How can I make this arched mortise?

[Craig D Peltier]

I have to make a a/v unit with the arch in this pic like so. As you can see when it passes through the leg it will be slightly angled.
I have thought of 3 ways. Please give me your suggestions.

1) Make leg square ( not turned out like in pic), rip it in half, rout the groove on each piece at slight angle. Glue back together and slide piece through.

2) Make a block drill straight throught it thickness of arch and chisel it out so its a clean mortise.Then determine angle, cut end of block to that angle. Clamp it to the leg an drill it out and finish with chisel.

3) Fake it, dowel it , 1/2 thick dowels 1 inch deep. Problem is its weak, it can be kicked off.

Im leaning towards #2.

140741

[Rich Enders]

It seems to me you can rough out the mortise on a drill press with a wedge supporting the leg at the desired angle. If you have already cut the curve on the legs, tape the cut out back in place.

The roughed out mortise can be finished by hand.

[Frank Drew]

Craig,

If you can't handily set a router, mortiser or drill press up to cut neatly at your desired angle, you could cut most of the mortise at 90 degrees then cut the angled portions by hand.

Layout is key.

[Prashun Patel]

Another alternative - strong, but a minor aesthetic concession:

Make it a half-lap joint. The stretcher will be exposed on the inside. Personally, I'd also consider half-lapping those two short rails to the stretchers.

That'd be easier.

I really like the design. Please post progress pix...

[Brad Shipton]

From the picture it looks like the stretchers are on the back of both leg pairs where the joints are not exposed as much. I think they half lapped them in the picture.

If you split the legs in halves you could mount the stretchers in one piece pretty easily. I might be tempted to use this method if it were mine, but if it is for a client and they are not particular I would half lap them.

Please post some pics as you go. Its a nice design.

Brad

[Craig D Peltier]

From the picture it looks like the stretchers are on the back of both leg pairs where the joints are not exposed as much. I think they half lapped them in the picture.

If you split the legs in halves you could mount the stretchers in one piece pretty easily. I might be tempted to use this method if it were mine, but if it is for a client and they are not particular I would half lap them.

Please post some pics as you go. Its a nice design.

Brad

I proposed basically grooving out the back of the legs so the arch fits snug and flush into the back. I sent them a diagram like this, have my finigers crossed. I like this way for ease. If I need to mortise I still like my 2nd idea.

[Craig D Peltier]

From the picture it looks like the stretchers are on the back of both leg pairs where the joints are not exposed as much. I think they half lapped them in the picture.

If you split the legs in halves you could mount the stretchers in one piece pretty easily. I might be tempted to use this method if it were mine, but if it is for a client and they are not particular I would half lap them.

Please post some pics as you go. Its a nice design.

Brad
Today at some point I will post some pics of a dresser/av unit I built fo rmyself very similiar. I have the pics but have to make them smaller. Look in the projects forum for them.

[Prashun Patel]

I'm sure you thought of this, but the joint will be stronger if you groove out the stretcher AND the leg, so they half lap into each other. Just grooving the leg will weaken the leg or force you to use a really thin stretcher.

[Craig D Peltier]

I'm sure you thought of this, but the joint will be stronger if you groove out the stretcher AND the leg, so they half lap into each other. Just grooving the leg will weaken the leg or force you to use a really thin stretcher.

Thanks for the tip. I hadnt thought of that yet. I had the leg designed so the stretched was 3/4 thick an leg 1.75 so 1 inch of meat left. I guess I could go into stretcher by 1/4 or 3/8 and leave 1.25 of leg? All the weight is on the legs and the stretchers are just there for flare and keep from racking.