Replies

1. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Feb 09, 2010 11:08pm | #1

   I do quad-linear ripping a 45 on both sides of the 4 leg components as you have described. Several keys to doing that with success for me. When I rip I use a very sharp 20 T rip blade. I use a spring-board (feather-board as you are probably not familar with a spring-board) left of the stock.. a scrap hold down over the stock clamped to the fence to insure there is no movement of the stock moving through the rip. And you need to keep the stock moving at a steady rate to try to avoid a lag in the feed. A flat push stick is a must if you value your fingers.

   At that point I butt the edges together and apply a few strips of package tape so I an just wrap them to ensure the components mesh. If so.. I apply glue to the appropriate surfaces then wrap the package with the tape still on. Then I snug up the miter joints tight by wrapping surgical tubing around the wrapped package.

   I do quite a few of these and either I am lucky or my method is working. I just finished a set of four of them about a week ago. I would post some pictures but don't know how to post in the middle of a thread in this new forum. Sorry about that...

   With that said.. I just ordered a lock miter router bit and template today as it is almost sure-fire and it is quicker even though you have to take several passes on each 45 and sneak up on the final cut.

   Good luck...

1. 
   Lataxe | Feb 10, 2010 07:38am | #2

   Sarge,

   Although I avoid those quadrilinear Stickley leg thangs, as you know, I have in the past used a lock mitre cutter in the router table to make many a corner joint, in everything from 12mm plywood (the lower thickness limit for such cutters) to 1"+ thick hardwood.

   Now, I read you are intending to "sneak up" on that final joint shape and so I am worried that you will suffer a fit of frustration when the "sneaking" finds you with some lovely clean-joined pieces that nevertheless don't go together evenly. I hate to think of you despatching the offending parts with a blast of gunfire and perhaps even a small grenade, during a fit of pique!

   If your starting pieces are all the same thickness and width, as well as dead straight and square, this will make the job easier. One can lock-mitre corner pieces of different thickness but this is double-difficult.

   The essential thing is to make test cuts on identical scrap until you have indeed sneaked up on the fit - not just the fit together but the fit together without any mismatch causing one corner to stick out a small 45 degree arris; or the outside 45 degree arises to be blunt; or overcut. Yes, there are 35 opportunities for error when using the blasted thing.

   Once you have the purfek fit, make sure you cut yoursen a template piece that captures both the stick-out-from-the-fence and the stick-up-from-the-table dimensions EXACTLY. A piece of high quality mdf, strangely, is good for such templates although I can imagine that some other routable plastic stuff might be even better (i.e. something which will not shrink, swell or warp).

   Of course, such a template is good only for subsequent cuts in timber of the exact same thickness. However, it can be a good starting point also for other thicknesses of not too great a difference, as equal changes to cutter height and stick-out are a shortcut rather than starting from scratch.

   In short, the settings for a lock mitre cutter are critical if one is to get a perfect corner fit, as is the exact dimensioning of the starting stock; as is the flatness of the router table and fence, which also benefits from microadjustability of both cutter height and inset within the fence. The beastly things make a great strong corner joint but really are pesky to set up.

   I recall there is a good "follow this process" guide somewhere on the web, perhaps even in the FWW site, but I can't find it just now. I also recall that the CMT lock mitre cutters I have came with a very good instruction manual. .......

   Lataxe

   PS Them quadrilinear rays-all-round legs are the work of the divvil and definitely unatchl. Still, at least they don't scuttle.

   PPS I found this, which includes a pdf for doing legs and a set-up guide pdf also.

   http://www.cmtutensili.com/show_items.asp?pars=RB~8/955.503-504~2

1. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Feb 10, 2010 11:30am | #6

   Thanks for the heads-up Lataxe. I am aware that a template is a necessity IMO>. The bit I have coming is capable of 7/16"-11/16" and I also got the template they already have cut. One side has already been cut at correct height for the minimum and the other for the maximum. If there template is not dead on.. I intended to test scrap to make my own including in-tween sizes. I keep several 4" x 48" sheets of UHMW on hand as I am probably better at setting up jigs than building the junk I use them for. ha.. ha...

   When I stated "creeping up" I realize that the height and fence setting is critical. Once you have the proper template that ensures the height of bit and the fence distant is go to go. At that point I would clamp a scrap board behind and adjacent to the router fence for the final cut. Sneaking up as I describe it simply means moving the fence forward of the final cut set-up to take a small pass. Then move it gradually back to the clamped stop to take additional light passes until the fence is finally butted to the clamp stop.

   There are several manufacturer sites that have tutorial videos on their web-site including MCLS as I purchased their Katana bit which is their top of line. I have had great success with an over-under bearing pattern bit in the Katana line. Also.. a gentleman at another forum just did an excellent tutorial on-line in the forum on using a lock drawer miter. Nothing I did not already know except he did have a few fine adjustment tricks using playing cards that were nothing short of genius IMO.

   So.. ole Sarge has patience for the task and has done his homework as I usually do when I have a high $ purchase. A high $ purchase to me is anything over $2.00. Some say I'm cheap.. Forest Girl is diplomatic and simply states frugal! ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..

   Regards...

1. 
   salamfam | Feb 24, 2010 11:02am | #9

   Hello Sarge,

   I used a lock miter and a MDF holder that I saw somewhere in FWW. I would get the set up of the bit and fence perfect by using test cuts on scrap of the same dimensions as my pieces. To "sneak up" on the final cut attach three 1/4" shims (auxiliary fences) to the fence. After each pass remove one shim. This allows you to make your cut in small increments without adjusting the fence and risking changing your perfect set-up.

   
2. 
   oldusty | Feb 10, 2010 10:57am | #3

   the ,

   From your question I am hoping the set up is o.k. but you said you are getting gaps along the seams during glue ups .

   clamping these as with most any angled joint can be difficult to get the joints to close up properly . You can make a clamping jig several ways .Imagine if you had some steel squarish bands made an inch or so larger I.D. then the largest leg you will make.

   Four or five rings along with long strips inserted between each side while using wedges to close the gaps will ensure a tighter glue up , this is just one way .

   regards , dusty

3. 
   lostcreek | Feb 10, 2010 10:59am | #4

   I recently purchased the lock miter bit from Infinity with it's set-up blocks. I milled the pieces to equal thickness and used feather boards on my router table. Worked perfectly the first time with no gaps. Perhaps you didn't use the feather boards???

   lostcreek

4. 
   Pete99353 | Feb 10, 2010 11:01am | #5

   I've done one project with
   I've done one project with the lock-miter bit, but won't be using the lock-miter bit anymore. The set-up is too much of a hassle. I used a technique that used a sled for both passes on the router table, vertical and horizontal. It worked and was safe, but it turned out the router table had a dip in the center near the bit and therefore the pieces didn't fit very well.

   I've done many more Stickley legs using 1/8" thick veneer on the "edge" face with great results. I usually plane the veneer to 1/16" after glue-up. The technique is much easier than a lock-miter.

5. 
   blopar | Feb 15, 2010 09:03am | #7

   There is a chapter in a book from the Taunton press woodworkers library series on "Wood working techniques", by Patrick Nelson on Stickley-Style Legs. He uses seperate jigs for the vertical and horizontal cuts, very basic but rather ingenious. the key to the process appears to be in the glue-up where he uses the round style bungee cords, placing battens on the faces of each side, he then attaches the cord to one end of the batten and wraps the bungee along the length of the leg blank tapping with a hammer to seat the joint.

   I haven't tried this yet, but look forward to when ever I get some "free" time. I'm sure you could find this book at a local library publish date was 2000 by the taunton press inc.

   hope this helps.

1. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Feb 15, 2010 12:04pm | #8

   What he is doing with bungee's Blopar.. I do with surgical cord as I stated in an earlier post here. If you have access to old tire inner-tubes.. you can cut them in strips to serve the same purpose. I have used the bungees also when I come up short of surgical. They all work!