Cutting splines

[Jacob Snow]

Ok i am making my wife a steamer chest for christmas (starting now, cause well ya know...) all the joints are spline miter joints. That obviously leads me to my question whats the best way to cut the large splines that are required? If i am correct the grain should be running across the wide part of the spline? The width of my kerf is 3/32, the main tool i have access to is a TS, which should be enough :) Any help would be appreciated.

[Quinn McCarthy]

Jacob

When I spline on the table saw I usually use a stacked dado blade. Depending on the angle on the edge of the board being cut set the angle of the blade at a right angle to the face of the angled cut. For a 3/4" board I usually go 1/4" wide on the spline. If you can see the end of the boards you will have to use the same species as the rest of the top. Most of them I do are hidden so I usually use maple for the spline. I try not to make the spline too tight so that you have room left for glue as well as a little wiggle room for the joint. I hope that helps.

[Jacob Snow]

i am trying to figure out how to cut the spline itself, not the slot for it :)

[Quinn McCarthy]

I usually just cut them on the table saw.

[Steve Clardy]

Yes. Rip with tablesaw

[Lee Schierer]

I think so far we've missed the question! He's asking whether the grain should be this way || or this way = in the spline.

[scott kinninger]

I cut my spines using the TS cause I dont have a BS. If your spline needs only be 3/4" or so wide you can rip it off the end of a 4/4 board, just cut ALL of your spline stock from one long board in one cut that way the thickness is consistent along the whole length. If you try ripping multiple splines from a short piece, and move your fence over with each cut, you will have problems with variation of the width of the spline. It might only be a "little bit" different, but I have not had good luck when trying to do that and it has not worked out.
If I need splines to be wider than that, I just resaw a 6" wide (or wider) board with the TS with the fence set to my slot thickness. I usually cut them in 2 or more passes, raising the blade each time, because my TS is only 1hp. It takes a little experimentation but works out pretty well. Maybe someone else can chime in on the safety of cutting boards in this manner, but I have not had any problems.

[Bill Eshelman]

I have been working nightly on milling perfect 3/32 splines.
it is harder than I thought it would be, although I knew it wouldn't be a walk in the park.

I have had the best luck with the band saw, but there is still the saw marks to sand down.

I tryed cutting them a little large and sending them through the planer, but they tend to chip and explode. :confused:

I really hope someone chimes in with the secret to the perfect spline every time.

Untill then I'll be the one exploding boards in my planer.:eek:

I'll be at it again tonight.

Best of luck.

http://www.genesis111.com/spline.jpg

here is how the grain should run:)

[Hal Flynt]

I would use plywood for the spline or masonite, to avoid the grain issue in the spline material itself. You are correct that the spline itself should have the grain running across the joint like a floating tenon. I don't know how to do that unless you crosscut and use many shorter pieces to make up the length.

Since the miter joint itself will be long grain to long grain, it should be plenty strong by itself and the spline is an alignment assistant, not a joint strengthener. I use masonite usually.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Yah cross grain glue joint in the spline when done is correct but - - - -
you can still do it on the TS. Rip it or cross cut whichever is more accurate on your saw.

Doing it on the BS seems to me a tad laborious especially if ya gotta do a second or thinrd operation before you use 'em.

[Vaughn McMillan]

...
I really hope someone chimes in with the secret to the perfect spline every time...

Incra jig and fence on a well-tuned tablesaw. ;) I can cut 3/32" splines all day long, with consistent results. The 3/32" material comes off the "waste" side of the blade, and I move the fence for each cut. Any cuts that are off dimensionally are strictly the result of operator error.

- Vaughn

[Mike Wenzloff]

I have been working nightly on milling perfect 3/32 splines.
...SNIP...
I really hope someone chimes in with the secret to the perfect spline every time.
I certainly don't know how perfect, but I thickness a board to the width I desire splines to be, rip them off a little over thickness with the bandsaw because my tablesaw rarely gets used and I finally put it in the storage shed...

I take the resultant spline stock and send it through a Performax sander. Good enough for a close-up, I think...

http://www.wenzloffandsons.com/temp/boxes/key_0001.jpg

Take care, Mike

[Joseph N. Myers]

...........................................

I take the resultant spline stock and send it through a Performax sander. Good enough for a close-up, I think...



What Mike said about the Performax drum sander. As far as cutting the wood, I use a TS (with hold downs) or with a GCSS.

Regards, Joe

[Dave Richards]

Hmmm.... I read his question as referring to a splined miter like the one in this drawing. In that case which way for the grain of the spline?

[Keith Christopher]

Spline grain should be perpendicular to the grain of the splined part. For LONG spans several loose mortise and tenon is a better choice.