Replies

1. 
   hammer1 | Mar 13, 2008 09:07pm | #1

   Joinery that relies on glue needs to have the correct glue for the job. When using typical woodworking glues, they depend on faultless fit in addition to clamp pressure to develop the highest strength. Wood moves with seasonal changes. When the joint is opposing grain, that movement can make a good joint fail. The bead lock system doesn't always fit to the tight tolerance needed for non gap filling glues.You may also have opposing grain. I think your best chance for long term durability is with using a gap filling glue.

   It's difficult to compare a true mortice and tenon to a loose tenon like the bead lock. One end of a standard tenon is solid, part of the work piece. There are additions to standard tenons such as pins or wedges. These lock the joinery and don't depend on the glue holding through the years and seasonal movement. Certainly, a bead lock could be pinned.

   These comments are a bit academic. Unless you are looking a few hundred years through wars, fires, floods and other abuse, it's not much of an issue. Of course, if you become discovered many years from now for your superlative workmanship or designs, and owning a Metryman piece is like owning a masterpiece, you may want to forego the bead lock. For mere mortals, it's a viable option in some situations. I don't think I'd use it on something like workbench legs and stretchers but it would be fine for things under less stress.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

1. 
   metryman | Mar 13, 2008 09:15pm | #2

   Thanks for your input. Thats why Im asking the question.The more opinions I get the better I'll be able to determine whether I want to use it.But in line with your observation, I don't think I would use it on a high stress application

   Thanks

2. 
   dherzig | Mar 14, 2008 05:04am | #3

   I've used mine for a couple of years now. It works extremely well. Just make sure you clamp the jig tightly to the work piece since the torque from the drill will move it. I love the idea that the two pieces are cut and fitted exactly  rather than trying to trim the shoulders to get a good match. Because of the shape of the tenons they lock in very well. In fact in one case when I dry-fitted the pieces without gluing in one side, I couldn't get the tenon out to glue it. I ended up redrilling it and glued in a new piece. (Keep the tenon material sealed until you want to use it.)

   Occasionally I have had to make some extra shims since the pieces were thicker than the jig would accomodate, but that is very rare and easily dealt with. BTW, it is now possible to buy a router bit so that you can make your own tenons if you want.

1. 
   metryman | Mar 14, 2008 04:21pm | #4

   Thanks for sharing your experience

1. 
   byhammerandhand | Jun 13, 2008 03:31am | #5

   I see Rockler now has an entry level model. The one thing I've heard about them is you have to be careful in set-up to get the tenons to fit. I do onsite repair work and am wondering if this would be useful for me, for example inside a sofa frame where the staples ;-) have pulled loose. Right now, I tend to reach for the pocket screw jig in those applications. As much as I hate the looks of pocket screws, they come in handy for hidden repairs.

1. 
   metryman | Jun 13, 2008 10:13pm | #6

   I also reach for pocket hole screws in most cases. They make not be historically acurate but they work. Since posting the question originally I've used the bead lock wit good results. As in anything, set up and accuracy are important