ,p o n d e r o saan d w h i t e. P o p l a ry, e l l o w r Madrone . M a p l eh, a r d . Rosewood
I . P u r p l e h e aor tR e d w o ordS a p e l e. S p a n i s hc e d a r e O a k ,r e da n dw h i t e. P e c a n rTeak
o S p r u c es,i t k a. S y c a m o r.eW a l n u t b , l a c k. W i l l o w . P i n e s, o u t h e r n
I
I
t (]FCLAMPS
INVENTORY
Trigger alamp
I Handscrew Available tn varytn4
epane ranqin1 from 6 fo
Aleo knownae ocrew
clamp: comee rn 36 tnchea wtth a 3 /,-
I varioue eizee with inch reach: deeiqned Lo "(ae
'',/,A

jawe l,hat can open be operated wi,h one

Pipe
I up to 17 inchee wrde hand. Featurea padded
jawa La protect eLock clamp
P
wiLha 12-inch Jawa aLl;ach Lo /,-, /-,
I reach. ldeal for
clampinq anqlerl work
or ,1,-inch'diamel;er
eteel ptpe: pipe len4Lh
t Quick-action bar clamp
can be cusLomized for
a parLicular epan
Alao knownas ahort bar clamp or
I cabineLmaker'e clamp; feal;uree one
fixed jaw and one eltdin4jaw with an
I adjueLable ecrew. )izee ran4e from
4- to 36'tnch clamptnq capaciLy
l-ep t hroot [6r -t 1en1
ea ctemptn4 reacn
wtth a maxrmum5-inch reach
I Three-way clamp
A C clamp wtLha
Picture thtrd acrew 'eL at
I Toggle clamp frame clamp a 90" anqle to Lhe
Q u t c k - a c L t n 4c l a m p Four'corner oLher two: for eecurinq bandin4
I LhaL ie ecrewed Lo a clampueedto
aeeembleprcture
or eolid wood ed4tnq to narrow
work eurface or ji7 Lo edqee. Availablewith a clamprn4
framee and ot.herrec-
I hold etock in place
r anlttlar ,,.orl: 2- t o 48-
capacity and reach of 2 / inchee

inch 6l2spi1n eapacil t

I Pinch doq
Aleo known ae jornL clamp or
t jotner'e doq: the Lwo fapered
Eand clamp
A 2-inch-wtde. Ear clamp
pointe are driven tnto the end pre'eLreLched
t Erain of two adjotnin7 boarde. canvae band
?teel or alumtnum
clampe up Lo I feeL
pullin4 fhei r conLacti nq applteoeven in len4t,h:mo6L common
I euffacea to4el;her.
Avatlablein
Pre9aure eizee are 24, 36, and 4B
aroundlar1e inchea. Typically feaLuree
etzee of 1 to rounclantl trreqularly
I 3 / tnchee ehaped work; avatlablewiLh
a reach of 1/ inchea

banclefrom 10 to 30 feet lon4

I Fack-to- 'N
back clamp Cornerclamp
Webclamp
I Aleo known Clampemiter and butt
jotnLeup t.o3 incheewtde
Aleo knownae eLrap
ao double-eided clamp:ueed to apply
eo Lhat ad.loin-
t clamp: one etde te
clamped Lo Lhe work eur-
tnq Ptece' are aT
preeeurein more l,han
one tlirecLion,euch ae when
face while the oLher eecurea 90" to each oLher
clampin4 runqe rn four chair
I Lhe sLock. Clampin7 capac- leqe at once. Typtcally featuree
iLy up Lo 50 rnchee a 1-inch'wtde,15-fool;-lonqnylon band
I
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