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Making Miter Box Joints
Generally miter box joints are fairly weak because the joint is
predominately endgrain to endgrain. Tenons significantly
increase the strength of the joint and make it easier to
assemble and clamp the pieces.
Instruction Manual 15
Construction Tips
► For thinner materials, keep the mortise close to the inside
corner. This minimizes the chances for boring all the way
through the workpiece.
► For very thin materials, it may be necessary to shorten the
Domino tenon length as described on page 19.
► For thicker materials, stacked mortises can be used as
shown in the picture to the right.
Setup and Machining
1. Tilt the fence to the appropriate angle. (Refer to the table
on page 7 for miter angles for multi-sided boxes.)
2. Lower the fence to the desired height. Note that the
mortise should be close to the inside corner to avoid
penetrating through the workpiece.
3. Plunge the joiner as shown below.
► The stacked mortises are used for thicker stock.
► Grasp the joiner by the auxiliary handle for best control.
Making Lock Tenon Joints
A locked tenon joint is any type of joint with two or more
tenons at opposing angles. Once the opposing tenon(s) are
inserted, the joint cannot be disassembled. With the
exception of the Three-way Locked Miter Joint (page 18) at
least one of the tenons must be exposed so it can be inserted
after the joint is assembled. This is referred to as the Locking
Tenon.
There are many variations of a locked tenon joint, but the
simplest involve a mitered corner in a box or flat frame. The
miter angle provides an easy reference for the two tenon
angles.
In the example shown to the right, a standard miter joint is
constructed using a large Domino tenon for strength in the
main joint. The locking tenon is a 5mm x 30mm Domino
tenon.
The mortise for the locking tenon is milled with the joiner’s
plunge depth set to 28mm. This mortise is typically milled
after the joint is assembled, but it is possible to mill the
mortise in each piece separately.