18
Edge Joining Boards
Edge joining boards is a common method for creat-
ing wide boards from a series of narrower boards.
The Domino tenons add strength to the joint and
also assist in aligning the boards to be fl ush.
24.1
24.2
For edge joining boards, a series of tenons are
placed down the length of the joint. The fi rst tenon
[24.1] is used to register the two boards horizontally,
so it is milled at standard width. The remaining
tenons align the boards fl ush and may be milled
with an oversize width.
Tips for Successful Joining
Use the locating pins [2.8] for the fi rst mortise
slot with the mortise width dial set to the nar-
row setting.
For subsequent mortise slots you can keep the
mortise width at the minimum setting, but you
may fi nd it easier to set the mortise width dial
to the next widest setting.
Place the mortise slots 6 to 12 inches apart for
standard joints, but this spacing should be de-
creased for joining plywoods or when a stronger
joint is needed.
Instead of marking the mortise placements with
pencil lines [24.2], you can use the optional out-
rigger guides to evenly space the mortises down
the length of the boards. To do this, use the out-
rigger locating pin in the previous mortise slot.
Making Butt Box Joints
Butt box joints are typically used in general box con-
struction or for drawer construction. The Domino
tenons strengthen the joint without the need for
additional fasteners. The example below highlights
drawer construction, but the same techniques are
used on other types of box construction.
Applications
Construction Tips
For drawer construction with a separate drawer
front, the front and rear of the box should be
Captive, as shown below.
The drawer front is installed onto the drawer
box after the box has been assembled.
This increases the strength of the drawer be-
cause the tenons are in shear (perpendicular)
to the operation of opening and closing the
drawer.
The ends of the side boards are concealed by
the separate drawer front.
For drawer construction without a separate
drawer front, the Sides should be Captive and
the Front/Rear should be the Caps (the reverse
of the image below).
For cabinet carcase construction, the Top/Bot-
tom of the carcase should be Captive (also see
"Making Carcase Butt Joints").
Machining the Captive-Side Tenons
– Choose a Domino tenon size to be less than or
equal to 1/3 of the board's thickness.
– Set the height of the fence so the Domino tenons
are in the center of the board's thickness.
– Set the mortise depth.
Note that if your workpieces are thin, you may
need to offset the tenon from center.
– Clamp the Captive boards [25.1] flat to your
workbench.
– Align the tenon position using the locating pins
[2.8].
– Grasp the Domino joiner by the auxiliary handle,
hold it fi rmly down to the workpiece, and slowly
plunge the cutter into the edge of the work-
piece.
25.1