Grooving a mitre for a spline.

[Andy Kev.]

Good Morning All,

I've just been dipping into Vol III of The Woodworker series from LAP and read that the grooves for splines on mitres will be cut with the plough plane. I had to grin at the way it was sort of casually mentioned in passing (a bit like "should fit straight from the saw") as it seems to me that such an action would turn into a festival of spelching. Therefore I presume that some preparatory work has to be done to prevent this. Then there's the matter of actually using the plough plane. Am I right in thinking that the piece should be placed in the vice such that the mitre lies horizontally and then give it one's best go at planing normally?

Has anybody got any practical tips/experience?

Andy.

 

[ED65]

Maybe it's assumed that the worker will back up with scrap as is often done when working end grain?

 

[Racers]

St Roy did a program with an 11 grooved box with mitred splines.

http://www.pbs.org/video/2263884494/

Pete

 

[knockknock]

... Then there's the matter of actually using the plough plane. Am I right in thinking that the piece should be placed in the vice such that the mitre lies horizontally and then give it one's best go at planing normally?
Andy.

I hope this is understandable. Take your 2 pieces and position them so they are together making the mitered corner. Then fold them back on each other (outside face against outside face). The mitered ends of the pieces will now form a 90 degree angle. Clamp them in a vise, the fence of the plow plane rides on one side of the 90 degree angle, while plowing the groove in the other.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Notwithstanding Knockknock's pithy description and St Roy's demonstration, I sort of associate mitre splines with machine-made joints. For a simple and functional box, dovetails would take little (if any) more time to cut and fit, especially if one sawed freehand rather than marking out. I do accept that if a clean faced mitre was called for - a chest plinth, say - then it could well be quicker than going full secret mitre dovetail, though.

In general, some joints are better adapted to machine methods (finger joints, for example) and some to hand methods. It's sometimes pragmatic to select the jointing method with the means of making them in mind, rather than selecting a joint and then wondering how to cut it. For example, those faced with the need to make a lot of kitchen face frames may invest in a Domino, whilst those of us who might do a kitchen once and once only might accept the longer time to hand-cut mortice and tenon joints rather than face the capital investment. Other times it's not clear cut, and then it's down to personal preference!

(Andy - that's not an implied criticism of your joint choice, by the way. It was a good question, not least because I've now just learned how to hand-cut them. It's just a bit of a thought ramble brought on by the subject cropping up.)

 

[Andy Kev.]

Thanks for the replies. I saw knockknock's explanation illustrated by Roy Underhill on Pete's link.

Cheshirechappie, I think you're right about choice of joint and I've not got this one in mind for anything in particular. I just read about it and thought, "Hang on, it can't be that simple". That said, I'll try it out on a couple of bits of scrap just to see how I get on. I think the point is that if you're going to do it when making a box as Mr Underhill shows, you need to get it more or less perfect because it will be highly visible.