I've done my amplifiers with wood cases forever and always with mitered corners. In all that time, even knowing that a mitered glue joint is inherently weak due to being end grain to end grain, never had a failure. Until now. I sent this 6BQ5 amp off to a friend who returned it as carefully packed as UPS did on the outgoing trip but nevertheless,
I couldn't effect a really invisible repair so, never needing an excuse to do some more woodworking, I started over.
This time I wouldn't shy away from the splines I should have always used but was afraid to try. I wanted something more than just a panel with a pair of 45s to make the cuts on my contractor saw and came across this: https://kmtools.com/blogs/news/miter-splines?_pos=1&_sid=ffc1adf4d&_ss=r Most of what I've seen from him always seemed overly complicated and time consuming but this jig turned ot to be perfect; simple to make and very secure. Perfect for my 77 year old shaky hands.
The box rode the fence without a wobble and the sandpaper I added turned out to be unnecessary.
The result with ebony splines in the cherry I think looks pretty good. Oh yeah, I added long grain to long grain suspender battens to the belts, the splines, just in case.
Once the shellac cures enough to wax with 4 aught, it should look even better than the original.
I couldn't effect a really invisible repair so, never needing an excuse to do some more woodworking, I started over.
This time I wouldn't shy away from the splines I should have always used but was afraid to try. I wanted something more than just a panel with a pair of 45s to make the cuts on my contractor saw and came across this: https://kmtools.com/blogs/news/miter-splines?_pos=1&_sid=ffc1adf4d&_ss=r Most of what I've seen from him always seemed overly complicated and time consuming but this jig turned ot to be perfect; simple to make and very secure. Perfect for my 77 year old shaky hands.
The box rode the fence without a wobble and the sandpaper I added turned out to be unnecessary.
The result with ebony splines in the cherry I think looks pretty good. Oh yeah, I added long grain to long grain suspender battens to the belts, the splines, just in case.
Once the shellac cures enough to wax with 4 aught, it should look even better than the original.
Holy crap. That is a done deal and just as importantly it looks right as well. I am not as tempted in this weather to start woodworking project, but in a few weeks that will likely change.
I use size 10 biscuits in mitre joints lke that.If you sand them a bit you can align the joints perfectly .
So, it was a shipping accident, eh? How many times have I worried myself sick even though I made a custom shipping box put into another shipping box? I guess that we all have stories like this, but a physicist couldn't pack something any better than I do and still have plenty to worry about! OTOH, there are those that actually throw a few peanuts in the oversized unpacked box and call it good. Sorry that is a wormhole for another time. I am just glad that you made another casing that even beat the first one. Never let your successes or failures be due to a lack of effort.
Have you ever tried full blind dovetails? They would also work well for this type of construction.
https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/full-blind-dovetails/
https://www.woodworkersjournal.com/full-blind-dovetails/
I've done that joint free-hand against the rip fence, but that jig is definitely the better way to go.
That joint is nearly indestructible if it's glued properly. Plus, it doesn't look half bad in solid wood.
Nice job!
That joint is nearly indestructible if it's glued properly. Plus, it doesn't look half bad in solid wood.
Nice job!
I use a similar jig with a wider bed to hold the work piece but without the fence saddle... I think I'll add that feature for improved stability. Thank you for sharing.
Also, 2 thumbs up for shellac. I revisited it to seal a porous project, really liked it as a fast drying finish and fell in love with French polish. It's amazing how little product it takes which is inversely proportional to the elbow grease required. 💪
Also, 2 thumbs up for shellac. I revisited it to seal a porous project, really liked it as a fast drying finish and fell in love with French polish. It's amazing how little product it takes which is inversely proportional to the elbow grease required. 💪
That reminds me of our former Prime Minister Paul Keating who said of his political rival John Howard-He has all of the foresight of Mr Magoo but none of his good intent! Howard also looked a bit like Mr Magoo.
Got it all put back together today to moderate acclaim with the wacky parallax effect in the second pic. iPhone cropping craziness?
Nice work, and a good tip. For those trying this, make note of the comment on the choice of saw blade as a typical ATB blade will leave little visible open 'triangles' at the ends which do show.
Shellac is wonderful stuff, but for those trying it for the first time, purchase dewaxed shellac and note that shellac has a limited shelf life in both liquid and dry form.
Shellac is wonderful stuff, but for those trying it for the first time, purchase dewaxed shellac and note that shellac has a limited shelf life in both liquid and dry form.
"typical ATB blade will leave little visible open 'triangles' at the ends which do show."
Amen to that brother. My relatively inexpensive Oshlun dado set does just that and the slots for the splines required a bit of scrubbing with a rasp to level them. The dadoes for this equipment rack required a lot.
Amen to that brother. My relatively inexpensive Oshlun dado set does just that and the slots for the splines required a bit of scrubbing with a rasp to level them. The dadoes for this equipment rack required a lot.
I use a jig with a similar principle to this one. You can tilt the blade and get nice angled splines. And by using different blade heights you can have ascending width splines. They can be very attractive - the insert in these speakers can take a thread and not only gives strength to the mitre, but also provides an anchor for the front/rear plates.
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The 5 point carbide combination blade will provide a flat kerf. 4 of the teeth are ATB but the 5th is a flat top to level the kerf. It also provides a smoother cut than a ripping blade and would be the blade of choice for a joint spline like this. It could also be used to cut the bevels but care must be taken to ensure the offcut doesn't get caught in the large gulleys or it'll be flung across the room. I'm not a fan of these blades but sometimes they're the best choice.