Datasheet

:
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just-right
ioinery
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sPlines
A
slight tilt
of
a saw
blade
gives your
corner splines
a whole new look.
t doesn't take much
work to
put
a
new
spin on traditional
splined miter
joints.
Just
install
the
splines at an
angle, as we did above
on
a
maple-and-walnut
letter
#8 x 2" F.H.
wood
screws
tray, and
you get
eye-catching results.
First, make
a simple spline-cutting
jig
for
your
tablesaw, as shown
at
right.
Then, mark
three evenly spaced
spline locations on a
piece
of scrap the
same width
as the tray side.
Install
a blade
in
your
tablesaw that
pro-
duces the flattest
possible
kerf bottom.
(We
used an
outside blade from our dado
set.) Tilt the blade to 15o,
and raise it so
that it
extends about halfway
into the
mitered
corner. Set
your
jig
against the
tablesaw rip
fence,
place your
marked
scrap in
the
jig,
and adjust
the
fence
to cut
a test
slot.
Now
make the other
slots,
read-
justing
the
fence
between
cuts.
When
you're
satisfied with
the design,
place
clear
packing
tape around
the work-
piece
corners
to
reduce
chip-out.
Hold the
workpiece
firmly in the
jig,
and cut as
shown in Photo A.
Cut the top slot in
each
corner,
adjust the fence,
cut all four mid-
dle slots,
adjust again, and do the
bottom
slots. Remove
the tape.
Rip
spline stock from
the edge of a
board
of contrasting stock,
as shown in
Photo B.
Match its thickness
to the kerf-
usually /a". Then, cut individual
splines
from the strips, making
them
slightly
longer
than the slots.
Spread
yellow
glue
on the splines, slip them into place,
and let
the
glue
dry. Trim them
off at the surface
with
a
flush-cutting
saw, or
use a dovetail
saw followed
by a chisel.
Sand
flush.
s/sz"
shank
hole,
countersunk
on back face
SPLINE.CUTTING JIG
45"
bevels
By varying
the number and
placement
of
the
splines,
you
can come up with other
designs.
You
might try different
saw blade
angles,
too.
ll
Photographs: Hetherington
Photography
lllustration: Roxanne
LeMoine
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T
9"
Double-check
the orientation
of
your
workpiece
before cutting. Here we're
holding
the bottom of the tray to
the
left,
so the slots will
point
downward.
lf
one
pass
won't
produce
enough
spline
stock, clamp
a stop to the table before
rip-
ping.
Slide the fence between cuts to set
the board against the
stop.
20
WOOD magazine November 2002