FREE Spline Jig Plans:
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Harbor Freight clamp I used:
www.harborfreight.com/500-lb-...
A FULL PICTURE FRAME WALK THROUGH WILL POST ON 01/27/24. You dont want to miss it!
Strengthen your miter joints with this simple Spline Jig. A normal mitered corner lacks the long-grain to long-grain contact needed for a strong joint. It will usually hold together for a while, but it's weak and probably won't survive seasonal changes. You can make the joint rock solid and add a design element at the same time by adding splines across the miters. this is the only time in woodworking where you are supposed to cut corners.
I have an entire video on picture frames and how to get to this step.
clamp your frame inside the jig and raise your blade to the desired height. make sure you are not going to cut through the rabbit.
if your spline is the same width as your table saw blade, you will need to use this equation to find out where to set your fence. (1/2 material thickness + 1/2 blade thickness + 3/4" plywood )
otherwise whatever width you would like your spline to be, you use this equation: (3/4" + 1/2 frame thickness, minus 1/2 spline thickness) so if you wanted a 1/4" spline in a 3/4" thick frame. you would set your fence (3/4" plus 3/8" to find the center, minus 1/8" for the spline.
cut all four corners, flip your frame around and cut the four corners again. this centers the spline in the frame. easy peasey.
one thing to note is that your table saw blade might leave these little batman ear lookin points, thats because majority of combination blades use an Alternating Tooth Bevel (ATB), this is to help remove material. for clean 90 degree corners you will need to find and purchase a Flat Top Grind (FTG) blade, or use a chisel to square up your splines.
you can cut your splines to be a triangle shape if you wish to save a little wood, or you can leave like this.
apply some glue, and tap them into place; just dont tap too hard. there's a reason we are adding the spline.
let them dry, and use a flush cut saw to trim off the extra.
now your frame is much more structurally sound! and sexy!
two things to note after completing this video; I found it far easier to cut the slot for my spline, then take the board I want to use as the spline, cut two or three inches into the board and test my fit. to ensure a perfect size you can cut off the section you ripped and shove it in there instead of eye balling it. and I also learned that if you sand the interior of your jig too much, it throws off your equation because this measurement is no longer three quarters of an inch.
guess how many times I said "spline"