Quilt Rack tool Help

[Jack Clay]

Hi,
I am looking for some advice on building a quilt rack. I have built them before by drilling through the end pieces and screw to the horizontal racks. This can be interesting holding it all together. I would like to use dowels or loose tenons to make it stronger and the easier to assemble. I have looked at and read about the Dowel Max and the Jessem jigs. All so I have seen where Jessem has a new cheaper version that looked interesting. I would appreciate any information on any of these or other suggestions that could be used. I am not budgeting any Festool product for this build Thank you for the help.

[John TenEyck]

The ones I've made used through tenons. If I were making one now, I'd use loose thru tenons. The thru mortises are easily cut by making a template for a plunge router with a bit and collet. The mortises on the ends of the cross pieces are cut with a another simple jig and your plunge router. No need to buy anything new. If I had to make them fast and simple, I'd look at Miller Dowels.

John

[Bill Bukovec]

The quilt racks I've built from plans I got from Woodsmith.

A 3/8" tenon is machined on the ends of the stretchers. A corresponding mortise is machined into the sides.

Bill

[Cary Falk]

I made a jig for the router and made mortise and tendons. I then secured the tendon from the outside with a screw in another mortise and covered it with a plug to make the whole thing liik like a through tendon. Maybe a picture will help.
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q297/caryincamas/DSC_0061.jpg

[Jamie Buxton]

You might look into Miller dowels. They're stepped dowel pins. Because they're stepped, they hold much better than a normal dowel. There's no jig required, but you do need a special stepped drill bit. http://www.woodcraft.com/category/2004679/miller-stepped-dowel-system.aspx