Thread: Cutting Lap Joints by Hand

I have always found it quite hard. The table saw helps in terms of getting the end straight, but checking out all that wood seems to be my downfall. If you are smart, you will cut multiple cuts (setting the fence a little closer each time) then use a hammer to knock out the thin bits of wood left from the cuts, then finish off with a sharp chisel. That's why hammers are sometimes referred to as American chisels ...

Cheers Black Cat, I really would like to get a Table Saw, just not this week

I have about about 36 lap joints to do And no Table Saw or Circular Saw.

I am making a carcass for a wardrobe and was keen to do some joinery instead just butt joints and borrowing a Nail Gun.

Might have to look at investing in a circular saw I think, as the wood is mostly 70mm x 35mm H3 Treated Pine.

I did find this page when I was looking around after I posted my question, always the way, I looked for ages before this post... Anyway I found this page: http://thebloghub.com/pages/Woodwork-Joints Which I found helpful. It describes the American Hammer technique you mentioned

I sort of wondered if there was a little metal tool / jig that would sit in the middle of the wood that you could run the saw down against when doing end grain sawing...

I gave up doing it by hand the day I got a plunge router and a big bit for the this type of work.
This will allow a nice clean square cut at the correct depth and if you set it correctly at 90 degrees.
You can do more than one piece to save time.

Sounds like you're doing rougher work on larger timber. Circ saw is the way to go. Make your two edges clean, maybe build a square guide and clamp it on, then take several passes and clean it up with a chisel.

On smaller pieces a router works well.

But you did say you are building a wardrobe carcass and using mostly 70mm x 35mm H3 Treated Pine.

Perhaps it is just me but treated pine for this?

I would avoid treated pine that close to my clothes personally. But for a carcase, particularly if it is to be covered up with some other material, the way you have gone sounds like the solution. There is a time for fine carpentry (like the windowsill I am building at present) and a time for just getting the job done...

Originally Posted by simonmags

..


is there a tool to assist cutting lap joints by hand?

Not wanting to appear a smart "A" but..

Sharp saw Japanese are great or sharp fine toothed back saw.
Sharp marking gauge.
Sharp Chisel and lots of practice then they appear easy.

I had an experience with one of my students, recently, over the very same joint and they now (after much practice) agree that providing you don't have to cut to many the above system works best.


Cheers

Steve

Some Helpful Suggestions there.

Yes Steve I would love some more tools and a Japanese pull saw is getting higher and higher on the list.

Termites are a problem in our area and since it will be mostly covered or painted I don't expect any problems with getting anything on my clothes.

A Plunge Router does sound like a great way to do this sort of work, I had borrowed one for the last little while but had to give it back before I started this project, maybe it's time to lash out an get one. Any recommendations?

I used to do these with a router, but found it fiddly and sometimes damgerous. Recently I've built a pergola and made about 30 lap joins in large and small timbers using a circular saw and a saw guide made from MDF. This is both quick and accurate to crosscut most of the bulk away, then a mallet to knock out the waste. After that chisel and block plane, then clean up the corners with a shoulder plane.

If you're doing 36 joints it's worth making a saw guide for a circular saw IMO. Once you've done a few you'll get a nice pettern down and get much faster. Without a table saw I reckon this is the quickest way.

I'll second all the advice re. a circular saw. You can cut anything by hand, and a lap joint not too hard with practice but a power tool with a depth stops is a lot faster (even if somewhat less satisfying)

Here is a video showing how


A neat trick for cutting half thickness lap joint with a power tool is to set the depth of cut is by getting it as close as you can by eye, make a cut on a test piece right at the end, flip the test piece over and cut again in the same place.

If you set the depth to low the cuts won't meet, if you set it to high the cut will overlap. the depth if correct when the second cut leaves wisps of paper thin wood.

Cheers
Joel

Reading this thread reminds me what we have become used to in a relatively short time. No worrying about working off face and edge, just taking it for granted that the timber we work with is square all round.
Cheers,
Jim

No such guarantees with some of the wood I am using Jimbur, lol.

where this is a will there is a way
I had a mate make a fly screen door using his wife's bread knife
les

Circular saw is the way to go. Using this method you can cut several pieces at once saving time and effort. If you make the cuts close together, taking your time, you will have paper thin pieces of timber to chisel away to make a really neat joint with minimum chisel work.