# Cutting half-lap joints by hand and lousy results



## BrianD (10 Jul 2006)

Hi all,

I don't know about you but Ihave spent the w/end cutting several half-lap joints for a small easel for my daughter.

Jeepers! When I looked at the glue up the joints are not as tight as I thought. It si worse than I thought. I have been cutting by hand and I wonder if many of you have half the result I have! :evil: 

I was trying not to resort to machinery just to cut these joints. Maybe I need to cut many to have any half-decent results.

How about anyone else, do you also battle to get this right?

Very frustrating! :evil:


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## BrianD (10 Jul 2006)

Oh yes, I forgot to say I was using some soft pine, hopefully when I use hardwood the results will be better.

What are others' experiences? Do you get improved results with hardwood. 

I do not want toget disheartened with this lot. I know I am just starting (again after 20 years) so I am an amateur.


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## Colin C (10 Jul 2006)

Hi Brian
It would help if we had more info, what saw are you using and how are you cutting the joints.
from what I can make out, it might just be you need a bit more practice cutting them as coming off line a little bit on both sides can make for a bad joint.
Try it practice a bit more  
Ps You will get the same thing with hardwood if this is what is happening.
I hpe this helps
Keep at it


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## MikeW (10 Jul 2006)

Hi Brian,

I had a bunch of questions I was going to ask. Instead I'll relate how I do them.

I first thickness the stock to as near perfectly the same as I am capable. All twist and bow is gone. The goal is flat stock of the same thickness.

I then determine what the center is on more than one piece. I do that to check the stock's thickness is even. If there is any variance, I either replace the thin piece or use it and thickness the others to it.

I pair up the pieces. I mostly use lap joints on pieces for dust frames, so I pick out which piece goes where. I mark them in some way to distinguish them from the other sets. And label them A,B,C,D--or more as needed--at the joints.

I mark the joints on each piece accurately. I use a marking gauge. Depending on the wood, I may use a freshly sharpened pencil to highlight the gauged line.

Then, just like any other joint, I saw the rip cuts as close to the line as I can muster that day. When all the rip cuts are made, I use my bench hook to hold the stock while I cut the shoulders.

Once done, each lap joint when together with the appropriate mate should be slightly proud on both sides of the joint.

Then I have always set up a router plane to finish up. I turn each mating surface up and butted together, rest the router plane on the faces and plane down to the layout lines, test and proceed to the next joint pair.

I've never used lap joints on softwood, so I have no point of comparision. For the last few years all the dust frames I'm made have been from Lyptus. Prior to that they have been made from hard Maple.

The biggest issue is accurate layout. Followed by accurate--or wide of the mark--sawing. Then one needs a way to thin the mating surfaces. I like the router plane for this as it registers on the faces of the boards.

The saw and technique is also imperitive to a good result. But as long as you cut wide of the line and have a plane which can trim them down you can usually recover and make a good fit.

Take care, Mike


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## Anonymous (10 Jul 2006)

Hi Brian

When I started out playing with wood, I used pine all the time and got quite frustrated when dovetails etc. didn't fit quite as I expected. I always thought it was me - until I made my first piece form oak. Hardwood is much easier to get good joints with but it can be done in pine (just harder)


Good luck


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## Shady (10 Jul 2006)

Brian, funnily enough this strikes a chord - it was my introduction to woodworking as well, and frustrated me. Without wishing to get into 'egg-sucking' territory, the following points may re-assure you:



Any hand cut joint requires razor sharp tools for good results
Soft pine requires particularly very sharp tools for good results...
A half lap appears deceptively simple - actually, in hand tool difficulty terms, it's little different to a single dovetail joint: there are a number of mating surfaces that have to be square and flat, and a number of visible joint edges that will show any imperfection. 
As mentioned above, the cutting is almost the least important bit - it's the precision in marking out that will establish success or failure for the joint.

In summary - don't despair! If you can cut a good half lap by hand, you can probably cut good dovetails... Make sure your tools are really sharp, and take great care in laying out.
Me? Most of the time, I let the bandsaw help out wherever possible.


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## Pete W (10 Jul 2006)

Brian, the half-lap was the first joint we learned in my woodworking class a couple of years ago, and the most useful tip I remember was to make a series of parallel saw kerfs in the waste material - makes it easier and more accurate when you chisel out the waste. Instead of removing one big lump of wood, you're removing a series of smaller pieces that are less likely to splinter and tear out.


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