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johnnyb

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Has anyone ever made or used the three way corner mitre? I had a play about today trying to simplify its manufacture.
 

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Has anyone ever made or used the three way corner mitre?
Made: yes.
Used: no.
I made a test joint but I used tenons rather than dowels. It was OK. Not perfect but not too bad. Not sure it would be worth the effort to use for real - it took me quite a while.
 
From what I can glean it's what I call a youtube joint. Just for clicks(with those tenons) but it is a superb three way interaction and I used machines to make in a few hours(the spiky bit is finished by hand being an inside)
Just needs the joint perfecting(although mine is much better than any I've seen with tenons such is the tricksiness) and I only had really cheap 10mm dowel drills that run out a mm on the points so maybe a better drill(any recomendations) I made a couple of dowel points to mark those inside dowels. I'm determined to make a stand or table or something using 8 joints.
 
From what I can glean it's what I call a youtube joint. Just for clicks
I did have doubts about the strength of the joint but having made a test piece I think it would be OK once glued. It was interesting to make but time-consuming. I'll probably never use it on a real project.
 
The finished joint seems hugely strong without glue! Ps the aluminum tube is conveniently 10mm! I'd have to hammer it apart.
 

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Interesting the dowel points worked perfectly. It was the simple hold together and drill a through hole that slipped slightly as it transitioned from long grain to end grain.
 
It's not that making even a single one with integral tenons is an exercise in patience but take away the tenons from an already hugely strong joint and its all much simpler. The spiky bit with the hollow is the hardest to make but set up a chisel mortiser and you within a mm of paring. The other 2 bits I cut with a dado on a tabke saw (plus mitre guage)and a mitre saw. Just need a decent 10mm Brad point. You know I even like the aluminium dowels.
 
From what I can glean it's what I call a youtube joint. Just for clicks(with those tenons) but it is a superb three way interaction and I used machines to make in a few
I can understand where you're coming from thinking of that type of joint as a YouTube joint, but an alternative, and much older name is Showcase Joint. Decades ago I was tasked by my employer with repairing an old Victorian showcase, a museum's I think, that included damage to one of the corner showcase joints. So, I've never made one but the one I fixed I'm fairly certain had pretty much the layout illustrated at 2 to 6 below, the image having been lifted from Ernest Joyce's The Technique of Furniture Making. Slainte.

Showcase Joint.jpg
 
I believe there first use was in the ming dynasty but the ideas it works with are basically the same albeit with a few alternate methods to joint it. It's use in Chinese furniture is universal and still common now. The reason being its possible to round all the surfaces within the depth of the pointy wall on all three faces whilst still bringing it together with perfect mitres. We're the victorian showcases curved in that way? Or was it just a neat corner.
 
All these fancy joints were necessary because mechanical strength was required in addition to the inadequate glues then available. Now we have CA glues which are specifically marketed as Mitrebond. The only requirement here for a successful bond is that the mitre faces be accurately machined and this can be easily achieved with a mitre saw.
Brian
 
I believe there first use was in the ming dynasty but the ideas it works with are basically the same albeit with a few alternate methods to joint it. It's use in Chinese furniture is universal and still common now. The reason being its possible to round all the surfaces within the depth of the pointy wall on all three faces whilst still bringing it together with perfect mitres. We're the victorian showcases curved in that way? Or was it just a neat corner.
Now I was thinking Japanese, but I’m not an expert and they probably both used it and also other joints that hold themselves together without glue.
Ian
 
Strangely chinese furniture design is mostly standardised.the form being established many hundreds of years ago. These forms are often complex but like sash windows are so well established it's only someone whose seeing it for the first time who thinks " who dreamt that up"
 
Strikes me the showcase joint also reveals the way mitres can bring even the hidden glazing rebates seamlessly together . Any joiner knows the faff of stepped and scribed shoulders to acheive this.
 

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