Edge, miter and tenon

An edgy solution:
The table saw is the best tool for cutting straight gluing edges. If a table saw isn’t available, first glue together the sections to be joined. When the glue has completely dried, cut the pieces apart with a circular saw, making sure the blade runs dowm the center of the glued seam. The blade will remove a bit of the wood from each edge; even if the cut wavers, the edges will vary the same amount and will butt together perfectly.

Mitering molding:
Here’s an aid to stop cornice molding from slipping in a miter box. Cut one edge of a 4″ x 2″ (100 mm x 50 mm) scrap block at an angle that matches that of the molding, Apply double-sided tape to the cut edge, or glue sandpaper to it. Trim the block so that its back edge is flush with the back edge of the molding. Set the molding on the angled edge of the block. Hold the molding and the block against the miter box as you saw. The tape or sandpaper will grip the molding.

Coping a joint:
To install cornice molding at an inside corner, you will have to make a compound cut. First cut one piece to butt against the wall. Then make a 45 degree inside miter cut on the end of the other piece. With a coping saw, cut along this profile at the face of the trim, undercutting the edge about 30 degrees. With practice, you’ll get it to fit, creating a neat coped joint.

Binding tenon:
To find out where a tenon is binding in a mortise, tape a piece of carbon paper over the tenon and drive it into the mortise until it binds. When you remove the tenon, you’ll find a smudge on it that indicates where the joint is binding.

Joining with dowels

To the point:
Mount an old pencil sharpener on your workshop wall and use it not only to sharpen pencils but also to chamfer dowels for joining wooden workpieces.

Just a flute:
A fluted dowel holds better in wood beceiuse it allows more glue to surround it. Make your own flutes on plain dowels by crimping the dowels with the serrated jaws of a pair of pliers.

It goes in but won’t come out:
When test-fitting a dowel joint, the fit may be so snug that you can’t pull the joint apart. To prevent this, use test dowels. Make them by cutting a slot into each end at right angles (use a dovetail or small hacksaw). After the test fit, use regiar dowels to assemble the joint.

A better butt:
Increase the holding power at a butt joint by driving the screw through a dowel. Drill a hole for a 1/2″ (12 mm) dowel so that it cuts across the path of the screw that will be driven into the end grain of one of the workpieces. Put wood glue in the hole and insert the dowel. When the glue has dried, drive in the screw and sand or cut the dowel flush to the surface.