Domino and angled tennon

[CNX]

Hi all,

Since I bought a Domino in the beginning of this year, I continued to be impressed. It makes my woodworking process so much simpler, efficient, and more precise.

My next project is dining chairs, which will be my first attempt. I guess I'll make a prototype using poplar first. One obvious challenge is, of course, angled joint between the rails and posts. For angled joints, I guess Domino is usually used perpendicular to the butted surfaces. This approach has been serving me well but for chair rails, depending on the angle, there is only so much room for the depth for the domino mortises; the domino cutter would go through the side of the rail if the bevel angle is too steep and/or the mortise depth is too deep. On the other hand, boring angled mortises along the rail (which is not perpendicular to the butted surfaces but along the long axes of the rails) by Domino does not seem very straightforward. One solution would be to use small Domino tenons (like 5x20), but I'm concerned about the strength.

I can think of several remedies;

1) don't use too much bevel between the posts and rails.
2) use thicker rails.
3) give the rails some curves so that they meet posts at an angle closer to 90 degree.
4) do not use Domino. Use a router and jigs to bore angled mortises.

I would appreciate any advises from those who using Domino for chair making.
Also, which domino tenons do you use for chairs?

TIA.

 

[Carl Prentiss]

I've never built  a chair, but I have cut the mortise in an end and then cut the angle. depending upon the geometry, this sometimes works out. You may have to shorten the tenon a little though.

 

[Trosey]

4) do not use Domino. Use a router and jigs to bore angled mortises.

By all means USE the domino for making chairs. The Domino makes angles easy and accurate. If you do not own a Kapex, then go ahead and get it on order. Miters and bevels are easy to set and easy to make  all the same.

I would suggest that you draw the plans to full size. I use white melamine. Top, side, and front views.

This makes it easy to see and understand that parts have an inside and an outside...a top side and a bottom side.... a right side and a left side. Think through how the chair will be assembled. I have found(for me) it is easier to have the mortises perpendicular to the legs. I lay out assemblies....front, rear, and then the aprons/stretchers.

I have built chairs with a tenon jig on the table saw and mortise chisels in a drill press....making mortises with a router table, using a Leigh FMT jig and a Festool Domino. The latter was my far the BEST.

Trosey

 

[CNX]

Thanks Trosey,

If the mortises are perpendicular to the legs, I assume the mortise is also perpendicular to the joined surface of the rail, but angled with respect to the long axis of the rail. Then I guess you can't make a deep mortise into the rail?

Maybe what you meant is I can figure out how deep the mortise could be from the real-size drawing.
In any case, your point is well taken; there is a way to use Domino and it is a good way.

 

[Trosey]

One can go much deeper than you are thinking.....The angle is not that acute.  The last set(6) I built had 8mm, 6mm, and 5mm Dominos. Some with as much as a 25 mm depth.

The back was 4 degrees narrower than the front. The back of the seat was 2 degrees lower than the front. The back leg was kicked back  at a 20 degree angle. The front legs were at 90 degrees to the front apron. The legs were at 90 degrees to the side aprons(with a 4 degree bevel).  The bottom stretchers and the seat apron were parallel to each other but not parallel to the floor. I hope that makes sense. Easier for me to draw it than to try to put it written words..

 

[CNX]

I see. That is encouraging.
I'll follow your advise and start some drawing assuming all joints will be done by Domino. That would be certainly less intimidating than planning all the angled tenon and mortises with all kinds of jigs, routers, mortisers, drill press, etc.

 

[Trosey]

Go ahead and google "Bikemaster 20".  It is a metric tapered feeler gauge.  $10 or less. It was a lifesaver on positioning the mortise in the end of the beveled rails. Think metric when using the domino. I have made 1 5/8" chair legs and 1 9/16" chair legs. They just look right. the last set was 40 mm..I could not tell the difference. Aprons were 20 mm.  The Domino loves some METRIC.

 

[Tinker]

I have never tried chair making, but you guys are giving me an education.
Tinker