Tricks of the Trade

Crisscross Corner Joints

When I build children’s furniture, I like to use the modified mortise-and-tenon joint you see here to connect legs and aprons. Instead of stopping both mortises short of touching, I run them deeper into the leg until they crisscross. Then, I make the apron tenons haunched to accommodate one another.

That way, they interlock inside the leg, and the longer tips of the tenons extend into the deeper portion of the mortises. I think the extra-long tenons give these joints more glue surface area and strength than shorter tenons.

- Dick Ayers; Barron, Wisconsin

Square Setup Fence

Recently I needed to drill centered holes through some wood blocks, and my Rockler Clamp-It™ Assembly Square found new purpose as a handy drill press fence. It offered full contact surfaces on two sides of the blocks for solid support during drilling. I could reach the blocks from all around, which made it easy to hold them securely without additional clamping.

The Clamp-It was simple to set up, too. I lined up the bit with the centerpoint of my block, slid the plastic square up against the wood and clamped it to the table. Worked like a charm.

- Jayne Thorson; Ann Arbor, Michigan

Hot Cure for Swollen Biscuits

Like most woodworkers, I buy my plate-jointer biscuits in large quantities. Regardless of how I've tried to keep them dry, they still seem to absorb moisture in my damp shop until they don't fit in biscuit slots. I've got a solution that drives out the moisture and shrinks them back to the compressed size. Just pop them in the microwave.

In a 1,500-watt oven, #0 biscuits take about 20 to 25 seconds on high heat. Size #10 takes 25 to 35 seconds, and I warm #20 biscuits for 40 seconds. Nuke them right before use for best results.

- Vincent Nocito; Blue Bell, Pennsylvania