Joinery Archives | WoodWorkers Guild of America

Workaround: Cut Biscuit Grooves with a Router

September 6, 2017 By Bruce Kieffer & filed under Joinery, Portable Power Tools, Router, Skill Building.

So you need to cut a few biscuit grooves but don’t own a biscuit (plate) joiner — No problem, cutting the grooves with your router and a slot-cutter bit is easy. So I’ll bet you’re wondering if it’s so easy then why even own a biscuit joiner?… Read More

Wood Joints: Which Woodworking Joints Should You Use?

April 10, 2017 By Bruce Kieffer & filed under Joinery, Skill Building.

There are various woodworking joints in use. Some are stronger than others are. Let’s discuss the more popular joints, so you know which to use for your projects. 1. Butt Joint The Butt Joint is an easy woodworking joint. It joins two pieces of wood by merely… Read More

Mitered Edge Banding Made Easy

April 4, 2017 By Bruce Kieffer & filed under Furniture Making, Joinery, Skill Building.

Applying hardwood edge banding is a great way to finish the edges on a veneered piece. However, it can be difficult to get nice miter joints because the length of the edge banding pieces must be perfect and every angle must also be perfect. Here is… Read More

My Introduction to Wooden Boats

December 29, 2015 By Bruce Kieffer & filed under Hand Tools, Joinery.

For the past four summers I have made the trip from my Upper Michigan summer home out east to take classes at the famous WoodenBoat (not a spelling error) School in Brooklin, Maine, which is just a stone’s throw south of Acadia National Park on the Atlantic coast. I’ve… Read More

Money-Saving DIY Festool Domino Tenons

June 3, 2015 By Bruce Kieffer & filed under Joinery, Shop Tips, Skill Building.

Reduce the cost of using a Festool Domino by making your own tenons. It’s easy, and you’ll be surprised by how the savings can add up over the years. Here’s the how-to recipe, along with a list of benefits of DIY Dominoes. Read More

Jointing on the Table Saw

October 23, 2014 By Bruce Kieffer & filed under Joinery, Skill Building, Stationary Power Tools, Table Saw.

There are plenty of times when you need your boards to have a smooth, straight edge. No jointer? No sweat. With the help of a simple shop-made jig you can be jointing on the table saw. Even if you own a jointer, jointing on the tables saw… Read More

Leigh Super FMT Frame Mortise and Tenon Jig Tool Review

March 12, 2014 By Bruce Kieffer & filed under Buying Advice, Joinery, Product Review.

Accuracy and Repeatability The Leigh FMT Mortise and Tenon Jig is super fast at milling mortise and tenon joints. A little sibling to the industrially machined aluminum Leigh Pro FMT, this less expensive model is made out of 10 and 12 gauge bent and bolted steel. Read More

Jointing with a Router

February 8, 2012 By Bruce Kieffer & filed under Joinery, Portable Power Tools, Router, Skill Building.

Here’s the situation: Lumberyards and hobby/hardware stores often sell lumber S2S, which means the wide surfaces are jointed and planed, but the edges are rough from the sawmill or follow the shape of the tree. Do you pass these boards up because you don’t have a jointer? If you own… Read More

Cutting Big Dadoes with a Router

December 7, 2011 By Bruce Kieffer & filed under Joinery, Skill Building.

A simple jig and a pattern cutting bit make big dados a small concern. My friend, Tim, showed up recently with the need to make a sign frame out of 4 x 4s. In order to make the frame for the sign rock solid we wanted to… Read More

Making Sliding Dovetails

January 11, 2011 By Bruce Kieffer & filed under Joinery, Skill Building.

Looking for a rock solid way to join drawers that doesn’t require a dovetail jig? If you’ve got a router table, you can easily make a sliding dovetail and get many of the strength advantages a half-blind or through dovetail would provide. You’ll only be able… Read More