# Step 1



## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Hand Cut Splines Tutorial...

It came up in another thread about making miter splines and keys by hand and a tutorial was requested, so here ya go!

I'm using scraps from the shop so the box will be poplar and the keys red oak.

First off the miter cut by hand the I just flipped the pieces so as to only make one cut.

Then glued them up and secured with tape... A very weak joint but it will do for now...

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

The splines were then prepared:

Using a marking gauge set to a bit wider than the chisel I will use I marked where to rip the oak. Then cleaned it up with a small plane and chisel.

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

The location of the splines marked, cut with a back saw, cleaned out with a chisel cutting from the outside to the center.

Glue applied and the splines put in place. 

While that's drying it's time to make a dovetail spline... Well, really just a wedge spline...

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

A No 3 plane was used to bevel the edge of the same piece of oak from earlier then a the same angle marked to rip my wedge.

Cut the wedge and put it aside while I cleaned up the splines from earlier. First with a flush cut saw then chisel.

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Next the box was cut for the wedge exactly as before but using the same bevel gauge and matching the angle of my wedge... 

Glue applied, wedge pushed in... Set aside to dry...

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

And lastly, after it's all dry the wedge is trimmed just as before. The corner eased with a chisel and sanding, then an over all sanding, a bit of filler here and there, final sanding and a rub down with BLO to increase the contrast...

enjoy

If you have any questions, fire away... I tend to not be very wordy with these...

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

Very nice -- thanks! That's pretty much exactly what I was looking for.

Out of curiosity: the wedge spline looks as though it will add a fair amount of strength to the joint, since it mechanically locks things together as well as adding glue surface. How much strength will the square splines add?


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

amckenzie4 said:


> Very nice -- thanks! That's pretty much exactly what I was looking for.
> 
> Out of curiosity: the wedge spline looks as though it will add a fair amount of strength to the joint, since it mechanically locks things together as well as adding glue surface. How much strength will the square splines add?


The wedge has two advantages, mechanical as you pointed out and increased surface area which equates to more long grain to long grain glue area.

That said, had I done only the two or three regular splines it will not pull apart... Assuming good fit and glue-up. 

Incidentally, you can also make them much much thinner... As thin as a single saw blade kerf if you like...

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## amckenzie4 (Apr 29, 2010)

Cool. Thanks again!


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

Very nicely done.

I don't have the ability to do splines by hand any more, but have accomplished the same on my table saw for the straights and router table for the dove tails. Simple jigs make quick work of the cuts, and can be done on even bench top table saws and router tables with ease.


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## Brink (Nov 22, 2010)

Nice tutorial. Very helpful.

the third pic looked like you had the saw in backwards lol my first thought was that'll take a while, but it should be a smooth cut.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

johnnie52 said:


> Very nicely done.
> 
> I don't have the ability to do splines by hand any more, but have accomplished the same on my table saw for the straights and router table for the dove tails. Simple jigs make quick work of the cuts, and can be done on even bench top table saws and router tables with ease.


Way way quicker and more precise on a power saw... No doubt!...


Way way more enjoyable by hand :smile:

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Brink said:


> Nice tutorial. Very helpful.
> 
> the third pic looked like you had the saw in backwards lol my first thought was that'll take a while, but it should be a smooth cut.


Hahaha... Yeah that would be one hot blade after too!

So, Brink... Do you do yours backwards from how I did em?:shifty::laughing:

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## Brink (Nov 22, 2010)

firemedic said:


> Hahaha... Yeah that would be one hot blade after too!
> 
> So, Brink... Do you do yours backwards from how I did em?:shifty::laughing:
> 
> ~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


Yup, I put in the splines, then cut the slots


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

firemedic said:


> Way way quicker and more precise on a power saw... No doubt!...
> 
> 
> Way way more enjoyable by hand :smile:


Hand saws...gotta love 'em.












 







.


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## Wrangler02 (Apr 15, 2011)

Thanks Tom. I have wanted to do splined miters after seeing a demo done on a table saw. You gave me the inspiration to give this one a try!!


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

They really are easy... I have to admit though it takes longer than hand cutting dovetails... Well through DT's are, half bind and full blinds are way tedious!

~tom  ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## m80zimm (Aug 28, 2011)

Thanks Tom. I will have to give that a try this weekend.


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## tcleve4911 (Dec 16, 2006)

Thanks, Tom
Great tutorial
I will give that a try on a picture frame I'm attemping:thumbsup:
Tom


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## cellophane (Oct 6, 2009)

How do you keep your pull saw blade from wandering? I have one with a pretty then blade and it likes to wiggle quite a bit... Probably user error :blink:

otherwise - GREAT post!


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

cellophane said:


> How do you keep your pull saw blade from wandering? I have one with a pretty then blade and it likes to wiggle quite a bit... Probably user error :blink:
> 
> otherwise - GREAT post!


This is why questions are important! For deep cuts I started with a back saw which will cut straight every time but will not cut deep enough then moved to the pull saw to finish it. The existing cut is then a guide for the pull saw.

I have a better hand rip saw I could have used but it needs some tuning and sharpening... One of these days...

I also tweaking the angle with a plane but free hand, no shooting board as I've never gotten around to building one...

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Oh, and I forgot to mention to slightly dish the cutout with your chisel for a tight fit in the corners. In other words from corner to corner have a slight bow in on the bottom of the dado.

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## Brink (Nov 22, 2010)

cellophane said:


> How do you keep your pull saw blade from wandering? I have one with a pretty then blade and it likes to wiggle quite a bit... Probably user error :blink:
> 
> otherwise - GREAT post!


A wandering saw could be how you hold it and your stance. There's much info online on that subject. I like a dovetail saw with almost no set in the teeth. Once the cut is started, it will continue following that line. 

Another trick is to use a DT saw, and clamp a scrap wood guide along the cut line to help bi Jose the saw along. 



firemedic said:


> Oh, and I forgot to mention to slightly dish the cutout with your chisel for a tight fit in the corners. In other words from corner to corner have a slight bow in on the bottom of the dado.
> 
> ~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


Excellent tip, young one. The bottom of the slot would be end grain = not much strength. A little gap would be OK if the outside edges end up tight.


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## cellophane (Oct 6, 2009)

Thanks =) I only find the wandering on the pull saw - the english saws I have are fairly stiff and don't wander much. I'll see what I can find online.

For the splines - how do you determine the depth of cut relative to the wood?


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## johnnie52 (Feb 16, 2009)

cellophane said:


> For the splines - how do you determine the depth of cut relative to the wood?


The rule of thumb I use is just over half the thickness of the piece at the corner, but less than 3/4. I suppose it doesn't really matter as long as you don't go all the way through.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

johnnie52 said:


> [...] long as you don't go all the way through.


that's how I look at it... Like most everything in ww'n... Builder preference

~tom ...it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt...


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Thank you for the tutorial. I already had a good idea of how to make splined joints but, having never done one, yet, it sure is nice to have a step by step explanation. :thumbsup:


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## jeremymcon (Oct 16, 2014)

Great tutorial! I found this in a search and didn't think to check the post date before writing a comment, so it's probably old... Anyway... 

I have recently been planning a cabinet that will include spline mitered doors. I have seen the tutorials for making this joint on a table saw, but I am in a bandsaw-and-hand-tool-only shop at the
moment. I like the idea of using a spline the width of the kerf of a saw, however my only decent back saw is a Japanese saw with a ridiculously small kerf! I'm not sure if a spline that thin would give much strength to a door frame. I'll have to try your method of using a chisel and two saw kerf to clear the slot. 

Also, to the commenter who mentioned their japanese pull saw wandering - I have this problem too! My standard panel saw cuts straight, but for a long/deep cut I can't get my pull saw to stop following the grain. It's so flexible that even if I try to correct the twist once it's started I can't! So I don't use it for long cuts anymore. It's still great for shorter/shallow cuts, though. 

And maybe it's just the wood I'm using. This is my first real project, and I chose red oak because it is cheap and available everywhere. After working with some other hardwoods in some side projects (Walnut, beech), I wish I had chosen a wood that is a bit easier to work with you hand tools. Next time... Walnut is so lovely to work! It's like it *wants* to be smooth.


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