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Spline Corner Jig

Mo Elyas

Mo Elyas

Frequent Poster
Messages
325
Loc
New York, NY
Company
Big Apple Art Gallery
I made a spline corner jig and it came our pretty good. See attached photos. I will post resulting frame pictures soon too.
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That would surely be good for small frames, since it is relatively compact and not too heavy to handle easily. However, if you intend to spline the corners of large frames - which is where I would be most inclined to use corner splines - then you might prefer to use a similar fixture constructed in larger proportions. That is, having a larger vertical platform and having the triangular "cradle" for the frame extending higher up the frame's sides, which would provide greater stability.

The nicest spline fixture I've seen also incorporated clamps (modified "C" clamps) on both sides to secure frames of various widths and rabbet depths to the fixture. But if your fixture is for occasional use, that sort of complexity might seem like overkill.

In any case, nice job.
 
Jim Miller said:
That would surely be good for small frames, since it is relatively compact and not too heavy to handle easily. However, if you intend to spline the corners of large frames - which is where I would be most inclined to use corner splines - then you might prefer to use a similar fixture constructed in larger proportions. That is, having a larger vertical platform and having the triangular "cradle" for the frame extending higher up the frame's sides, which would provide greater stability.

The nicest spline fixture I've seen also incorporated clamps (modified "C" clamps) on both sides to secure frames of various widths and rabbet depths to the fixture. But if your fixture is for occasional use, that sort of complexity might seem like overkill.

In any case, nice job.
Click to expand...

Thank you Jim. I am going to post more pictures of how the end result turns out.
 
Jerry Feig said:
They are the same joint design. One being visible and the other hidden.
Click to expand...

They are very similar in general principle, but really quite a bit different, as they are 90° to each other.

I think (this is theoretical - I've never tested it) that a biscuit joint, where it can be used*, is actually quite a bit stronger, as it has a mechanical element to resist racking rather than relying 100% on the adhesive as a spline does.

Spline joints have a decorative element to them when used with a translucent finish.

*even with a "detail" biscuit joint you will be limited in how narrow a piece you can join. This is not just because of the actual thickness of the biscuit, but because it will be going in at a 45° angle, not parallel, to the length. With splines you can go as thin as you want, really. We have one customer that uses them on a 1/8" wide stem.
 
Okay I am going to ask because I am sure others would like to see this also. Can someone post a couple pictures of the biscuit joins and spline joins?

I am slightly familiar with both but have not actually used them.
Thanks!
 
Stack of splined frames in production. Splines need to be trimmed and then sanded smooth.
IMG_2616_zpsjrzazf52.jpg


Sanded corner (this one was done with contrasting splines as a demo - we usually use the same species but even then the splines stand out because it's essentially end grain).
IMG_2363_zpsipcwvrkl.jpg


Finished frames
finished%20corner%20frames_zpsxpjdlulb.jpg


With solid painted corners - you don't see the splines, but you don't see any joint at all. Especially with white moulding this is a huge advantage, as even a normal "good" joint usually looks pretty bad in white. Sorry - I don't have a pic handy of one of those at the moment.
 
Notice that in both my and David's splines, the bottom of the cuts are flat and square. This is because we use dedicated blades to cut the slots. An ATB blade will have a "w" shaped bottom to the slot which will not look as tailored. The gaps will be filled with glue and sometimes will turn black- which is very noticeable on Maple or light woods.
 
Have any of you ever used a half spline overlay (I really don't know the technical term for it) on the face of the miter joint. I see this on some painted finishes. I guess the theory is to eliminate the face miter so there is less chance of the finish cracking with age, but don't know the efficacy of the technique.

David, are you using table saw or some kind of router/spindle shaper to cut the slots?
 
Wally, we use what we call "face splines" (I don't know if there's a proper term either) on opaque finishes.

It's most important on white, where the slightest imperfection sticks out like a sore thumb. The most notable problem is that the miter line seems to like to "move". Not sure exactly what causes it, but my guess is that expansion/contraction of the wood and glue is enough different that it can eventually create a visible line on the surface. Even though almost imperceptible, somehow the shape of the corner and your mind expecting to see a miter accentuates it.

The face spline does also increase the strength of the joint, as the surface area is much larger and extends much further away from the corner, which increases the "leverage" of the spline. However, I personally feel they are not attractive so we we only use them on opaques finishes. Although, if someone asked us to do them on a clear/translucent finish I'd be happy to.

We use a table saw to cut the splines. I prefer the thinner spline sizes that are more easily achievable there. We do 1/8".
 
Mo, I would suggest making the base of the jig considerably larger and getting runners that ride in the grooves in the saw's bed (sled style jig). I have made several jigs in the past (came from cabinet making) and the sled provides a very stable base to work from. Runners with cam action adjustments can be had from Woodcraft and others for a very accurate cut. The whole jig needs to be robust to counter the top-heavy nature of the frame sticking straight up above the saw. You can make a series of shims for adjusting the position of the cut rather than relying on the saw's fence. The fewer moving parts the better. I would also use a very hard wood "chip breaker" on the exit cut side.
You know this means I'm going to have to build one, right?
 
Wally Fay said:
Mo, I would suggest making the base of the jig considerably larger and getting runners that ride in the grooves in the saw's bed (sled style jig). I have made several jigs in the past (came from cabinet making) and the sled provides a very stable base to work from. Runners with cam action adjustments can be had from Woodcraft and others for a very accurate cut. The whole jig needs to be robust to counter the top-heavy nature of the frame sticking straight up above the saw. You can make a series of shims for adjusting the position of the cut rather than relying on the saw's fence. The fewer moving parts the better. I would also use a very hard wood "chip breaker" on the exit cut side.
You know this means I'm going to have to build one, right?
Click to expand...
Hi Wally, you should. It is fun doing this type of work. I am going to take everybody's advise and post more. I've been really busy the past few weeks and had no chance to really do properly make time.
 
We have a sled based jig with the fence adjusted with a tenoning jig. Here's a picture of the overall setup. If you want, PM me and I'll take some close-ups and email them to you.

photo.jpg


A couple notes:
The saw fence is there, but not being used for this application.
24' ceilings come in handy some times.
 
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