Chapter 9

THE DOVETAIL PUZZLE joint illustrated at Fig. 382 has perhaps caused more argument and controversy amongst woodworkers than any wooden joint. It may be neatly made in maple, walnut, or mahogany, and afterwards glued up. The question everyone asks is: How was it put together?

Take two pieces of wood such as mahogany, walnut or birch, about 6 ins. long by 1-7/8 ins. wide and 1-1/4 ins. thick. Truly plane them up and then set out and make the tenon and dovetailed piece (Fig. 383). Next mark out and cut the cross bar to fit its corresponding piece. The joint will go together in a somewhat diagonal direction as it is pushed into position from the back; when closed it will appear as at Fig. 382. For guidance, a plan, part elevation and back elevation are added.

An improvement after you have gained experience in the making of this joint is to make a similar joint, leaving the face (B, Fig. 386) blind; it then does not show the bevelling of the dovetail at the end C. In other words, keep the line C, say, 1/4 in. back from the face of B. The joint should be glued up and it will then appear to the average worker that it is an impossible proposition. (See Fig. 401, page 208.)

Carefully note that the edges A, A are parallel to each other in spite of the fact that they slope in one direction.

A further variation of the puzzle is seen in Fig. 387. Here the joint is much simpler, and can easily be followed from the illustration.

CROSS PUZZLE.--Fig. 388 illustrates a six-piece puzzle joint, similar in some respects to Fig. 369, but very much simpler. Both a back and front view of the piece D is shown for clearness of illustration. The method of assembling the pieces is as follows: Hold piece B upright, and fit piece D across; at the same time note that the small _x_ marks are opposite each other. Take piece E and, holding it as shown, slide it up the piece B (see arrow) until E engages D and the small _o_ marks are opposite each other. Piece C is now fitted behind D, and then piece F will slide in position and push downwards. The key-piece A is now put in position, and the puzzle is completed.

MORTISING PUZZLE.--The ordinary mortising exercise is, after the first two or three attempts, generally voted as uninteresting, but, although the simple puzzle shown in Fig. 389 is practically an exercise in mortising, yet, forming as it does a puzzle, it becomes a fascinating piece of work.

The puzzle is composed of three pieces of wood, each 4 ins. long, 1-1/2 ins. wide, and 1/2 in. thick. In each piece a mortise 1-1/2 ins. by 1/2 in. should be cut as shown at 1, Fig. 390. In one piece, marked 2, a groove is cut on one side, 3/8 in. wide, and in another piece (3) a similar slot, but 1/2 in. wide, is cut, and this is continued on the other side of the groove to a depth of 1/8 in. The three pieces should be set out on a 13-ins. by 1-1/2-ins. by 1/2-in. length of wood, as shown at Fig. 391, and when ready sawn apart.

The puzzle is put together as shown at Fig. 389. In the first place, hold No. 1 piece upright as shown at A, then take No. 2 piece with slot uppermost and push it through the opening in No. 1 piece until the nearest side of the slot projects 1/8 in. as indicated at B. Next place No. 3 piece on with the slot at the back as shown at C, and push it down until it touches the bottom of the opening in No. 2 piece as illustrated at D. The only thing to do now is to push No. 2 piece as far as it will go to make the figure as shown at E.

In this puzzle the parts should fit together fairly tight, but should not be too stiff.

CHINESE CROSS.--Fig. 392 shows a variation of the Chinese cross, which is perhaps the most fascinating of all woodwork puzzles. Take six pieces of hardwood (Fig. 394) and accurately plane and saw them so that each piece will measure 4 ins. by 1 in. by 1 in. Bearing in mind that all the cuts are multiples of 1/2 in., set out, saw and chisel five of the pieces to agree with the sketches 1, 1A, 2, 2A and 3. Leave the key piece intact. The puzzle is of course to fit all the six pieces together so as to form the Chinese cross or block given at Fig. 392. As a clue to the method of assembly we give another sketch (Fig. 393) showing four of the pieces fixed together. The reader can, if he so desires, make the puzzle to a smaller scale by using six pieces of wood each measuring 2 ins. long by 1/2 in. by 1/2 in.

DIAGONAL CHINESE CROSS.--At Fig. 395 is given a sketch of a completed Chinese block or cross puzzle in which the various pieces of wood go together diagonally. Plane up a piece of hardwood (which may be about 14 ins. or 15 ins. long) so that it measures on its end 1/2 in. square. Cut the wood into six pieces which measure about 2-1/4 ins. long, and then proceed to mark out, saw and pare up with the chisel two pieces like sketch A, three pieces like B, and one key piece as C. Now fit these together to make the completed cross. The solution is left to the reader.

Fig. 396 shows a combination of six pieces which, when fitted together, will make the Chinese cross similar to Fig. 392. Plane up the strip of hardwood (birch preferred) so that it measures 1/2 in. square at the end and proceed to mark out and make two pieces like D, two like E, one like F, and one piece like G. Put the pieces together to form the Chinese cross. Again the reader is left to solve the problem of fitting.

SQUARE PUZZLES are of endless variety. Four of these are shown, all simple to make, but not equally simple to solve. The only material required for each is a 5-ins. square piece of 1/8-in. fretwood or plywood; or, if preferred, pieces of different colour may be used. The diagrams are given exactly half size, and the lines may be set out direct on the wood. It will be noticed that all four puzzles are strictly geometrical in character.

Fig. 397 is made up of six pieces and is the simplest of the group to solve. Although containing only five pieces, Fig. 398 will be found to give more trouble.

Fig. 399, with ten pieces, is undoubtedly the most trying puzzle, and will be found as baffling as many jig-saw pictures. Fig. 400, again, presents only moderate difficulties.

If the reader prefers, he may cut the squares to the size illustrated instead of enlarging them.

INDEX

Angle, mitre, 163, 164

Angles for dovetails, 134

Astragals, 128, 129

Back flap hinges, 115, 116

Barefaced (_see under_ Tenon).

Barred door joint, 55

Barrow-wheel joints, 20

Battening, 188

Bevelled dovetailing, 149

Bevelling, guide block for, 161

Birdsmouth joints, 181

Blind lap-dovetailing, 145

Boards, weather, 176

Bolts for scarf joint, 107, 108

Boring away waste, 41, 42

Box, laminated core, 175

Box lid, hingeing, 113

Boxes, dovetails for, 133

Brace and bit, use of, 41, 42

Brass astragal, 129

Bridle joint, mitred, 36, 37

Bridle joint, oblique, 37, 38

Bridle joints, 35

Bridle joints, setting out, 39

Butt hinge, 110, 111

Butt hinge, rising, 115, 116

Butting mitred joint, 8

Buttoning, 184

Carcase work, dovetailing, 149

Card table hinges, 115, 116

Chair joint, interlocking, 91

Chinese cross puzzle, 203

Chinese cross puzzle, diagonal, 204

Chinese puzzle, 189, 190

Chisel used in dovetailing, 137, 138, 153

Chiselling (bridle joints), 45

Chiselling (halved joints), 30, etc.

Chiselling (mortise and tenon joints), 89, etc.

Circular frames, 172

Clamping, 80, 82

Close joint hingeing, 125

Cogged joints, 181

Column joints, 179

Combing joint, 55

Core box, laminated, 175

Corner dovetail, 152

Corner joints, halved, 14

Corner tongued joints, 55, 56

Cornice frame dovetailed, 143, 144

Cornice pole, dowelling, 97, 98

Cornice pole joints, 177

Corrugated steel fasteners, 185

Cot joints, 178

Countersink bit, 96

Cradle for planing, 52

Cradle for planing dowels, 94

Cramping glued joints, 11, 12

Cramping tongued and grooved mitre joint, 56, 57

Cross halving joints, 18, 23

Cross puzzle, 200

Cross puzzle, Chinese, 203

Cross puzzle, diagonal, 204

Cross tongues, 51, 52

Curved work, joints for, 172

Diagonal cross puzzle, 204

Dogs, iron, 10, 11

Donkey's ear shooting board, 327

Door frames, semicircular head, 173, 175

Door joints, barred, 55

Doors, "bound," 109

Doors, hingeing, 116-119

Doors, shutting joints of, 127, 129

Dovetail angle template, 134, 154

Dovetail, corner, 152

Dovetail grooving, 160

Dovetail halved joints, 17, 19, 20

Dovetail, housed and mitred, 145

Dovetail joint, the 132

Dovetail puzzles, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199

Dovetail, secret mitred, 146

Dovetail-wedged tenon joint, 75

Dovetailed keys, 147, 148

Dovetailed scarf joint, 103, 104

Dovetailing, bevelled, 149

Dovetailing, blind lap, 145

Dovetailing, lap, 133

Dovetailing, oblique, 151

Dovetailing, through, 132

Dovetails, frame, 143

Dovetails, machine made, 159

Dovetails, sawing, 141, 155

Dovetails, setting out, 151

Dowel cradle for planing, 94

Dowel plate, steel, 93

Dowel rounder, 96

Dowel with groove, 94, 95

Dowelling frames, 100

Dowelling joints, 93

Dowelling table legs, 101

Dowels, making, 93

Drawbore pinning, 78

Drawer bottom joint, 188

Drawer joints, dust-proof, 131

Drawer ploughslips, 10, 11

Drawers, dovetailing, 133, etc., 156

Dreadnought file, 81, 82

Drop table joint, 20

Dust-proof drawer joints, 131

Fall fronts, hingeing, 119

Fasteners, corrugated steel, 185

Feather tongues, 51, 52

Fencing, joint for, 71

File, dreadnought, 81, 82

Finger joint hinge, 122, 123

Fished joint, 105, 106

Flap (back) hinges, 115, 116

Floor boards, 48

Fly rails, 120, 121

Fox-wedging, 76

Frame dovetails, 143

Frame joints, Oxford, 26, 27

Frame, mirror, with bridle joints, 37

Frames, circular, 172

Frames, dowelling, 100

Frames for oil paintings, 184

Gate joint, 68, 69

Gauge, marking, 28, 29, 40

Gauge, marking dovetails with cutting, 135

Gauging boards for dowelling, 97, 98

Gauging for hinges, 110, 111

Glued joint, the, 1

Glueing dowelled joints, 97

Glueing rubbed joints, 2

Grooved joints (_see_ Tongued and Grooved), 48

Grooves, ploughing, 58

Grooving, dovetail, 160

Halved and dovetailed joints, 17, 19, 20

Halved and mitred joints, 16

Halved joint, the, 13

Halved joints, setting out, 28

Halved scarf joint, 103, 104

Halving joints, cross, 18, 23

Hammer head tenons, 80

Handscrews, 11, 12

Haunched tenons, 65

Hinge, butt, 110, 111

Hinge, finger joint, 122, 123

Hinge, knuckle joint, 122, 123

Hinge recesses, 112

Hinge, rule joint, 125

Hinged cornice pole, 177

Hinged joints, 109

Hingeing box lid, 113

Hingeing, close joint, 125

Hingeing doors, 116-119

Hingeing draught screens, 121

Hingeing fall fronts, 119

Hingeing, open joint, 124

Hinges, gauging for, 110, 111

Hinges, various, 110, 114, 115, 116

Hook joints, 130

Housed and mitred dovetail, 145

Interlocking chair joint, 91

Iron dogs, 10, 11

Japanese self-wedging tenon joint, 72

Joint, drawer bottom, 188

Joint, fished, 105, 106

Joint, interlocking chair, 91

Joint, tabled scarf, 107

Joint, tie beam scarf, 106

Joints, barefaced tenon, 64 barred door, 55 barrow wheel, 20 battened, 188 birdsmouth, 181 bridle, 35 butting mitred, 8 cogged, 181 column and pillar, 179 combing or locking, 55 cornice pole, 177 cot, 178 cross halving, 18, 23 dovetail, 132 dovetailed and wedged tenon, 75 dowelling, 93 dust-proof drawer, 131 fencing, 71 for curved work, 172 garden gate, 68, 69 glued, 1 halved, 13 halved and dovetailed, 17, 19, 20 haunched tenon, 65 hinged, 109 hook, 130 ladder, 177 laminated, 10, 11, 172, 175 lap, 13 light-tight, 131 meeting, 129 miscellaneous, 176 mitre-faced tenon, 77 mitre bridle, 36, 37 mitre halved, 16 mitred, 163 mitred and tenoned, 72, 73 mitred and tongued, 56, 57 mortise and tenon, 64 notched, 180 oblique bridle, 37, 38 oblique halved, 15, 23 ogee-shaped, 8 open slot mortise, 80 partition, 24, 25 ploughing for tongued and grooved, 58 puzzle, 189 rafter and tie beam, 182 rafter (tenon), 77 rebated door, 129 roof, 34, 37, 38 roof (tenon), 77 rubbed, 1 saddle, 180 sash bar, 79 scarf, 103 screen, 114, 121 scribed and tenoned, 72 setting out bridle, 39 setting out halved, 28 setting out tenon, 83 shouldered tenon, 70, 71, 79 shutting, 127 skirting and muntin, 178 T, 14, 18 tie, 22, 23 tongued and grooved, 48 tongued corner, 55, 56 trestle, 24 tusk tenon, 74, 75 weather board, 176 wheelwright's self-wedging tenon, 75

Keyhole screwing, 187

Keying, dovetail, 147

Keying, veneer, 178

Keys, dovetailed, 147

Knuckle joint hinge, 122, 123

Ladder joints, 177

Laminated joints, 10, 11

Lamination, 175

Lap dovetailing, 133

Lap dovetailing, blind, 145

Lap joints, 13

Laths, winding, 3

Lid, hingeing box, 113

Light-tight joints, 131

Locking (inter) chair joint, 91

Locking joint, 55

Marking gauge, 28, 29, 40

Matchboarding, 49

Meeting joints, 129

Mirror frame with bridle joints, 37

Mitre box, saw used in, 171

Mitre bridle joint, 36, 37

Mitre, curved, 163, 164, 168, 169

Mitre faced tenon joint, 77

Mitre halved joints, 16

Mitre sawing block, 165

Mitre, setting out a curved, 168, 169

Mitre template, 170

Mitre trap, screw, 165, 166

Mitred and housed dovetail, 145

Mitred and tenoned joint, 72, 73

Mitred butting joint, 8

Mitred dovetail, secret, 146

Mitred frames, dowelling, 99, 100

Mitred joint, the, 163

Mitred tongued joints, 56, 57

Mitres, curved, 169

Mortise and tenon joints, 64

Mortise, open slot, 80

Mortising, 87

Mortising puzzle, 201

Mouldings, mitreing, 165, 171

Muntin joint, 178

Notched joints, 180

Oblique bridle joint, 37, 38

Oblique dovetailing, 151

Oblique joints, halved, 15, 23

Ogee-shaped joint, 8

Open-joint hingeing, 124

Open slot mortise, 80

Oxford frame, halved joints for, 26, 27

Partition joints, 24, 25

Patera covers, 183

Pelleting, 182

Piano front joint, 9, 11

Pinning, 73

Pinning, drawbore, 78

Pins, dovetail, 136

Pivot hinges, 114, 115, 116

Plane, old woman's tooth, 161, 162

Plane, the plough, 58, 59, 60

Planes, tongueing and grooving, 61

Planing, cradle for, 52

Planing mitred work, 165

Plinth frame dovetailed, 143, 144

Plough plane, the, 58, 59, 60

Ploughing for tongued and grooved joints, 58

Ploughslips, glueing, 10, 11

Plugging, 186

Pole joints, cornice, 177

Puzzle, Chinese cross, 203

Puzzle, cross, 200

Puzzle, diagonal Chinese cross, 204

Puzzle joints, 189

Puzzle, mortising, 201

Puzzles, dovetail, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 208

Puzzles, square, 205

Rafter and tie beam joints, 182

Rafter joint (tenon), 77

Rebated door joints, 129

Reversible screen hinge, 114, 115

Rising butt hinge, 115, 116

Roof joints, 34, 37, 38

Roof joints (tenon), 77

Roof work, scarfed joints used in, 103, 104, 106

Rubbed joint, 1

Rule joint hinge, 125

Saddle joints, 180

Sash bar joints, 79

Sawing block for mitreing, 165

Sawing (bridle joints), 41, etc.

Sawing dovetails, 141, 155

Sawing for hinge recesses, 112

Sawing (halved joints), 30, 31, etc.

Sawing (tenons), 84, etc.

Scarf joint, fished, 105, 106

Scarf joint for heavy timber, lapped and bolted, 107, 108

Scarf joint, tabled, with straps, 107

Scarf joints, 103

Scarf joints, tie beam, 106

Screen hinges, 114, 115, 116

Screens, hingeing draught, 121

Screwing, slot or keyhole, 187

Screws, hiding with pateras, 183

Scribed tenon joint, 72

Secret mitred dovetail, 146

Setting out dovetails, 151

Shooting board, 7, 10, 11

Shooting board for mitreing, 165, 166, 167

Shoulders, 14, etc., 19, 23

Shoulders of tenons, tongueing, 63

Shoulders, sawing, 45

Shoulders (tenon), 70, 71, 79

Shoulders, tenon with tongued and grooved, 79

Shutting joints, 127

Sideboard pillar joints, 179

Skirting and muntin joint, 178

Skirting, mitred, 163

Skirting mould, double, 56, 58

Slot screwing, 187

Spandrel, jointing shaped, 9, 11

Spandrel with tongued joint, 52, 53

Sprocket wheel, 68

Square puzzles, 205

Steel fasteners, corrugated, 185

Stiles, shutting and meeting, 128

Stopped bridle joint, 37, 38

Stopped dovetail halving, 17

Strap hinge, 114, 115

Straps for scarf joints, 107, 108

Stump tenons, 65

T joints, halved, 14, 18

Table (card) hinges, 115, 116

Table frame, laminated, 174, 175

Table framing, 79

Table joint, drop, 20

Table leg with bridle joint, 36

Table legs, dowelled, 101

Table tops buttoned, 184

Table with circular rim, joint for, 25

Tabled scarf joint, 107

Template, dovetail angle, 134, 154

Template for mitreing, 170

Tenon (and mortise) joints, 64

Tenon joint, dovetailed and wedged, 75

Tenon joint, mitred and moulded, 72, 73

Tenon joint, scribed, 72

Tenon joint, self-wedging, 72

Tenon joint with mitred face, 77

Tenon joint with tongued and grooved shoulders, 79

Tenon joints, barefaced, 64

Tenon joints, drawbore pinning for, 78

Tenon joints, setting out, 83

Tenon joints, shouldered, 70, 71, 79

Tenon joints, tusk, 74, 75

Tenoned scarf joint, 103, 105

Tenons, hammer head, 80

Tenons, haunched, 65

Tenons, inserted, 81, 82

Tenons, stump or stub, 65

Tenons, tongueing shoulders of, 63

Tenons, twin, 72, 73, 80

Through dovetailing, 132

Tie beam and rafter joints, 182

Tie beam scarf joint, 106

Tie joint, 22, 23

Tongue slips, 130

Tongued and grooved joints, applications of, 52

Tongued and grooved joints, 48

Tongued and grooved joints, ploughing for, 58

Tongued joints, corner, 55, 56

Tongueing and grooving planes, 61

Tongues, cross and feather, 51, 52

Tongues, loose, 55

Toothing plane, 161, 162

Trestle joint, 24

Try square, 9, 28

Tusk tenon joints, 74, 75

Twin tenons, 72, 73, 80

Twist bit, 96

Vee'd matchboarding, 49, 50

Vee'd scarf joint, 105

Veneer keying, 178

Wall plugs, 186

Weatherboards, 176

Wedges for tenon joints, 67

Wedging, fox, 76

Wedging frames, 184

Wheel joints, barrow, 20

Wheel, sprocket, 68

Wheelwright's self-wedging tenon joint, 75

Winding laths, 3

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY THE WHITEFRIARS PRESS, LTD., LONDON AND TONBRIDGE.

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