Having cut the hole in the newel base with a 50mm holesaw, it has ended up about
50.5mm and the newel turning spigot is not quite tight enough. I wish to fit my newel turnings using the method shown here:Its a split newel spigot with a tapered dowel hammered into a hole to get a tight fit. Anyone know where I can get a tapered dowel like that shown in the video ?
Thanks, Simon.
You can do it with 4 normal wedges instead - one in each kerf. You can either follow the approach shown in the video, or if you want an even stronger fixing, then widen the base of your hole in the newel base slightly at the bottom (half round rasp etc), then tap the wedges in to get the circumference match at the top of the hole. However don't cut them off flush - leave another half inch or so protruding out the end. Then glue up and lower the post into place. Tap it down, and this will drive the wedges fully home, expanding the bottom into a taper that matches your tapered mortice, and now can't be pulled free.
Kind of like a round version of the foxed tenon described here:
Small wedges are easy to cut by hand, or you can knock out a quantity quickly if you have any form of fixed saw (table, band etc):
about 50.5mm and the newel turning spigot is not quite tight enough.
tight fit. Anyone know where I can get a tapered dowel like that shown in the video ?
I had to watch half the B***y videoto find out what you meant. "Insert the tapered dowel provided" it says. Doesn't look to me as if dowel is critical, so if you don't want to go John's 4 wedges way you could just make a peg with your draw knife in a leg vice. Shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes.
What? You don't have a bodgers workshop? Well, I reckon you could whittle it with a Stanley knife. If you ever see the pegs used for timber frame buildings they aren't round either.
ANdy
Can't be pulled free *EVER*. I hope that the newel turning is fully down before the expanding section hits the side of the hole ...
This is non-critical, to pack out 0.25 mm I think I'd wrap the spigot in some thin card/thick paper lightly covered in glue along the edge nearest the base of the turning and shove it in.
That's what worries me about the foxed tenon - if its positioning is not quite perfect you are done for ! Slightly safer to not taper the mortise. Even safer, take the approach in the video of cutting off the wedges when the spigot is tight enough to still just be pulled out or twisted, and let the glue do the rest. Then you can dry fit and adjust before gluing.
I get the point about normal wedges rather than a dowel though. You can also get a (plastic ?) cross wedge for this purpose (the magic Google term is "wedge splitter newel").
Simon.
2 part filler.
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