Question about cutting half lap joints

[Al Bacon]

Good Morning

I have to construct a face frame with half lap joints for diagonal racking. I understand that these are the strongest joint for this type of construction. However I don't have a RAS and am not going to get one (no room). So I am wondering what everybody thinks about clamping the rails together as a group and milling the joint with a router. If I mill the center lap first I could fit a stile in it to register the group for the other cuts. Then do basically the same for the styles.

Will this work? Is it a truly nutty idea? If so what is a better way to do it?

Thanks

Al

[Jeff Ramsey]

I'd try doing them by hand with either a tenon/dovetail saw or a back saw.

[Prashun Patel]

I've cut half laps with a router. I would first remove the bulk of the waste with a bandsaw and then use a plunge router with a jig, or a router table and coping sled to clean up.

Beware of blowout.

[Lee Schierer]

I do half laps for frames using my TS. I do the face cut first and then remove the waste with a ripping blade and tenon cutter to remove the waste.

You can also remove the waste with repetitive cross cuts on the TS and clean up the kerf marks with a small plane or chisels.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have done half-lap joints in a 2x4 frame for wood storage rack using a router. Using a jig, it was quite easy.

[Pat Barry]

There is no reason a router can't do a great job. You will want to use a backer to prevent blowout and you will want to take multiple passes to get to the desired depth depending on the material, depth required and feed rate you want to use.

[glenn bradley]

I use tenon jig on the tablesaw for short pieces and a router with a jig for longer ones.

316499316500316501316502316503

As mentioned, the bulk of the waste can be bandsawn away prior to putting the router to work.

[Phil Thien]

I've cut half laps with a router. I would first remove the bulk of the waste with a bandsaw and then use a plunge router with a jig, or a router table and coping sled to clean up.

Beware of blowout.

I was just about to say to use a table saw to waste most if it, but Prashun is right, a bandsaw would be even better!

[Yonak Hawkins]

If this is not too late (sorry, I just noticed this question today), if you plan to do the work on a table saw, consider a bridle joint. It's every bit as strong, possibly even stronger, than a half lap joint and much easier to manage at glue-up.

[Jim Dwight]

A half lap is a fine and strong joint for face frames. A router would cut them but I wouldn't try and remove too much material in one cut. I would use a router table with a miter gauge. You could also cut them on a table saw, again, using the miter gauge.

I usually use pocket screws for face frames. They are plenty strong with pocket screws and a lot quicker to do. I do half laps on my RAS. There are some sliding miter saws that can be adjusted to cut half laps. They can also be cut with hand saws.

[Joe A Faulkner]

What are you attaching the face frame to, and how, and once applied, what forces are coming into play that makes racking a concern? In general, I prefer to use a mortise and tenon for face frames or dowels. This is certainly my preference if the sides of the face frames are not concealed as in most bookcases or free standing pieces of furniture. If the face frame itself is being attached to 1/2" or 3/4" sides, then M&T or dowels are typically quite adequate.

[Bill Adamsen]

Bandsaw, in combination with a crosscut saw (table, RA, sliding compound, ?) works great for corner half laps. It is an infinitely more satisfying way than just wasting out material with a TS alone. If the stile/rail were short enough, you could jig for the crosscut "shoulder" as well I suppose.

You mention the "center lap" (dado?) so that complicates things a bit. Obviously a bandsaw won't work. A tablesaw or router is a good choice for that. If a router is your tool, I'd just make the simple dado jig (wide enough for your dado at least) everyone has hanging in their shop and use that. You could gang the parts ... but I suspect you'd get more accurate lengths doing them individually.

[Rod Sheridan]

321347321348321346A bandsaw will make accurate half lap joints. Here's photographs of a bridle joint made on a bandsaw, no touch up.

Sorry the photographs are a bit out of focus............Rod.

[Erik Christensen]

obviously some of us are better using a BS than others :)

[Al Bacon]

obviously some of us are better using a BS than others :)


Indeed :D

[Rod Sheridan]

obviously some of us are better using a BS than others :)

Nothing to do with me, that's what I demo'd at the Felder band saw course last fall.

I made those using the fence, a stop block and the Mitre gauge for the shoulder cut on the tenons.

No following the lines, just cut the socket with the fence and a stop block, cut the tenon with the fence and the stop block, cut the shoulder with the fence and the mitre gauge.

That's what a properly setup band saw produces.......Rod.

[Erik Christensen]

OK rod - then some of us know HOW to use a BS batter than others :) :)

[Yonak Hawkins]

OK rod - then some of us know HOW to use a BS batter than others :) :)

I, myself, do not use the BS for batter. I use the DP for that.

[Dave Cav]

Rod beat me to it as I read through the thread, but yeah, a bandsaw is my choice for cutting half laps since I got a decent bandsaw about 15 years ago. I haven't done many bridle joints lately, but using the fence and stop block technique as you would for half laps I can see how it would work fine. It's a good way to cut tenons, too. For years I cut my half laps on the RAS with a dado blade, but I much prefer the band saw now. I've also cut plenty of laps, bridle joints and tenons on the table saw with various jigs, and the pucker factor when cutting them on a bandsaw is way less, and just as fast once you're set up.

Most of my joinery is M&T using an old Millbury tenoner and a Newman mortiser (another thread, I know), but using my Grizzly 17" bandsaw with a Lenox Woodmaster CT blade I get really clean laps and tenons when I cut them on the BS. For a lot of smaller stuff I use the bandsaw more than I use the table saw.