Bridle Joint Question

you can do it before if you have a router table. there’s no problem in that.

I do not want to round the end of the piece with the mortise where it meets the shoulder of the piece with the tenon. I hope you can see what I mean. Are you suggesting that I try to start or stop the rounding at the point that will be the inside corner?

- Chuck

-- "Too much hurry ruins the body. I'll sit easy … fan the spark" - I. Anderson

oh i get you now. whenever i think of a bridle joint on a picture frame i picture the mitered version. but here the best thing would be to rout it after it is glued up and then you will have to use a carving tool to finish it off.

Assemble first and then rout.

The easiest way I have found to round over inside corners is with sandpaper backed by a flat piece of wood. Usually, I just take a PSA disk for my ROS and stick it to a small (1” x 3”) block of ply wood and trim off the edges of the paper. Don’t wrap the sandpaper over the edge because then you will cut into the side you are butting up to. Using a flat block will allow you to match the round-over that the router made and also allow you to angle into a mitered corner if need be. Start with about 120 grit and work down to whatever grit you are going to use for the final finish sanding. (Basically, you are making a mini-rasp out of wood and sandpaper). It is quick and easy to do.

I have found that even a sharp chisel may lead to splitting the wood if the grain happens to be running the wrong direction. I only use the chisel if the round-over is set lower than the surface (round-over with fillet profile)

This same technique can be used to match 45 degree bevels on an inside corner so that they come to a sharp point at the joint, rather than the radius the router leaves.

Hope this helps

Go

-- Go http://ncwoodworker.net/pp/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=730

Thanks for the suggestions. The sandpaper and wood block idea sounds like just what I need.

- Chuck

-- "Too much hurry ruins the body. I'll sit easy … fan the spark" - I. Anderson