Half Lap Joints

[Sean Troy]

Hi all, I'm following plans to make a Jewlery box for my daughter and part f it calls for some small rails and stiles joined with lap joints. Would you recommend cutting the half lap joints with a dado or router table? Rails are only 9 7/8 and stiles are smaller. This is with 3/8" Cherry stock. thanks for any help, Sean

[Matt Day]

There are many ways to skin a cat - and in this case a router table or TS will work. Either way make sure your cuts are 90* and use a backer board to minimize tearout. I'd make that backer board oversize so both sides of the cut are supported since you're using small pieces. Personally I'd probably use a table saw.

[Prashun Patel]

In either case, the key is setting up on a piece of scrap. Once set, either will go quickly. I think people go with what takes less set up time for them.

Nice thing about a dado blade is that it doesn't require a jig. The router usually does. Since I made an adjustable router dado jig, and usually have a spiral bit w/ bushing permanently chucked in one router, I tend to dado with the router.

[Peter Quinn]

I'd probably use both for those. I'd use the TS to make the shoulder cuts, then use the router table with a backer block to remove the waste and establish the cheeks.

[pat warner]

"recommend cutting the half lap joints with a dado or router table"
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Router table (http://patwarner.com/images/dovetailed-lap.jpg)with option to use a big dovetail cutter to waste the land.


(http://patwarner.com/images/dovetailed-lap.jpg)

[Van Huskey]

For smaller stock I would go to the router table first.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I vote for a Trained beaver :)


If you need to cut many at the same time, cut a wide board with the dado and then cut that into strips. This makes them all the same and moves any tear-out to the end of the wide board rather than to each piece.

Although I am sure that it is just me, I seem to have less tear out and clean sides with my Dado King than with the router. On the other hand, the router usually creates a cleaner bottom cut than when I make multiple passes with my dado blade.

On an almost related topic, Bridge City is supposed to have their Kerf Maker available sometime in August....

[John TenEyck]

Dado blades do not leave perfect surfaces, at least the ones I've used. So for joints that just have to be perfect, like your jewelry box, the router is the tool of choice for me.

John

[Sean Troy]

Thank all. Looks like a good opportunity to maybe try both methods and do some learning.