What is your preferred Festool way to build a craftsman style newel post?

[waho6o9]

Dowels done....

 

[deepcreek]

Option A. 

When you join the four panels, the top joints will be just as tight as where you have Domino's as long as you glue and clamp the the entire edge.

Are you still planning on wrapping them around an internal plywood column?

 

[Grasshopper]

That sounds good. I think I'll do option A. Thanks for weighing in.

I'm not sure if I will wrap them around the internal plywood column. Once I have a panel complete, I plan to see how strong it feels and see if the internal column is necessary or not.

Option A. 

When you join the four panels, the top joints will be just as tight as where you have Domino's as long as you glue and clamp the the entire edge.

Are you still planning on wrapping them around an internal plywood column?

 

[Sparktrician]

Option C (if you want to call it that) might be to come down from the top with the Domino tool centered on the seam between rail and stile.  Inserting the domino this way will need to be done post-glue-up, but will give you a very strong joint because of the increased glued surface, once you glue and insert the domino.  Any excess domino sticking out can be cut off with a hand saw (like a ryoba). 

 

[Grasshopper]

OK,

I am planning to make my mortises today.

I wanted to see what you all do to mortise on small stock like you see in the picture below:

I assume a jig is in order, so if you have a clever jig, pics are appreciated.

[attachimg=1]

 

[Ed Bray]

OK,

I am planning to make my mortises today.

I wanted to see what you all do to mortise on small stock like you see in the picture below:

I assume a jig is in order, so if you have a clever jig, pics are appreciated.

[attachimg=1]

Personally I don't think you need the double domino in that small joint, it will make the joint quite weak as there would be little wood left around the Dominos. I think you could easily get away with one #5 high and one #5 low on opposing angles. No requirement for more (and it will save you a few cents).

 

[erock]

Why do you want a 4mm and 5mm domino on the same side?    I don't think you need both.  Just use the 5mm dominos.

Eric

Edit.....just noticed Ed Bray's comment.  LOL.    +1 to Ed's comment.

 

[Grasshopper]

I was actually only going to place one domino, sorry the photo is deceiving as I had taken that earlier to compare the #5 and #4 sized dominos.

The plan is to go with just one 5x30 in the top rails.

My question, is how to plow a mortise in a block so small.  I assume folks have come up with simple jigs/etc, so I'm anxious to hear what others do.

OK,

I am planning to make my mortises today.

I wanted to see what you all do to mortise on small stock like you see in the picture below:

I assume a jig is in order, so if you have a clever jig, pics are appreciated.

[attachimg=1]

Personally I don't think you need the double domino in that small joint, it will make the joint quite weak as there would be little wood left around the Dominos. I think you could easily get away with one #5 high and one #5 low on opposing angles. No requirement for more (and it will save you a few cents).

 

[erock]

Do you have the clamping elements and some scrap 1/4" plywood?

If so, try  this.....

Place a small piece of 1/4" plywood under the piece you want to plunge the mortise in.  Using two stops and one clamp from the clamping elements.  Have one stop set in the back to prevent the piece from moving back on you.  And on the sides, have the clamp and other stop to secure the piece from moving left to right.  Hope that makes sense?

Eric

Edit.....I just went out to my shop.....this won't work.  LOL !  The holes in the MFT won't allow it.  But just lifting the work piece up by 1/4" should depending on how long the piece is you're mortising.

 

[Grasshopper]

Eric,

You are awesome!  Thanks for your feedback.

I tried with a couple crude 1"holes (I don't have 20mm sized hole saw), on 3/4 inch plywood.  I ran a test mortise with some scrap and it seems to work.

Here goes nothing!

See the "jig" clamped to the side of the MFT-
[attachimg=1]

A view from straight on:
[attachimg=2]

Do you have the clamping elements and some scrap 1/4" plywood?

If so, try  this.....

Place a small piece of 1/4" plywood under the piece you want to plunge the mortise in.  Using two stops and one clamp from the clamping elements.  Have one stop set in the back to prevent the piece from moving back on you.  And on the sides, have the clamp and other stop to secure the piece from moving left to right.  Hope that makes sense?

Eric

Edit.....I just went out to my shop.....this won't work.  LOL !  The holes in the MFT won't allow it.  But just lifting the work piece up by 1/4" should depending on how long the piece is you're mortising.

 

[erock]

BODA BOOM BODA BING BABY !

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!

 

[Mismarked]

Grasshopper, probably a few minutes too late for a suggestion, but if not....  It looked like you had a lot of the small pieces to mortise.  If you could line them all up side by side pushing against a long straight scrap supported by two dogs at the rear and one dog or clamp at one end of the row of pieces, you would have a wide enough surface to lay down the Domino500, and you could hold them all together with one hand and then rearrange the last piece if necessary when you got to the end near the clamp.

 

[Grasshopper]

Thanks for the suggestion…  but it came indeed a little too late.  The trouble with making a long line is you'd need the faces to all be exactly lined up so you can reference off the same face.

I plowed through all of them with the clamping elements.  It moved pretty fast actually.  Way more stable that I expected, and very easy to line up.

Grasshopper, probably a few minutes too late for a suggestion, but if not....  It looked like you had a lot of the small pieces to mortise.  If you could line them all up side by side pushing against a long straight scrap supported by two dogs at the rear and one dog or clamp at one end of the row of pieces, you would have a wide enough surface to lay down the Domino500, and you could hold them all together with one hand and then rearrange the last piece if necessary when you got to the end near the clamp.

 

[Grasshopper]

;D

[attachimg=1]

BODA BOOM BODA BING BABY !

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!

 

[Grasshopper]

Tom,

I have completed all of the panels and I'm now looking at how I will install on the floor.

These posts will actually be installed to the floor, and will be supporting a granite slab from above (rather than being a freestanding box newel if that makes sense).  I assume the granite installers will apply adhesive to the tops of these posts under the granite, which will cut down a lot from lateral pressure up top.

With the fact that this will have granite on top, would you consider a different way to install this to the floor?  If so, what do you recommend?

Route a dado 3/4" wide by 3/8" deep, in the posts about 6" down from the top. As you assemble the post insert a piece of 1x with a 3/4" hole in the center. locate the post center on the floor drill 3/4" hole. Use a length of 5/8" threaded rod to draw the post to the floor by tightening the nuts on the rod.

Tom

 

[Grasshopper]

I thought I'd bump this thread as I am planning on assembling my posts tomorrow.

I will be assembling all my panel pieces using Dominos, and before doing so, I need to commit to how the posts will be installed to the floor.

In my case, the design will basically be a box newel, except the posts will be supporting a granite slab.

See the photo below which is basically what mine will look like (minus the apron as my posts will go right to the slab and I will not have an apron).

As the slab will be glued to the posts, I assume lateral pressure will be minimized.

Anyway, how would y'all install these to the floors?

[attachimg=1]

 

[rvieceli]

Ask the granite folks if having the slab unsupported is OK. Trust me someone will at some point in the future sit in exactly the middle of that span.

 

[overanalyze]

Leave the lower base off. Cut blocks to fit snug inside the posts. Screw blocks to the floor. Slide posts over and screw to the blocks. Cover screws with base trim. It is how I did this one.

 

[Grasshopper]

Great method!  That is a fantastic looking island.  Very nice work.

About how tall were the blocks that you secured to the floor (and secured the posts to)?

Leave the lower base off. Cut blocks to fit snug inside the posts. Screw blocks to the floor. Slide posts over and screw to the blocks. Cover screws with base trim. It is how I did this one.

 

[overanalyze]

Thanks! I just used 2x material. Shimmed the columns plumb and put a screw in all four sides. They are attached to the rails and the rails to the base cabinets.