Popular Woodworking Editors' Blog

Why joints fail and why woodworkers fail as scientists

Whenever my late Uncle Archie came to visit, he would drive my mother crazy with where he chose to sit. He was a big man, weighing over 350 pounds and he invariably would choose a small, delicate Queen Anne reproduction from the 1890s with a needlepoint seat. Maybe he enjoyed making my mom gasp with fear or maybe he just liked sitting in a chair that he sat in as a kid. In any case, that little chair never complained, never creaked and never failed. It was made by a man who knew his trade. Luckily for the chair, my mom's peace of mind and my uncle's pride, the chair maker didn't rely on information he read in a magazine somewhere.

One of the most frequent questions we are asked is what's the best/strongest/correct joint to use in woodworking? The answer usually starts with several other questions. What's the application? What wood? What are your skills? What tools do you have available? With those variables in mind, you can make an intelligent choice, but there will be several options that are all "more than strong enough." It's a multiple choice question with multiple correct answers.

Most woodworking joints have evolved over thousands of years. Woodworkers learned to make them based on their own experience, and the experience of the people who taught them. To make successful joints you need a little experience, a basic knowledge of the workings of wood and glue, and a bit of common sense. But in the 21st century we want a definitive answer. We want numbers and we want proof. We want something in writing we can point to when we're not sure of ourselves.

Like other magazines, we have tested joints to destruction.

The last time we did it was in December 2005, and our weapon of choice was the anvil. It was a silly notion, and the point of the tomfoolery was that pseudo-scientific testing in a magazine is a rather pointless endeavor. There are so many variables in material, techniques and proportions of joints that gathering meaningful data would require thousands of samples and take months if not years to complete. If you only break a few joints, you might well be measuring the quality of the raw material, the skill of the guy who put things together, or several other variables that have nothing to do with what you want to learn.

Which doesn't mean the anvil test was meaningless. It did show us some surprising things, notably how good today's glues are, and how important it is to consider proportions of joints in the context of the pieces being joined. We knew going into the test that a well-made draw-bored mortise-and-tenon joint is incredibly strong, and that dowel joints almost always fail eventually. We now know a bit more about how and why and we had some fun doing it. But it bothers us when we see a test that takes itself too seriously, or when joints are labeled as "not so good" when the flaw is in the size and placement of the components, or of the wood rather than the joint.

If woodworking were more science than art, it wouldn’t be as much fun. If you want to read the “Anvil Test” click here. Keep in mind that it was written by a woodworker, not an engineer in destructive testing. It contains a lot of good information about different joints, but it doesn’t reveal which is the best/strongest/correct joint. I hope it makes you smile and make you think about how you approach the craft. That’s the whole idea.

— Bob Lang

From August 2006 Popular Woodworking

Exquisite!

I’ve long been a fan of large shoulder planes and have many miles on my Lie-Nielsen 073, which I bought the first day it was available. So I wasn’t sure I needed the company’s new 3⁄4" shoulder plane when I ordered it. Surprisingly, the medium shoulder plane gets as much use as the bigger tool. The 3⁄4" width gets this tool into the bottoms of dados to clean out the unevenness or junk left by coarser tools. At 2.3 pounds, it weighs almost two pounds less than its bigger brother, which makes it a bit easier to wield when working narrow stock and small rabbets.


And, of course, it excels at its primary job – trimming tenon shoulders and cheeks.
Like all Lie-Nielsen tools, the medium shoulder plane is made to high standards. I placed a straightedge on the sole and it revealed that it was perfect. Then I placed a machinist’s square on the sidewalls to check their orientation to the sole. If the sidewalls aren’t perfect to the sole the tool will never work quite right. Both sidewalls were dead-on perfect all along the tool’s body.
The real surprise was the iron. With most tools, I’ve come to expect some serious work to flatten and polish the unbeveled face of the iron. Lately, I’ve found Lie-Nielsen (and its competitor, Veritas) to have irons that require almost no work. This one took a scant five minutes to sharpen and go. That’s worth something in my book.

Which brings me to the price: $175. You might be able to buy a vintage Preston, Record or Stanley shoulder plane for a bit less, but I ask you: How will you true up the sole or sidewalls if they’re not perfect? With the modern tools, you can send back the ones that aren’t perfect. And for those of us who prefer woodworking to metalworking (a show of hands, please) the price is incidental. Especially when you take into account this is the last one you’ll ever have to buy.

— Christopher Schwarz

More information on the Medium Shoulder Plane from Lie-Nielsen

Share your experience with this tool by leaving a comment.

From August 2006 Popular Woodworking

In a world of mid-sized routers offering both a fixed and plunge base, the Triton MOF001KC is a competitively priced, dedicated plunge with lots of features. It’s a scaled down version of the 31⁄4  hp TRC001 plunge router, and offers all of the same features.

The MOF001KC has three plunge modes: free plunge, handle winder and micro adjust. The free plunge is just as it sounds and is selected by fully depressing the orange “plunge mode” button in the center of the right handle. The lever lock now controls the position of the plunge. To use the router with a more controlled plunge action, release the plunge mode button and pull the winder clutch ring (positioned on the inside of the right handle) toward the handle and then rotate the handle to move the motor up or down. Micro adjust is possible when in the winder mode by turning the micro-winder knob at the top of the router. The plunge options take a little getting used to, but once familiar, I found them handy.

 The MOF001KC is also designed for use in a router table. When in place, the micro adjust is accessed through the back with the included winder handle. When changing bits (in or out of a table) the collet is easily reached by fully extending the collet through the base. When fully extended, a collet lock engages so only a single wrench is required. Another feature for table use is the ability to easily remove the return spring, making in-table height adjustments easier.

The Triton router is outfitted with efficient at-the-base dust collection and a below-the-base dust shroud. The variable-speed motor is equipped with soft start and a power switch door that remains in the open position when the router is on. Both are good safety features. The router also comes with 1⁄4" and 1⁄2" collets, a seven-piece template guide kit, fence and circle cutter.

I found the MOF001KC router a bit loud  (91 decibels), but it performed well. It’s slightly larger than some of the competition, but overall felt good during use. The many features are an advantage, but may seem overwhelming until you become familiar with them.

 — David Thiel

More information on this router from Triton

Share your experience with this tool by leaving a comment.

From August 2006 Popular Woodworking

Dado Wiz Zeros in on Perfect Fit for Dados or Grooves

Our staff has an ongoing discussion about  the best way to make dados. Whether using a dado stack or router, the trick is getting the dado or groove the proper thickness to match the material. I prefer using a router; that’s why I was pleased to learn about the
The Dado Wiz (the black plate shown at right) locks to most clamps and guides (5⁄8" thickness maximum). Temporary pins are put in place on the Wiz and a sample piece is used to adjust the guide to perfectly fit the shelf or divider material.

The included brass template guide and your 1⁄4", 3⁄8" or 1⁄2" router bit is then used to make two passes (one up, one back) to make a perfectly sized groove or dado with a single setup. The Dado Wiz slides on your guide during the cut, controlling the position of the bit.
The Dado Wiz efficiently answers a need when routing dados. It does come at a price that’s a little steep, but if you prefer routed dados, this jig belongs in your shop.

— David Thiel

More information on the Dado Wiz from Woodline

Share your experience with this tool by leaving a comment.