The Framers Forum

Anyone know how to join moulding using splines?

I was thinking a join that uses only splines and glue would be a nice way to work with oak, particularly if the spline is a contrasting colour.

Can this be done with hand tools or are we talking power tools only?

Thanks.

There are a few peeps on the Grumble who do this. From what I can remember you need a router table and the right bit to do it properly.
You might be able to manage with a table saw and some ingenuity. The tricky part as far as I can see is to do a left and right handed cut in perfect register.

You might be able to do it by hand with a lot patience and a certain amount of luck..! But who am I to say no, there are many who could do a great job of it without any electrical equipment at all!

You might be able to do it if you put the two halfs of the joint in a clamp (dry) and then used a handsaw to cut in the groove(s). But the kerf of the saw must equal the thickness of the wood you are going to use for the splines. Unless you knocked up a jig to guide the saw, the cuts probably wouldn't be nice and even or a bit off square, but it would all align perfectly when you came to glue it all up.

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You can get by without the bandsaw and sander, but the table saw is a must. Amazing what you can do with jigs.

Thanks, that’s exactly the method I’m interested in. It looks good don’t you think? And the added strength to the joint is great too. Really want to try this on oak but power tools is not an option .... I’m thinking a Japanese dovetail saw and chisel... and plenty of time.... and a lot of moulding