I am building and Arts & Crafts style Wine glass and bottle cabinet for my dad for Christmas. As I have it currently drawn, I will have 3/8 inch mortises only 3/16 inch from the end of the top and bottom. This seems hair-raising at best and very unstable at worst.
As I type this I am seeing pictures in my mind of A&C furniture with full thickness mortises(like a giant box joint). Is that the common solution to this surely oft encountered problem? Is it true to the style? Could I make the tenons offset to the inside edge of the board thus giving myself a whopping 3/8 inch of endgrain to try not to break? Or I could make fake plugs but I don’t like that option because it is fake.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions, references or hard earned moral support.
Bill Cook
Replies
Bill,
Is there any way you can extend the ends further past the top and bottom? An inch or so will add considerable strength. Otherwise this seems an excellent place for dovetailed corners, just make them flush. Bald-faced thru tenons (sort of a multiple bridle joint) might be another option, tho not my 1st choice.
Ray
Surely you can offset the shoulder to whatever number you want.
Notwithstanding, the horn is weak as hell even if 3/4". Make a sample someday. Lever the rail in a mortice with a 3/4" horn. If you can't snap it off the leg you're a girlyman.
Buy some strength with a few lock pins here & there or a mending plate (metal or wood).
Maybe you could post a pic of the design? Sounds to me like a design flaw.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Everything fits, until you put glue on it.
Edited 11/18/2009 7:24 am ET by MikeHennessy
Thanks to the group for their replies. Some time in the middle of the night I decided to make full thickness tenons and have them sit proud and round them off. I have some vague memory of this technique in some Greene and Greene designs. I can't find any references to support this however.
I do the mortises in a piece of wood that's longer than necessary, then trim it. Also, a bigger shoulder on the tenon helps. It's very appropriate for Arts and Crafts furniture.
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