63- Gadget Station (Pt. 6)
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Now we’re really getting into the meat of the project. I show how to create a jig for the hinge mortises. I also cover the joinery being used to connect the legs to the case. I finish up by cutting the dados and rabbets in the case sides, and show you just how imperfect our machines can be. The router plane saves the day!
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Links:
Gadget Station (Pt. 1)
Gadget Station (Pt. 2)
Gadget Station (Pt. 3)
Gadget Station (Pt. 4)
Gadget Station (Pt. 5)
Gadget Station (Pt. 6)
Gadget Station (Pt. 7)
Gadget Station (Pt. 8)
Gadget Station (Pt. 9)
Gadget Station (Pt. 10)
Gadget Station (Pt. 11)
Gadget Station (Pt. 12)
Domino Miter Joint vs. Bridle Joint – Question of the Week
This week’s question comes from Craig in Springfield, OH who writes:
“I’m getting ready to start my mahogany Barrister’s Bookcase, and I had a quick question. The plans I’m using call for 32 X 14 inch doors with rails and stiles that are only 1 1/4″ wide, (3/4 stock). Since the rails and stiles are so narrow the plans call for a bridle joint. If advisable, I’d like to instead use a mitered joint reinforced with a 5 x 30 mm Domino in the middle of the joint. It’s very important to me that these Barristers last for generations, will the Domino mitered joint hold up to decades of use as well or better than the bridle joint in this particular application? This is the project that I ordered your finishing video for. I thought your video was among the best instructional video’s I’ve seen! Very well done! I will surely purchase more as you make them!”
And this was my reply:
Thanks for the kind words Craig. Glad you enjoyed the video. We will definitely have more out in the future. Now for the Barrister’s Bookcase. I guess my first question would be “why not a bridle joint?”. A bridle joint gives you a huge amount of long grain to long grain glue surface. In fact, I wouldn’t hesitate to say the joint would be stronger than a reinforced miter. The miter joint itself is not very strong. With reinforcement, it is much better. But that reinforcement simply comes in the form of long grain glue surface (which you would actually maximize with a bridle joint). So yes, I do think a domino-reinforced miter would be very strong and would hold up to generations of use. But if you are comparing the two options, I would guess that the bridle joint would be even stronger. The real question is, do you think you’ll need that extra strength for this application? You’ll have to decide for yourself, but I would say for a small door frame, it probably makes no practical difference.
Gone to the Dogs – Project of the Week
This week’s project comes from Jim. It’s a dog feeding station that is worthy of the most regal beagle.
So here it is, my first attempt at semi-fine wood-working… a dog feeding station. This is my first furniture project and first project using the Domino, which I bought after watching your Domino episode about 8 times. WHAT A MACHINE! (sorry, about the caps but I love it). I used the Domino to reinforce/align the glue joint for the “table” top and it worked like a charm – a perfectly aligned and reinforced glue up. I then used the Domino to join the table skirts to the legs, and for the first time in my short wood-working career, came out with a perfectly square, strong frame. Although the price tag is a little hefty, its the best money I ever spent (except for that course of antibiotics in college, just kidding). At the end of the day the most satisfying part was that I designed the project myself from some similar examples I’d seen in the Orvis catalog. I tend to like mine *a little bit more* especially since they get $49.00 for theirs and its made out of pine. As for materials, I made the whole project out of lacewood – a slight upgrade from the pine I’ve used for everything else. Three coats of tung oil later, I’m ready to pass the project onto my brother and his horse/golden lab.
Interestingly, I gave it to my brother about a month and a half ago after putting 3 coats of tung oil on it. I saw it over Thanksgiving and it just didn’t look right – the slobber/water and food took its toll. The grain was raised and the whole project just looked dull. So, I hijacked it from him, re-sanded it, and just finished putting 3 coats of Minwax Wipe-On Poly on it. It looks a whole lot better and more durable but only time will tell I guess.
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