Howdy,
I was pondering the other day about various pieces of "mission style"
furniture
I'd like to build someday and thoughts of lots 'o M&T joinery came to
mind...
Of interest is where this style of stuff uses lots of rungs (for lack of
the proper word)
that are trapped between two rails. Think of a crib or jail cell 8^)
Consider a part that has standard 3/4 inch thick by, say, 2 inch rails
of some length
that need to have a dozen or so mortises cut for 3/8 inch square
tennons. This could be the
side of an end table or a cabinet door. Has anyone here
done this by taking a rail piece, planing it to 3/8" + 3/16", and
cutting the dozen mortises
with a dado blade? After the cuts are made, another rail of 3/16"
thickness is glued to the
dado'd piece to make a 3/4" thick rail with centered 3/8" mortises.
Assume the sides without rungs are hidden or otherwise so the through
hole created will not
show.
If you have done this does the glue line created hide well enough to be
a non issue, assuming
the rail is made from like grained stock (or even resawn 1" stock)?
Is this nuts or a sound method for making a gazillion mortises in a rail
without a drill press
or morticing machine?
Thanks!
-Bruce
-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 80,000 Newsgroups - 16 Different Servers! =-----
Thanks Art!
I guess most everything has been done at a one time or another.
One issue I see with your method is that the insert strip needs to
have an exact fit with the dado groove and you have the potential to
leave two glue lines. This way does solve the problem of mortise depth
over what I was considering though. Another thought is to cut the dados
in the rail like you are making a box joint. Do this on 3/8" stock, then
slap on a solid piece of 3/16" stock (or thicker and then surface plane
down)
onto each face of the now-notched rail. This would allow for blind
mortise
holes and avoid having to selectively fit spacers, at the cost of extra
dado
cutting and possibly greater wood waste.
Me thinks I have to get out and try variations on all this....
-Bruce
Wood Butcher wrote:
>
> No, you're not nuts. A couple of months ago I posted the message
> below. It describes a method very similar to what you are proposing.
>
> Search the archives for "Mortising press vs. Drill press with mortising
> bits?"
> if you want to see the *hole* thread.
>
> Art
>
> ******************************************
>
> > There is another technique no one has mentioned yet. The purists
> > will recoil in horror, but for a series of repetitive mortises, like on a
> > bed, it's fast, simple, and only uses a tablesaw.
> >
> > Cut a dado in the edge of the board where you want the mortises.
> > This should be as wide as the slats are thick, and about 1" deep(not
> > critical). Cut an insert strip to fit the width of the dado and a little
> > taller
> > than the dado is deep, so it will stick above the dado when in place.
> > Cut notches in the insert strip to match the desired spacing and width
> > of the slats. 1/2" deep notches worked well for me. Glue the insert
> > strip into the dado and sand or plane flush when dry.
> >
> > Getting the grain to match will be easier if you rip the insert strip from
> > the same edge of the board you cut the dado into.
> >
> > Good luck on your project.
> >
> > Art
> >
> *******************************************
>
> "Bruce Rowen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Howdy,
> >
> > I was pondering the other day about various pieces of "mission style"
> > furniture
> > I'd like to build someday and thoughts of lots 'o M&T joinery came to
> > mind...
> >
> > Of interest is where this style of stuff uses lots of rungs (for lack of
> > the proper word)
> > that are trapped between two rails. Think of a crib or jail cell 8^)
> >
> > Consider a part that has standard 3/4 inch thick by, say, 2 inch rails
> > of some length
> > that need to have a dozen or so mortises cut for 3/8 inch square
> > tennons. This could be the
> > side of an end table or a cabinet door. Has anyone here
> > done this by taking a rail piece, planing it to 3/8" + 3/16", and
> > cutting the dozen mortises
> > with a dado blade? After the cuts are made, another rail of 3/16"
> > thickness is glued to the
> > dado'd piece to make a 3/4" thick rail with centered 3/8" mortises.
> >
> > Assume the sides without rungs are hidden or otherwise so the through
> > hole created will not
> > show.
> >
> > If you have done this does the glue line created hide well enough to be
> > a non issue, assuming
> > the rail is made from like grained stock (or even resawn 1" stock)?
> >
> > Is this nuts or a sound method for making a gazillion mortises in a rail
> > without a drill press
> > or morticing machine?
> >
> > Thanks!
> > -Bruce
-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 80,000 Newsgroups - 16 Different Servers! =-----
Wood magazine has published a series of construction articles on this
style of furniture including a coffee table and end tables. This is
exactly the technique they use - a single groove and separate filler
pieces between the slats. I have built my own versions of these but
used true mortises so I cannot comment on the appearance of the groove
method.
John
Bruce Rowen wrote:
> Thanks Art!
>
> I guess most everything has been done at a one time or another.
> One issue I see with your method is that the insert strip needs to
> have an exact fit with the dado groove and you have the potential to
> leave two glue lines. This way does solve the problem of mortise depth
> over what I was considering though. Another thought is to cut the dados
> in the rail like you are making a box joint. Do this on 3/8" stock, then
> slap on a solid piece of 3/16" stock (or thicker and then surface plane
> down)
> onto each face of the now-notched rail. This would allow for blind
> mortise
> holes and avoid having to selectively fit spacers, at the cost of extra
> dado
> cutting and possibly greater wood waste.
>
> Me thinks I have to get out and try variations on all this....
>
> -Bruce
>
> Wood Butcher wrote:
>
>>No, you're not nuts. A couple of months ago I posted the message
>>below. It describes a method very similar to what you are proposing.
>>
>>Search the archives for "Mortising press vs. Drill press with mortising
>>bits?"
>>if you want to see the *hole* thread.
>>
>>Art
>>
>>******************************************
>>
>>
>>>There is another technique no one has mentioned yet. The purists
>>>will recoil in horror, but for a series of repetitive mortises, like on a
>>>bed, it's fast, simple, and only uses a tablesaw.
>>>
>>>Cut a dado in the edge of the board where you want the mortises.
>>>This should be as wide as the slats are thick, and about 1" deep(not
>>>critical). Cut an insert strip to fit the width of the dado and a little
>>>taller
>>>than the dado is deep, so it will stick above the dado when in place.
>>>Cut notches in the insert strip to match the desired spacing and width
>>>of the slats. 1/2" deep notches worked well for me. Glue the insert
>>>strip into the dado and sand or plane flush when dry.
>>>
>>>Getting the grain to match will be easier if you rip the insert strip from
>>>the same edge of the board you cut the dado into.
>>>
>>>Good luck on your project.
>>>
>>>Art
>>>
>>
>>*******************************************
>>
>>"Bruce Rowen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected]...
>>
>>>Howdy,
>>>
>>>I was pondering the other day about various pieces of "mission style"
>>>furniture
>>>I'd like to build someday and thoughts of lots 'o M&T joinery came to
>>>mind...
>>>
>>>Of interest is where this style of stuff uses lots of rungs (for lack of
>>>the proper word)
>>>that are trapped between two rails. Think of a crib or jail cell 8^)
>>>
>>>Consider a part that has standard 3/4 inch thick by, say, 2 inch rails
>>>of some length
>>>that need to have a dozen or so mortises cut for 3/8 inch square
>>>tennons. This could be the
>>>side of an end table or a cabinet door. Has anyone here
>>>done this by taking a rail piece, planing it to 3/8" + 3/16", and
>>>cutting the dozen mortises
>>>with a dado blade? After the cuts are made, another rail of 3/16"
>>>thickness is glued to the
>>>dado'd piece to make a 3/4" thick rail with centered 3/8" mortises.
>>>
>>>Assume the sides without rungs are hidden or otherwise so the through
>>>hole created will not
>>>show.
>>>
>>>If you have done this does the glue line created hide well enough to be
>>>a non issue, assuming
>>>the rail is made from like grained stock (or even resawn 1" stock)?
>>>
>>>Is this nuts or a sound method for making a gazillion mortises in a rail
>>>without a drill press
>>>or morticing machine?
>>>
>>>Thanks!
>>>-Bruce
>>
>
>
> -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
> http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
> -----== Over 80,000 Newsgroups - 16 Different Servers! =-----
Larry,
On a side note, the A&C lamp in your nesting table picture;
did you make the shade and if so what did you use for the
frame parts?
Thanks,
-Bruce
Lawrence L'Hote wrote:
>
> I made a set of nested end tables using the method described above. With
> the dark finish, the spacers in the groove are only noticeable to the very
> close observer. Personally, I don't like this method of making the
> spindle(?) mortise/tenon and haven't used this method since. Following is
> the pix:
> http://home1.gte.net/llhote/projectspage1/nesttablesbig.jpg
>
> Larry
-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 80,000 Newsgroups - 16 Different Servers! =-----
"Bruce Rowen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Larry,
> On a side note, the A&C lamp in your nesting table picture;
> did you make the shade and if so what did you use for the
> frame parts?
Nope, I didn't make the lamp. I got it from The Bright Spot Folks
http://www.thebrightspot.com/default.asp. Shade is brown patinaed copper
with mica. I suppose one could fabricate the shade with some 16 oz(24
guage) copper and several places sell the amber mica for reasonable cost.
Larry
No, you're not nuts. A couple of months ago I posted the message
below. It describes a method very similar to what you are proposing.
Search the archives for "Mortising press vs. Drill press with mortising
bits?"
if you want to see the *hole* thread.
Art
******************************************
> There is another technique no one has mentioned yet. The purists
> will recoil in horror, but for a series of repetitive mortises, like on a
> bed, it's fast, simple, and only uses a tablesaw.
>
> Cut a dado in the edge of the board where you want the mortises.
> This should be as wide as the slats are thick, and about 1" deep(not
> critical). Cut an insert strip to fit the width of the dado and a little
> taller
> than the dado is deep, so it will stick above the dado when in place.
> Cut notches in the insert strip to match the desired spacing and width
> of the slats. 1/2" deep notches worked well for me. Glue the insert
> strip into the dado and sand or plane flush when dry.
>
> Getting the grain to match will be easier if you rip the insert strip from
> the same edge of the board you cut the dado into.
>
> Good luck on your project.
>
> Art
>
*******************************************
"Bruce Rowen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Howdy,
>
> I was pondering the other day about various pieces of "mission style"
> furniture
> I'd like to build someday and thoughts of lots 'o M&T joinery came to
> mind...
>
> Of interest is where this style of stuff uses lots of rungs (for lack of
> the proper word)
> that are trapped between two rails. Think of a crib or jail cell 8^)
>
> Consider a part that has standard 3/4 inch thick by, say, 2 inch rails
> of some length
> that need to have a dozen or so mortises cut for 3/8 inch square
> tennons. This could be the
> side of an end table or a cabinet door. Has anyone here
> done this by taking a rail piece, planing it to 3/8" + 3/16", and
> cutting the dozen mortises
> with a dado blade? After the cuts are made, another rail of 3/16"
> thickness is glued to the
> dado'd piece to make a 3/4" thick rail with centered 3/8" mortises.
>
> Assume the sides without rungs are hidden or otherwise so the through
> hole created will not
> show.
>
> If you have done this does the glue line created hide well enough to be
> a non issue, assuming
> the rail is made from like grained stock (or even resawn 1" stock)?
>
> Is this nuts or a sound method for making a gazillion mortises in a rail
> without a drill press
> or morticing machine?
>
> Thanks!
> -Bruce
"John Siegel" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Wood magazine has published a series of construction articles on this
> style of furniture including a coffee table and end tables. This is
> exactly the technique they use - a single groove and separate filler
> pieces between the slats. I have built my own versions of these but
> used true mortises so I cannot comment on the appearance of the groove
> method.
> John
>
> Bruce Rowen wrote:
> > Thanks Art!
> >
Then there's the futon sofa/bed. It's a Wood or Woodsmith pattern. It uses
a slot, but there's nothing between the slats. After glueup, they recommend
a couple of finish nails in each end of the large slats, and a nail in each
end of the arm slats. It turned out nice, and everyone loves it, but I'll
be damned if I'll go that route again.
Cheers,
Eric
Damn. Hit send instead of edit.
The bed is made from red oak, no stain nor pore filler, 3
coats of Deft gloss.
Art
"Wood Butcher" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:LadWa.20945$cF.8864@rwcrnsc53...
> Bruce - I made my daughters bunk bed this way.
[snip]
"John Siegel" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Wood magazine has published a series of construction articles on this
> style of furniture including a coffee table and end tables. This is
> exactly the technique they use - a single groove and separate filler
> pieces between the slats.
I made a set of nested end tables using the method described above. With
the dark finish, the spacers in the groove are only noticeable to the very
close observer. Personally, I don't like this method of making the
spindle(?) mortise/tenon and haven't used this method since. Following is
the pix:
http://home1.gte.net/llhote/projectspage1/nesttablesbig.jpg
Larry
--
Lawrence L'Hote
Columbia, MO
http://home1.gte.net/llhote/
http://home.mchsi.com/~llhote