Cutting a spline in a long piece of wood

[garybushey]

I am building a patio table and ran into the issue where the 45degree joints at each end of the table just do not seem to have much strength. I was thinking of cutting a spline for the corners but two of the boards are about 87" long and would be hard to hold on a table saw to cut the spline. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to cut the spline or any alternatives to strengthen the corners?

 

[Howard Acheson]

Tell me more about the design of the table top. Is the field made from solid wood or is it plywood? Can you post a picture of the top and the miter joints?

There are a number of ways to reinforce miter joints. Splines for the length of a board is not usually one of the ways.

 

[garybushey]

The pieces are solid cedar, 1.5" thick cut at a 45degree angle to butt against one another.

 

[FredP]

got bis-kits?:gar-Bi

 

[Gofor]

You can use a router with the slot cutter from a rail and stile bit set. Clamp a fence to the board at a 45. Best to also clamp a sacrificial piece to the exit side of the cut to prevent tear-out. Make sure you reference the same face on the boards when setting up the router cut.

Go

 

[Jeff]

You might consider 2 pocket holes placed opposite one another on the underside of the table top. See here for the how-to for a miter joint.

http://www.woodsmith.com/files/issues/178/pocket-hole-joinery.pdf

Looks like a 2 5/8" coarse thread screw is recommended for 1 1/2" soft wood stock. Don't over torque them in cedar.

http://www.mcfeelys.com/tech/pocket-hole.htm

Just a thought +/- $0.02. :icon_scra

 

[garybushey]

I thought about that but the screws kept pulling through the wood. I will double check to make sure I am using the correct type of thread. Thanks

 

[ehpoole]

Two thoughts that come to mind:

1) If at first you don't succeed, try a bigger [insert tool/accessory here]. If regular pocket hole screws don't have sufficient bite, redrill the hole for an equal length, but heavier screw. In otherwords, if a #7-8 screw does not cut it, try a #12-14 wood screw. A #14 wood screw has tremendous bite in most materials when installed in a properly sized hole

2) Assuming this is a relatively wide (in cross section) miter joint, have you considered boring one or two holes clear through the joint and gluing in some long dowels. You can then cut the dowels flush to each face with a flush cut saw or sharp chisel. You can purchase ready-made dowels in 12-36" lengths at most BORGs and Hobby shops, just be sure to measure these dowels before drilling holes because they are often slightly oversize and will require a similarly sized hole. If you need/wish to reduce the diameter a bit you can chuck them in your drill and either resize them with sandpaper OR you can drill a hole of the target diameter in a piece of heavy sheet metal (mending plates work well for this) and then manually taper the end of the dowel, they use the drill to 'thread' the dowel trough the hole repeatedly. The end result should be of consistent diameter but it need not be pretty since rough dowel sides will help to distribute glue through the hole.

3) You could create a jig and either use a [STRIKE]crosscut[/STRIKE] (memory lapse) rip saw (or whatever you have) or circular saw to cut your spline slots in an oversized piece. Routers work as well but they are usually more depth limited.

 

[Joe Scharle]

I thought about that but the screws kept pulling through the wood. I will double check to make sure I am using the correct type of thread. Thanks

I'm working with some cypress right now and it's as soft as cedar. With the pocket screws; as soon as the screw starts to uptake, release the trigger on the driver and screw the rest of the way by hand. If you turn slow enough, the screw will tighten hard. I'm using 1 1/2" coarse.

 

[merrill77]

You can use a router with the slot cutter from a rail and stile bit set. Clamp a fence to the board at a 45. Best to also clamp a sacrificial piece to the exit side of the cut to prevent tear-out. Make sure you reference the same face on the boards when setting up the router cut.

I'm with Gofor. Slot cutting bit in a router (table or handheld). I'll just add that you don't have to buy a rail & stile set to get one - they are sold separately (much cheaper this way, too)

 

[Tarhead]

This is a perfect excuse to buy a Domino. :gar-Bi
http://www.festoolusa.com/products/...ino-df-500-joining-system-gallery-574332.html