Hidden joinery?
Question:I am going to make a crib for my little sister's first baby. I am currently in the planning stages. I am looking for joinery that does not show nails, for the sides, but is strong enough to last. I was thinking mortise and tennon (that doesn't go all the way through). I am not a beginner but I am not advanced either. Will this joint be strong enough? How difficult is it using a stacked dado and router (no table)?
Answers:
A mortise and tenon joint is THE gold standard when you are making frames that require high strength. A Dovetail is the Gold standard of strength for box building. When you are designing a mortise & Tenon joint there are a few things to keep in mind:
1. The longer the tenon, the higher the glue surface.
2. The more glue surface the stronger the joint.
Therefore, the longer the tenon, the stronger the joint. so for maximum strength, through tenons can't be beat, as long as they fit into the design of the piece.
When you make the tenons on the table saw with your stacked dado set, make sure you have a solid stop block to define the length of the cheeks, other wise the shoulders will be at different heights.
When you are routing out the mortises with the handheld router, spend the time to make a jig that is adjustable so that it can be used with many different sizes of wood and bits. And finally, pick whatever size router bit your think would make a good mortise size, then size the thickness of the tennon to match.
the mortise and tenon is a time tested and proven joint that works well. you might want to consider a through tenon, which is very strong and appealing to the eye. you might also consider dovetails, which are also quite beautiful and can be done by hand, as can the mortise and tenon.
i'm not sure what you mean by using a stacked dado and router as these are 2 entirely different tools. the stacked dado fits on a table or radial arm saw and can't be used with any other machine. the router takes bits (not blades, which the dad is a type of) of different profiles. both are easy to use, generally speaking, with a little instruction and practice. just be careful when using these tools as you can easily lose a finger or an eye.
I use mortise and tenon more than any other method. Using glue as well, it is a very strong joint. A nice clean appearance is only possible with a decent table saw in my opinion, a hand held router is certainly possible, but difficult.
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