# Joinery Question



## TrevortdogR (Feb 1, 2013)

What type is used for the shade - butt joint?


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Assuming the shade is square, both pieces had a 45 degree bevel cut on the sides. Then they were glued together.


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## Masterjer (Nov 6, 2012)

+1. That looks like a 45 beveled joint. Many will also call it a mitered joint.


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## Parabola (Feb 12, 2015)

Looks like it isn't a cube but has a taper going back. If you're trying to replicate this, that isn't the easiest of miters


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## TrevortdogR (Feb 1, 2013)

Parabola said:


> Looks like it isn't a cube but has a taper going back. If you're trying to replicate this, that isn't the easiest of miters


It looks tapered to me to. I think I will skip the mitered joint.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

I guess a wood shade may work with a non-heat producing bulb, like led? I don't know. but it would be a half degree or so off of 45 deg because of the taper.


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## sanchez (Feb 18, 2010)

Couldn't you just use a tapering jig on the table saw, and set the blade to 45?

Cut one side, then flip the workpiece and cut the other. That should do it?


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

sanchez said:


> Couldn't you just use a tapering jig on the table saw, and set the blade to 45?
> 
> Cut one side, then flip the workpiece and cut the other. That should do it?


Don't know if this makes sense, as my Dad used to say, "I don't always understand all I know about it."

It is not that simple, the corner is at 90 degrees when a square is held at 90 degrees to the miter, but the ends are not 90 degrees, so if the square is held parallel to the end the compound angle is no longer 90 degrees. So adjustments have to be made. Try it on a waste paper basket or flower pot to see how it works.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

it's called a compound angle. this site helps understand.

http://www.pdxtex.com/canoe/compound.htm


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## whitewolf8758 (Apr 26, 2013)

TrevortdogR said:


> What type is used for the shade - butt joint?


I was able to zoom in and clear your picture and saw that it was done using rabbet joints on two sides then join the other two pieces into it. Also i have seen similar shades using multiple different kinds of finger joints which would look cool too! Looks like a fun a cool project! Goodluck!


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

TimPa said:


> I guess a wood shade may work with a non-heat producing bulb, like led? I don't know. but it would be a half degree or so off of 45 deg because of the taper.


Be careful of heat producing bulbs in an wood environment.

George


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## woodbeauty (Apr 28, 2015)

yep, looks to be a 45, but somebody zoomed in and said it was rabetted. If it was mitered, the taper does not change that, its just tapered thats all. Yeah, the guy who said it would be done witha taper jig was right.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

whitewolf8758 said:


> I was able to zoom in and clear your picture and saw that it was done using rabbet joints on two sides then join the other two pieces into it. Also i have seen similar shades using multiple different kinds of finger joints which would look cool too! Looks like a fun a cool project! Goodluck!


 It is a low resolution photo so it is hard to tell, but I'm pretty sure it is not a rabbet joint.


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## whitewolf8758 (Apr 26, 2013)

Do you suppose its rabbeted or a butt joint and a type of vaneer put on each side?


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## whitewolf8758 (Apr 26, 2013)

I entered solid wood table lamp in google and went to images and found several of these and a couple of them close up show the shade is put together with a butt joint then used a vaneer. There are varieties of this style there. I may have to try and buikd one of these myself!


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*this video will show you how ...*

It's a compound miter, a miter and bevel combined.

There is a chart that will give you the correct angles .... the miter angle and the bevel angle, depending on the number of sides to the object:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CRJsn_pQ7Q


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

How the original was made is really immaterial, it comes down to the method you use to duplicate the effect.
Believe some of us that say it can't be done with 45 degree miters, all the speculating in the world won't change that.
Take some cheap plywood and play around with dimensions and angles from the information you have been provided with, you will come up with the formula, then build your shades.


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## Mark Myers (Apr 14, 2012)

the shade can be made using a birdmouth joint. google the joint and you can find manufacturers of the bits that can be use to make 6 and 12 piece joints to make hollow tubes. However, if you are accurate enough with your table saw settings... the joints can be made on a table saw. The tricky part is cutting pieces at the correct taper. there is a jig for that too. 

One of the sites has instructions on how to determine the angle of the saw for the joint...and the angle of the taper to make just about any number of sides you want. 

The birdmouth joint was used to make hollow spars on sailing ships. Makes sense as solid ones would have made them top heavy and rather devastating in a storm. 

hope this helps.
Mark Myers


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