I'm cutting 1" deep half-lap joints into 3 x 2 (in the 3" side) to inset a piece of 6 x 1. I'm doing it as I have always done by sawing kerfs down to the required depth, then chiseling and filing (with a rasp) until the inset piece fits snugly and flush against the surface of the 3 x 2. It takes quite a time of trial and error (20 minutes per joint).
Is there a better way? E.g. isn't this kind of thing what routers can do?
MM
How many joints are you doing? And what power tools do you have?
Best way to do the long saw cut on the lap-joint (or tenons) is a bandsaw.
As it's a bit deep for some jigsaws (although a good quality one will take it, without wandering) - another way is to put lots of kerf cuts across the face of the material to be removed with a handheld circular saw/skil-saw set to the appropriate depth - 1" in your case (and make up a jig to position the CS for the "last" cut that is the shoulder of the tenon/lap-joint).
Then just chisel away the material down to the depth of the kerfs. Very quick - the waste virtually crumbles away - and easy to get a level depth.
Alternatively make up a jig for a router - although this will need a pretty hefty router to take off an inch depth over a 6" by 2" area, time after time.
It's a lot of material for a router to remove - and you really want to remove it as solid chunks rather than dust.
Cutting kerfs with a circular saw[1] - and chiselling out to the bottom of the kerfs is the best bet - and you'll end up with a nice flat bottom (oo er!)
[1] or better still, a table saw with its guard removed - but watch your fingers!
Doesn't need to be a particularly hefty router - you just cut more slowly with a smaller one.
I would hand saw down to 7/8", chisel out the bulk waste to 3/4", then use the router to take a channel down to 1", and chisel out a bit more, and finish off with the router overall.
Also, why do you need a jig? Can't you just use the rest of the 3x2 to rest the router on?
Thanks one and all. I don't have a circular saw or a router. And in answer to dom I only have a few to do, so I'll just keep ploughing ahead! I did fish out my trusty honing guide (about 30 years old) to give a new edge to the chisel, which made a considerable difference.
As you have said, I do end up with a nice flat bottom, but it takes a little while to get there!
My only tool investment has been a new tenon saw to replace the old one that I have had for 15 years. The new saw does indeed make a world of difference. (Only £4.57 from Wilkinson - probably not the saw that purists would buy, but I only need it occasionally.)
MM
You can do them quickly with a sliding chop saw and a depth stop, or else a table saw and a crosscut box. Don't just cut kerfs, saw the intermediaries out too.
With a router it's usually quicker to cut the timber over-long and cut the joints as housings, not end-laps, then afterwards to trim to length. This supports the router from both sides while you're doing it. A router base with only a small hole in it, and a clamped-on square guide on the timber, makes it pretty quick.
The jig means you can cut the shoulder-line on the lap (or tenon), absolutely consistently - with no faffing marking out each time - you just clamp on the jig, and run the router around.
It would be a very simple jig, two short ends of 3 * 2 each side of the one being cut, and a cross piece screwed down in the right position, to limit the base of the router moving past the shoulder line - and a bit of board underneath to hold the lot in place - and a stop for the piece being cut, when you slide it in.
Of course - I don't know if the OP is making 10 or 10,000 - and that's what justifies the effort into buying tools and making jigs.
They can... a jig can help. A jig in this case could be as simple as a square cut out a bit of ply. That works when the wood you are inserting into the rebate is of consistent width.
For stuff with varying size, I would normally lay it square across the timber to rebate, and slide a couple of bits of spare timber up to each side and clamp them. Then use a router cuter with a top bearing to cut the rebate.
Other quick options vary with what you have... A sliding compound mitre saw with depth stop can cut the shoulders to depth accurately, then just make a few extra passes to hack away much of the waste. That leaves a "comb" or wood that is easy to knock out.
A table saw with a dado blade and cross cut sled is another quick and easy solution.
Quick & dirty method is to laminate.
Take some 2 x 2 & some 2 x 1, glue & screw together leaving gaps for the
6 x 1.As long as its decently prepared timber you will get a flush joint.
I'm making four...
Don't laugh! This time it's only four, but I've been making lap joints for years, so I reckon I must have made a hundred already. So I thought, why not ask if there's an easier way.
Actually, I found a slightly easier way that cuts down on the amount of rasping after the chiseling out. The mistake I was making was to be TOO careful at the cut line at the bottom of the U channel. This is all a bit difficult to explain without pictures, but imagine the square "U"-channel in the wide side of the 3 x 2 to take the 6 x 1. I mark out the vertical saw lines, i.e. the left and right sides of the U, and I lightly chisel along the cut line, i.e. the bottom of the U.
Now, before, I was chiseling out bit by bit, getting closer and closer to the cut line until there was practically no more wood left to remove. I've since found out that it's much better to remove, say, half the wood, say about 1/2", then simply whack the chisel along the cut line and the remaining piece comes off very cleanly. Do the same to the other side, and then the other three pieces*and I really needed to use the rasp very little indeed and the 6 x 1 fitted just right. I could just use the chisel flat, like a plane blade, to get a nice, even surface right across the U channel and to remove stray whiskers (of wood!)
*By the way, when I say "the other three pieces", what I mean is, when I've cut the left and right saw kerfs of the U, I also saw three more kerfs so that I'm not removing the entire 6 x 1 chunk in one go, but four narrower chunks.This afternoon has been much more satisfying!
MM
Scroll down to the diagrams:
You're making a cross lap.
How do you manage without a circular saw? It runs a close second to the angle grinder IME!
Cut the two shoulders just inside the line, run a few more saw cuts between the shoulders (all to the correct depth) then use the widest, sharp chisel that you have (one that will obviously fit the 'hole' you're making) with the bevel side down and just above the depth line [1] (better if that line is marked using a gauge rather than pencil) and give the chisel a smart rap with hammer or mallet. This should knock off about half the waste in one go.
Do the same on the other side, and then tip the wood edge ways on the bench (so that you are looking down the cut) and simply reverse the chisel so that the flat is down and pare the rest of the waste out to the correct depth - it really sounds more complicated here than it is to do.
Tip 1, if you're using a tenon saw, try changing that for a cross-cut or panel saw - it will be easier and quicker.
Tip 2, make sure that your chisels are always sharp - using the correct grinding and honing bevels.
Tip 3, omit the rasp, and use a proper paring chisel to finish off - needs a little practice, but once you've mastered that, you'll never look back.
[1] This will have the effect of 'lifting' chunks of the waste up off the bed without going below the finished depth line (works 95% of the time).Cash
See my comment (a) below.
That's pretty much how I learned to do it yesterday afternoon - except I didn't use the chisel bevel side down (see above). Also, I don't use a gauge (never could get on with the ruddy thing), but I chisel along the pencil line slightly before starting to make the saw kerfs.
Yes, paring off of the wood to finish up has a very satisfying feel about it! But the chisel has to be sharp, else it just digs in rather than cutting off shavings.
I must say, I don't do enough DIY (simple furniture making) as it is a very satisfying pastime and one can save a fortune, despite the price of raw materials nowadays. Also, before making this single bed frame I went around a few shops (including Focus!) and the internet to compare prices and the bed I liked (a Santos from Birlea) was £109 locally and about £30 cheaper (plus a hefty carriage charge) off the web. So far I have spent around £32 on timber and corner bolts, and I had the bed slats already. As I'm retired I have all the time in the world to make something like this and it is rewarding in other ways, too. My blood pressure has gone down a bit! That is, the extra exercise one gets by shifting lengths of timber about, sawing, planing, drilling, hammering etc is good for the body as well as the soul (and the wallet). Then there is the benefit to the 65-year-old muscles, which normally don't get used much when I just go for my walks or cycle rides. I'm as stiff as a board in the morning, but a nice, hot bath soon loosens everything up. Right now, I'm really looking forward to today when I can assemble the bed, rub down the outer surface and apply clear water-based lacquer (like the stuff Ikea used to sell in the large white plastic pots).
Thing is, I don't have anything else I need to construct right now!
MM
I've always been afraid of the things. I have a Siemens jigsaw, two power drills, two jack planes (ancient Stanley metal ones), a Record rabbeting plane, a Makita power plane, a couple of Bosch sanders, loads of G cramps, chisels, various other hand saws, and a load more "stuff". But just the thought of using a circular saw fills me with dread. The tool that comes closest is the Makita. I bought it about 30 years ago and lent it to my brother for a job, who chipped the blades, so I got replacement blades. But using it always gets me to prepare EVERYthing first, so that I only have to use it for a minimum amount of time. I recall once I didn't take enough care while planing off the bottom of a door and the plane dropped at the end of the cut slightly and took a large chunk out of the door! I'm very, very wary of it, because I know how easy it could take a chunk out of me! It has so much power it literally jumps in my hand (torque from staionary) when I switch it on.
With all that said, I REALLY fancy the idea of getting a small bandsaw!
MM
Router with a 3/4" end bit.
Or a wobble blade in a saw bench
Recently picked myself up a £650 bandsaw for £101 on ebay ......... not used it much yet, but just got to have the toys.
Now there sa thing I never tried.. Does it give square cuts at the end,,,?
I have done loads of trenching with a handheld circular.. in a sliding frame,,
This device would also work for trenching,,
golly how do you manage without a circular..
I tried a small dewalt bandsaw,, bur the cuts drifted all over,, and i chucked it out of the shed one day...
Lousy things if you don't have a good one...
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I don't get as much use out of mine as I would like - probably because I have not spent the time tuning it well enough to cut perfectly parallel to the fence yet.
Yes, that IS a consideration. I watched a YouTube video on setting up a new bandsaw and it did seem like a lot of work compared to, say, a power drill or electric plane.
Currently I have the Record Power BS250 Benchtop Bandsaw on my Amazon wish list.
My main requirement would NOT be speed (compared to manual sawing), but to obtain totally square cuts reliably. I always have to use a shooting board to get a dead square finish.
MM
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