Help needed to make splines

[Raymond Fries]

What is the easiest way to make 1/8" thick splines? I thought about ripping stock say 3/32 and then run it through my drum sander. Good idea?

Do you have a better way? How do you make yours?

Thanks

[Kent A Bathurst]

I don't have a drum sander. If I did, I'd do it exactly as you propose.

I cut mine to, like, 1/64" over, then take off the blade marks with sandpaper and a sanding block.

[Andrew Kertesz]

If they are not visible some people use 1/8" hard board/masonite cut to the width you need.

[pat warner]

Mill a stick to a thickness = to the width of spline.
Joint both edges.
Band saw strips = thickness of spline + .050".
Plane (on a carrier) to desired thickness of spline.
Repeat as necessary.

[jeff zambron]

the jig that rockler and a couple of other places sell works well once you get dialed in

[Raymond Fries]

The splines will be visible. I want to use scrap stock. Hmmm - have not seen the jig to make splines if that is what you meant. Will have to look at it and see if it would be easier than rip and drum sanding.

[Chris Fournier]

Your math goes the wrong way! I usually notice this after I've made the part. If your saw is good enough you could rip and move on, I often do. Masonite is another good idea but it is rarely 0.125" on the nose. Rip a tad over and handplane to fit a test kerf would work just fine in my shop too.

[Art Mann]

What is the easiest way to make 1/8" thick splines? I thought about ripping stock say 3/32 and then run it through my drum sander. Good idea?

Do you have a better way? How do you make yours?

Thanks

If you rip strips to 3/32", I think you will find it very hard to sand them in a way that creates a thicker dimension. :D

[Peter Quinn]

I rip them 1/32" over desired final dimension and machine sand to match the groove….or I have an adjustable groover, so I can also rip up baltic birch or MDF and match the groove to the spline. Depends what the splines are for really, but if hardwood, a drum or wide belt sander is a great way to get very consistent results.

[Raymond Fries]

Oh yeah - Spline should be 5/32". I agree with the comment to bad math. This is why I got out of Accounting! LOL...
Splines will be red oak for a red oak frame.

[glenn bradley]

I just use the tablesaw and a rip blade to rip 1/8" strips from a larger blank. If your saw leaves marks, rip a tiny bit over and give the blank a stroke or two with a block plane.

[Edward Oleen]

uhhhhhhhhh....

I don't think you really mean "cut them to 3/32's"...

1/8th inch is 4/32's.....

You probably mean "cut them to 3/16's", now don't you???

[Lee Schierer]

Tune up your saw and rip the strips with a good ripping blade. Any slight saw marks with be hidden in the joint and will not affect performance nor appearance. Rip them to the size you need and then do your glue ups. no need for extra work and handling.

[Rick Potter]

I have used 1/8" dark colored tempered Masonite on small boxes. When the small amount that shows is varnished, I have been told that it looks just like ebony. A Freud flat tooth rip blade is the perfect size (full kerf). I have also used a carrier board, and made 1/8" splines with my lunchbox planer. It's nice to have some ready.

Rick Potter

[Charles Lent]

When you make your splines, they will produce stronger joints if the grain runs across the short dimension rather than along the long dimension of the splines. Diagonal grain is also acceptable. Biscuits have diagonal grain. I usually use Baltic birch plywood if the spline won't be seen. If it will be seen I plane some stock to the correct thickness and then cross cut the splines from that. It's OK to use several short splines end to end, so you don't need really wide stock to make long splines. A few shorter ones end to end in the joint will produce the same result.

Charley

[keith micinski]

I'm not sure why you can't cut the strips on your table saw to an 1/8th to start with?

[Howard Acheson]

>>>> When you make your splines, they will produce stronger joints if the grain runs across the short dimension rather than along the long dimension of the splines.

Absolutely.... In fact if the grain of the spline runs the same directions as the groove, the spline will add no strength to the joint.

[David Helm]

I personally prefer dovetail splines, done on the router table!

[Raymond Fries]

A couple of people have suggested to cut them on the table saw. I have a Jet cabinet saw which will make accurate cuts so the saw is not an issue. Frankly, I have not tried to cut them as of yet. I am planning on using scrap for the splines and figured it would be easier to sand them to final thickness. I figure it is not wise to set the fence to 1/8" from the blade. Going the other way would be trail and error for every strip. Maybe I will give it a try and see. Might be easier than I am thinking.

Nice tip on the spline grain orientation. I did not know that.

Thanks guys...

[keith micinski]

I don't see any issue with the fence being an 1/8th away from the blade plus you are only going to have the blade 3/8th's to a 1/2 inch above the table any way.

[Rob Holcomb]

Raymond, I make my splines exactly as you thought about making them. When I make a cutting board where the design requires an end grain to edge grain or end grain to end grain glue up, I don't trust the strength of the glue up alone and will use splines the entire length of the board and go all the way around the board with a contrasting color spline. I found when making them 1/8th inch on the table saw, they would fit perfect in some spots and be too tight or loose in others. So I cut them slighter thicker than an 1/8th inch and run them through my Drum Sander to take those variances away and I have a perfect fitting spline. If I'm making a box and want to add splines on the corners, I don't worry about the Drum Sander. The area needed to fill with a spline is so small that I can find an area on the wood strip that fits nicely. The rest of the strip gets saved for a cutting board or whatever I may need it for on another project.

Also, I do cut my splines on the table saw with the fence just over an 1/8th inch away from the blade. Then the blade is set to be just above the wood thickness. I use a wood push stick that I made out of plywood and push it right through the blade. It works great and I've never had a problem other it eats up push sticks after a while and they end up looking like the one in this picture. I guess I'm not the only one that does this with push sticks.

278683

[Roger Pozzi]

When you make your splines, they will produce stronger joints if the grain runs across the short dimension rather than along the long dimension of the splines. Diagonal grain is also acceptable. Biscuits have diagonal grain. I usually use Baltic birch plywood if the spline won't be seen. If it will be seen I plane some stock to the correct thickness and then cross cut the splines from that. It's OK to use several short splines end to end, so you don't need really wide stock to make long splines. A few shorter ones end to end in the joint will produce the same result.

Charley


Agreed if, we are not doing splined miter joints. Then the grain needs to run across the miter. OP did not specify what exact splne was being discussed.
Anyway, I just rip mine to size and use the Grr-ripper with the 1/8" leg. Works perfectly and is safe.

After typing this and thinking about it, the grain always needs to run across the joint, no matter if that is the longer or shorter dimension of the spline.;)

[glenn bradley]

I just use the tablesaw and a rip blade to rip 1/8" strips from a larger blank. If your saw leaves marks, rip a tiny bit over and give the blank a stroke or two with a block plane.

The jig I made (takes just a few a minutes) is a bit like this except mine has a little "bridge" that comes out over the strip to avoid any launched items:

278729

[Charles Lent]

Except that photo shows how to cut the splines with the grain going in the wrong direction. Splines should be cut off the end of a board with the board standing on end so the grain runs across the narrow direction of the spline. Again, you don't need to use a very wide board to get a long spline. Just make several splines the width of your stock with the grain going across the short dimension and then use several of these placed and glued end to end to form your spline joint.

Charley

[Len Henkel]

>>>> When you make your splines, they will produce stronger joints if the grain runs across the short dimension rather than along the long dimension of the splines.

Absolutely.... In fact if the grain of the spline runs the same directions as the groove, the spline will add no strength to the joint.

+1 Thanks Howie, I was wondering when someone would jump in with the grain direction issue. For me gluing up boards to get the required length is the biggest PIA

[keith micinski]

A new trick I have been using recently on thin stock is lowering the blade just a fuzz below the thickness and then making the cut. When you take the piece it pulls right apart and the little piece peels right off leaving you a clean edge. Of course most spline pieces are going to end up being crosscuts so that won't work as well.

[glenn bradley]

Just to show how far afield you can go with minimal information, I assumed the splines were for alignment of panels during a glue up, not for strength at all :confused:.

[Alan Lightstone]

I use this jig:
Infinity Thin-Rip Guide (http://www.infinitytools.com/Thin-Rip-Guide-For-Table-Saw-Bandsaw-Router-Table/productinfo/TRG-001/)
Works quite well. Takes seconds.
Then if a little thick, I run through my drum sander.
Finally I use a handsaw miter box to crosscut to approximate length.

[Edward Oleen]

I personally prefer dovetail splines, done on the router table!

...done with a Kehoe jig, maybe???

[Bradley Gray]

In the original post you mention drum sanding - if that means thickness sander then table saw followed by your thickness sander is the way to get a perfect fit. If you are applying finish to the splines (they will show in the winter) it would be smart to finish one to try and adjust the groove or the spline thickness to suit.

Pennsylvania woodworker Warthon Esherick sometimes painted splines a bright color to peak out in winter.

[Damien King]

I just wanted to contribute my two cents to the discussion. When gluing along the grain, such as when you we glue a table top (edge to edge along the long grain), there is an abundance of strength without splines so splines do not add any appreciable strength benefit. The reason we use blinds in this application is to help align the table top, preventing joints that are not flush and minimizing the joint cleanup. For this reason splines with the grain running along the long axis are more than sufficient in this application. However when you have a very small joint (like a small box) or a miter joint, there is definitely a benefit to using cross-grain splines (grain running along the short dimension). Good luck.

[Jebediah Eckert]

What is the easiest way to make 1/8" thick splines? I thought about ripping stock say 3/32 and then run it through my drum sander. Good idea?

Do you have a better way? How do you make yours?

Thanks

Whoa, those must be some crazy splines if your still working on them three years later! :eek: