No the walnut is what is getting cut, the birch block is attached to the miter gauge. The block and gauge has been very accurately setup and clamped into position.
Dave
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The SmartMiter sled looks good for small stock but I'm not sure I see how it would be used to do a 45 miter on the long side of a panel 8" X
5" X 1/4"I can vouch for the belt/disc method and offer these to demonstrate the point: (Some are box jointed and some are mitered.)
Another thing I did was to beuild a box corner jig. This is a 2' X 2' sheet of 1/2" ply with at least one perfect 90 deg. corner. Then I affixed a 2' X 4" strip of 1/2" ply along each axis of the 90 deg corner. What I ended up with was a perfect 3-axis corner which is both square and plumb. Now when I do glue-ups I can clamp box sides against the sides of the jig and it will work on mitered, box joints or dovetails.
One other thought I had: given the strength of modern glues and the relative lack of stress on jewelry/trinket box joints, I'm wondering if the splines are really accomplishing anything?
FoggyTown
OH!!! Thanks Dave, I see it now. Sorry about that, I thought... Well you know, I shouldn't think!
Got at router table?
A "45 degree locking miter" bit on a router table is a viable option for accurate "long miters" for box corners ... and you don't have to cut/deal with splines.
Now, THAT looks like a good idea. I hadn't even thought of that cut -- simple, easy, and the spline and spline cut are included at no extra charge -- what a deal!! Provided, ... ????
Do you cut them this way? How do the joints come out? Absolutely precise, as in DEAD NUTS on or leaving a bit to be desired?
For those interested, take a look at:
Thanks Kac, Tex
Yes, it is difficult to precisely get 45 degrees. When you put all the pieces together, any errors add up and are more noticeable.
A different approach is to set up for 45 degrees as accurately as possible but cut the two bevels that join up as complimentary angles.
If you are tilting the table saw blade to get a bevel at 45, run the second piece through vertically using a tenoning jig such as
For miters, I use a specialized sliding table that has two guides at 45 to the blade but very accurately set to 90 degrees between them.
The other way to do it (and the one I like the best, myself) is to use a band clamp or two. I never got around to getting one specifically that purpose, so mine are just standard trailer tie-downs with a ratchet. I get it sort of snug, tweak the miters to get all the faces on the same plane, then tighten it up. The band gets tightest on the corners, and pulls them into alignment really quickly and easily. There is an added bonus if you're in a hurry- the clamp holds the thing well enough to allow you to start tuning it up right away. Most of my millwork is custom, and sometimes they don't always match precisely if I use parts from a couple different runs, so being able to start shaping the corners to make them look good while the glue sets is really nice.
They make them just for this job as well- the main difference is that the ones intended for clamping have little plastic corners on them (I guess to protect the strap from the sharp corner)
I've seen the technique you posted above, but I don't like the idea of gluing a block to a surface that is going to be finished later- especially since I've taken to presanding everything prior to glue-up.
In a word- yes. At least in my shop. I use miters more for picture frames than boxes, but in both cases, I've managed to crack the corners apart with a bump and needed to re-glue. With the splines in there, they're tough as nails.
Might depend on the species of wood, and how porous the endgrain is, but I've found that when they do crack open, most of the glue is gone (presumably soaked into the endgrain)
I've found the same thing - endgrain just soaks up the glue and it doesn't bond the pieces together like I'd prefer. Bonds/joints just crack apart much more easily than those with non-end grain. Even though a spline and its glue contacts end grain, it seems to bind the two pieces better more securely, perhaps because of more surface area. I even use a pin nailer on one side of the splines -- just hoping for a bit of insurance -- I don't want joints coming apart.
O.K. - so I wear suspenders AND a belt - call me paranoid. Even paranoids have joints that come apart sometimes.
Tex
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