General Rule
: THE MORTISE AND TENON JOINTIn practically all cases where a single tenon is used the thickness of the tenon should be one-third the thickness of the timber. This leaves the timber at each side of the mortise the same strength as the tenon.
Mortise and tenon joints for inside work may be united with glue. If, however, the work has to stand the weather a better method is to unite the joint with white lead, which is run down to the required consistency with good outside varnish.
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Drawers
When dovetailing drawers or boxes it is necessary to square up the ends of all the stock and gauge them, as shown at . This illustration shows how to gauge the lines on a drawer side; the dovetailed joint in this case, however, does not run through ... Dreadnought File
At is a sketch of a portion of a dreadnought file. This has superseded the old-fashioned home-made float used to clean out the sides of a mortise.</p> <table summary="" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="95%"> <tbody> <tr> ... Fall Fronts
is a sectional view of a fall front writing bureau fitted with centre or pivot hinges and arranged so that the edges form a stop when the desk front is turned to a horizontal position. The position for the fitting of the brass plates carrying the pi... Finding The Angle
For straight mitres, the mitre joint line is found by bisecting the angle, as shown in the various examples, and the following instructions are given to enable the reader to follow the diagram . Take a pair of compasses, or dividers, and with any con... Finger Joint Hinge
is a finger joint—a movable interlocking joint used to support the leaf of a Pembroke table. The small portion is screwed to the table rail and the shaped bracket swings out to support the drop leaf. The shaded portion of the bracket shows th... First Stage
First take the bars X and Y and arrange them as shown in . It is most important that the projections <em>a</em> of X face upwards, and that the projections <em>a</em> of Y face towards the centre. Then take the bar Z and bring it flat into the slot ... Fitting The Puzzle
The three central bars must first be joined, as those form the skeleton framework of the structure. shows them in position, but as it is a puzzle in itself as to how they can be got thus some explanation is necessary.</p> <table summary="" border="... Fly Rail
is a sketch of a small table with the top removed. A revolving fly rail is shown pivoted upon a piece of 1⁄4-in. wire. The object of this fly rail is to form a support to the small hinged drop-leaf of the table. This method is suitable for sma... Fox Wedged Tenon
This is the method of securing a stub tenon by small wedges. The mortise is slightly dovetailed and two saw cuts are made in the tenon about 3⁄16 in. from each side. Into each saw kerf a wedge is inserted and the joint glued up. The cramping o... Frame Dovetails
is a sketch of a constructional frame such as is used for building up a cornice or plinth. At the joint marked A an edge barefaced dovetail is shown. From the separated sketches of the joint (B) it will be seen that the dovetail can be put together ... Frame Dowelling
shows one corner of a frame with long and short shoulders, such as occurs when the upright is rebated through its entire length. The holes in both pieces are bored for the dowels before they are rebated. This avoids any difficulty in endeavouring t... Frames For Oil Paintings
The method of making joints for frames on which the canvas is stretched for oil paintings is shown at . They are generally mitred at the corners and fitted with loose wedges. The four parts of the frame can be held temporarily by a piece of thin boa... Gauging
After squaring all the shoulder lines round the timber with the knife and try square, the mortise gauge should be set so as to strike the two gauge lines marked G, , at one operation. If the worker does not possess a mortise gauge the lines may be m... Gauging
is a sketch of a brass butt hinge, open. illustrates a similar hinge closed, and shows the gauge set so that the point of the marker is exactly to the centre of the pivot-pin. This distance we will call C. Now turn to . The distance C has been gau... Gauging
After squaring up the timber accurate gauging of the ends is another important point. The gauge used should be a cutting gauge, so that the line is incised about 1⁄32 in. in depth, thus effectually cutting the cross fibres of the timber.</p> <... General Rule
In practically all cases where a single tenon is used the thickness of the tenon should be one-third the thickness of the timber. This leaves the timber at each side of the mortise the same strength as the tenon.</p> <p>Mortise and tenon joints for ... Glueing
The better the glue penetrates into the pores of the wood, the stronger the joint will be; for this reason timber of the loose-fibred variety, such as pine, etc., will hold up at the joint better than hardwoods like teak and rosewood. The glue used f... Hammer Head Tenons
At is shown the method of jointing framing having semicircular or segmental heads. The left-hand diagram indicates the method of wedging the joint so as to draw up the shoulders; the right-hand view shows the tongueing of the shoulders, which is ne... Hinged Cornice Poles
shows a hinged joint for cornice poles and should be of interest to those who are frequently removing from house to house. The joint will adapt itself to fit any bay window (even a square bay) and it is formed by turning and cutting the two pieces ... Housed And Mitred Dovetail
is another form of dovetail—commonly called a housed and mitred or rebated and mitred dovetail. In this instance we see that a small portion is mitred at top and bottom edges, and when used in plinth or cornice work, or for making tea-caddies... Inserted Tenons
Where two pieces of timber run together at an acute angle it becomes necessary to use inserted tenons. Both pieces of the timber are mortised and the inserted tenons are secured into the widest piece. On the left is shown the inserted tenon, secured... Inside Hingeing
When a door is being hung <em>inside</em> the carcase (that is, not hinged <em>over</em> the ends) it is permissible, in the case of light work, to let the whole thickness of the hinge into the door; and when screwing the door to the carcase it is usu... Interlocking Chair Joint
A joint designed with a view to strengthening the construction of chairs at the point where they are weakest is shown in . The joint is an interlocking one so arranged that, once the chair is glued up, no motion of the side rail can be possible. The... Joints For Curved Work
<p> shows a circular frame made up in two thicknesses, the segments being screwed to each other and the joints crossed in two layers. This is a very strong method, and it is used for making circular frames and curbs up to 15 ft. in diameter. The seg... Joints Other Than A Right Angle
If the halving joint is at an angle similar to the sketch shown at , great care will have to be exercised in the use of the chisel, owing to the change in the direction of the grain of the wood. The arrow marks in this sketch distinctly indicate the ... Joints Other Than At 90°
The two pieces forming a bridle joint are not always at right angles, as at ; in many instances it is necessary that the joint be at other than 90 degrees. The work, however, is treated in a similar manner, with the exception that an adjustable joine... Knuckle Joint Hinge
is a similar type of joint to the above, and is called the knuckle joint. This arrangement of hingeing allows the table leg to swing in an angle of 180 degrees and is much neater in its appearance. It is often used to connect a movable table leg to ... Ladders
illustrates the method of fastening the rung (or stave) of a ladder to the side. At A the common method is shown, the stave being simply driven into the hole and wedged. At B a much better but more expensive method of construction is given. The sta... Lamination
If we apply to the dictionary for the word "lamination," we find that lamellar structure is the arrangements in thin plates or layers one over the other, usually having the end joints alternating, and it is a condition which allows of cleavage in one... Lap-dovetailing
is an example of lap-dovetailing, such as is used where a drawer side joins with the drawer front. It is not permissible to allow the end grain of the timber to show at the front of a drawer, and this is why resort is had to the lap-dovetail. As the...