Locking Miter Joint 2 Secrets to Success with Lock Miter Bit. Woodworking technique tips tutorial
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- Опубликовано: 28 авг 2024
- Learn two key woodworking techniques to master the locking miter joint / lock miter bit and achieve excellent results with no tearout. You'll get a clean knife edge and a tight finished miter joint with all your woodworking projects if you follow these two simple steps. Follow along as Willie Sandry The Thoughtful Woodworker shows you how. First set up the bit height and fence position, and learn these 2 key techniques to success with your router making locking miter joints.
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I have this bit and the set up block from Rockler. I used the plastic setup block to set up my router bit and made a lot of cuts and adjustments to bit height and fence. I gave up after 2 hours. I wish I just would have watched this video. I found out the setup block was for two different size woods and of course I was on the wrong one. Your video was helpful to me thanks.
Thanks Gary!
Excellent video: thanks a lot.
0:10: aww, love the dog. He looks spoiled, the little buddy. As if he's pet throughout the day & still waiting for more.
Trooper says thanks. He is pretty spoiled, and usually works for biscuits. Best.
Thanks for the tip! Also, nice to see nothing but compliments and praise from the woodworking community in the comments section.
This was excellent. I went from totally confused to producing a good joint (for starters) in 15 mins!! Thanks
Hey thanks for letting me know. 15 minutes isn't too bad! Best to you.
very interesting very good way of doing it Thank you
Thanks Michel
Bonjour et merci pour la vidéo 👍un vrai plaisir maintenant ! Je dirai enfin 😊 car pas facile le réglage ….
Thank you!
Excelent !! Thanks Sir ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
There's also this bit for easier setup... ruclips.net/video/aXRkmE-wuLU/видео.html Best to you.
TY
Great tip, Thank you
Thanks!
…excellent and easy step by step to follow!
Thanks so much. The MDF strips have really helped me get clean results with the locking miter bit.
Take care
Easily understood video with great how to tips
Thanks Donald, always appreciate the feedback. Thanks for watching!
thx= i learned alot
Thanks! Here's another video on the same topic, but with easier setup.... ruclips.net/video/aXRkmE-wuLU/видео.html
Best to you.
Really liked your video, especially the tip about cutting the joint in two passes by using the spacers. I am going to be trying your tips out today with some cherry I milled up yesterday (first I will try on some scrape maple not the expensive cherry). It will be my first time using a lock miter bit, so this is greatly appreciated.
Thanks Kevin! I hope your project with locking miters goes well for you.
Best
Thanks for sharing..my issues with this router bit should be eliminated using your technique. .thanks again!
That's great Mark. Good luck with your locking miter bit!
Professional advice derived from hardwork and experience. Thank you sir.
Here's another video on the locking miter bit... ruclips.net/video/aXRkmE-wuLU/видео.html Thanks so much for the really nice comment.
Excellent video. Thank you Willie.
Thanks David!
Have a good one.
Best
Hi, I've watched a few videos on this topic and yours is by far the best. Everything you suggest is obvious if only I had thought of it. Nice one👍
Oh man your comment made me laugh! Here's another brand of locking miter bit I really like too... ruclips.net/video/BGvDQdck7Us/видео.html Best to you.
A great video. I just wing it. I did keep scrap pieces to set up the fence. Saves time.
Thanks Rick. Yeah, you can get pretty close eyeballing the setup of a locking miter bit. It's not as hard as people think.
Best
your tips are so simple and make so much sense! great video!
Thanks for letting me know! Much appreciated.
Great insight from a true craftsman. I’ve found my new favorite channel.
Howdy!!! Thanks for checking it out. Hope all is well with your clan.
Willie
Just beginning to try the bit, great set up tips.
Good luck with the locking miters bit! I hope your joints come out great.
Good video. Thanks for the contribution.
Thanks!
Thanks for the excellent video. Do you need to do the 2 step method with 1/2" stock?
Thanks Gary. Yes the setup is the same with 1/2" stock. Here's another video on the Infinity bit for easier setup... ruclips.net/video/aXRkmE-wuLU/видео.html
Best to you
Thanks.@@TheThoughtfulWoodworker
Good tips, thank you. I also recommend buying your bit from a company that also sells a setup block for each bit. It makes the setup trial and error process so much easier!!
Yes, I used to use a setup block too. The problem is the setup block only works for one specific stock thickness. So now I use the Infinity lock miter bit with setup jig... ruclips.net/video/aXRkmE-wuLU/видео.html
Best to you.
@@TheThoughtfulWoodworker Txs! Clever solution!
Thank for this video
My pleasure! Thanks for checking it out.
Best
great tips , thanks
Thanks Kevin, here's another option with the Infinity bit for easy setup... ruclips.net/video/aXRkmE-wuLU/видео.html
Best to you.
This was REALLY helpful!
Glad something in the video was helpful.
Appreciate the nice comment.
Best
Good video, your explanations made perfect sense. And you're right, I have a bit still in the box that I have never used, but I'm going to!
Yeah break that bit out and give it a try!
Thanks
Used the two pass method, got the tear out on the second pass!
That's too bad. It's always possible with oak. I actually get best results with this bit ... ruclips.net/video/BGvDQdck7Us/видео.html
2 thoughts. 1. Cut a 45 on the table saw instead of the double pass on the $100 bit. 2. Use spring camps instead of double sided tape on the fence. I use clamped on fences all the time and reuse them for a long time.
The 45 degree cut actually doesn't work. I tried it, and it cuts away too much material, and leaves gaps in the joint. The spring clamp idea sounds good, but would be in the way for vertical cuts. I like the way you think though. Best.
@@TheThoughtfulWoodworker You cut a shallow 45. Several bit manufacturers recommend a 45 cut to minimize loading.
beautiful master 👍
Thank you so much!
This is a real noobie question. I've just picked up this bit and have been watching a few videos to learn the finer details of its use. Your video is the clearest one I've found; however, there is something that you mention that I don't quite get. You said to make sure the "T" workpieces and the "F" pieces are oriented "opposite". What does this mean?
"F" meaning a board routed against the router table fence. "T" meaning a board routed flat on the router table. Basically you want to rout both edges of a board with the same profile. Then rout both edges of the mating board the opposite way. This will make it much easier to clamp the project together.
Thanks for the nice comment!
Here's another video on the topic... ruclips.net/video/aXRkmE-wuLU/видео.html
Best
Thanks
Excellent video. I'm one of those people who;s had that bit for a long time.. like 30 years but never used it! My router table isn;t so great though so, I'm not sure how it's going to work.
My first router table wasn't good for much, so I can relate. The bit works well though, especially if you use spacers for the two-pass method.
Best of luck if you decide to try your bit!
Thinking it would be worth setting up two separate router tables. One pass on each. I mean, honestly the time saved and sanity saved, it would be a no brainer for a full shop! Router tables are small, cheap, and easy to just leave set up and ready to go!. Great video though. Contemplating whether to get back into cabinet making again. There is definitely a need out there!
The old style locking bits would have benefited from two router table setups. But this bit really doesn't need it. Once you get the bit height and fence setting dialed in, it's the same for both mating workpieces. Now, if you left this bit set up in a router table for both cuts... that might save you some time. Thanks!
this is what people should use instead of pocket holes.
I agree!
This was very helpful. Excellent video.
I want to make a floating shelf from either 3/4" plywood or 3/4" stock, creating a box with one open side (for the shelf mounting). I'm curious if I can still use the miter lock joint for the front face of the shelf. I know I can make the basic box, i.e. top and bottom and the 2 ends, but will the corners still come together for the front face piece?
I can't visualize it and I don't have a miter lock bit to test with. I was hoping your experience might be able to answer my question.
A three sided or four sided box is much easier than a six sided fully enclosed box. I would make your three sided box with locking miters first. Then cap the ends with hardwood covers. If you rabbet them to fit, and leave a thin lip on the rabbet, the joint will be nearly invisible. Especially once you round over the edges.
You'll have a much easier time with hardwood compared to plywood when using this bit. For what it's worth, I never use the locking miter on plywood, but I know some woodworkers do.
Best of luck with the project!
@@TheThoughtfulWoodworker thank you for the quick response. I see what you're saying. I makes a lot of sense.
I thought about the locking miter joint as a way to hide the edges of the plywood. Rabbet joints, while stronger than a miter, would still show some of the plywood edge. That's when I thought about the locking miter joint. However, your suggestion that hardwood works better with the miter lock bit, make the rabbet joints on the ends more practical.
Thanks for the advice. I think you have solved my dilemma.
You must try these two key tips for clean, consistent results with a lock miter bit. And no tearout!
I tried it on white oak and got alot of tear out! Didn't have a problem with my test boards, so I'm not sure that it works very well with an open grain wood like oak!!
White oak can be tricky, but that's what I usually use. You'll have the best results with a two pass method. That's pretty easy to manage with 1/4" spacer boards taped to the fence. Good luck with it!
2:15 Heigth 3:14 Fence Depth 3:46 2 Key tips 3:51 #1 4:26 #2 7:50 Workpiece 9:32 End Result
Thanks for the tips I already know.
Nice dog.
Are these locking miter bits okay for plywood say 5/8 or 3/4?
With the grain you should be fine. Across the grain in plywood you may experience chipout. I use this bit almost exclusively with hardwood. Best of luck.
@@TheThoughtfulWoodworker thank you.
Great video…very helpful. One question, with a variable speed router, is there a preferred speed with this bit?
It's a large diameter bit, so definitely back it off from max speed. If your router has 5 speed settings, you might use it at 3.5 or 4. Best of luck!
Nice tips. I'll have to try those. I've been using simple bevels for quadralinear forms, which works well except for some clamping pressure "tango" at glue up time. I want to try out one of these locking miter bits next time I give it a go.
You will be amazed at how easy glueups are with a locking miter bit.
Thanks
What router table is that? Look like Bosch, but not certain. Great video. Thanks.
The router table is a Bench Dog top on a shop made base.
Thanks!
Thanks for the video. I tried this bit on a work piece last night and it annihilated my test pieces. My only guess is either my router isn’t going fast enough (set to half speed because of the size of the bit) or my table isn’t stout enough. If I ever get this bit to behave less like a wood chipper, I’m sure these tips will serve me well.
Getting the router speed right helps, but the biggest improvement in cut quality comes from cutting in two or more passes use spacers against the fence to accomplish that. Also, long grain is easier to rout than end grain. Keep after it. Thanks.
@@TheThoughtfulWoodworker Thanks for the response. I tried it with 8 passes on one of my test and it was still a mess. There didn't seem to be a feed speed slow enough or cut depth shallow enough that would keep it from pulverizing everything I fed into it. I wasn't even using hardwood. I was using a 2 3/4" lock miter bit on a Bosch 2 1/4hp router. My current working theory is that I need a more powerful router for this bit. Does that sound right to you?
@@patrickm1533 I don't think it's the router. I use a 13 amp router, and it works fine. It's probably the softwood lumber. I only use this bit with long grain edges on hardwood. Try it on a piece of hardwood like oak or maple, and I bet you'll see how it's supposed to work.
@@TheThoughtfulWoodworker That's encouraging. I thought I wasted a bunch of money on a bit I can't use without wasting a bunch more money on a router I don't need. I'll give it another shot on a piece of maple and see how it goes. Thanks!
Can you use this bit on the end of the grain?
Yes you can use it on end grain, but taking two passes becomes even more important. Thanks
Love your video. One questions though....is the size of the MDF spacer boards that critical? I can't get 1/4" MDF up here in Canada. Please help. Thanks.
Hi Jeff, the thickness of MDF shouldn't matter too much. 6mm or anything in that ballpark would work. Plywood would work too.
Best
I was thinking about a tapered table lamp, similar to this angled shape using the method you showed here, however, would the top and bottom require an angled cut on the end grain so that it stands on a flat surface with no gaps ?
Billy Graham from.😊 bonnie Scotland bonnie Scotland
Yes, you'd have to bevel the top and bottom before you angle the parts. Good thought process thinking that out in advance. Best to you.
Thanks for the response, can you suggest a method of addressing this? Should you make those cuts before assembly or after ?
Btw, I've subscribed , good work and thanks. 😁
@@williamgraham8761 I like to bevel the parts with a tilted Tablesaw blade first. That way you still have square sides to make the cut. Then angle your panel with whatever method you prefer. Then you'd be ready for the locking miters. Best.
@@TheThoughtfulWoodworker I've often thought about this scenario, I wonder if anyone has worked out the math...its a known fact that wood workers are generally not good at maths...I've tried wedges etc, but never yet worked out a repeatable and reliable method as yet, I'm only 64, so, time still to figure it out. 🤪
Is the dog Lapphund? Looks like one...
He's an Australian Shepherd. Thanks
Would it help to run your piece thru the table saw at 45 D. taking away part of the angle.
That's a very good question, and I did test that theory out. The problem is, a tablesaw 45 degree bevel removes too much material. The resulting joint was missing part of the interlocking fingers. That's why I recommend making locking miters in two passes on the router table.
Best of luck with it!
I ordered this bit by mistake years ago....entered wrong item number on web site. What is common uses for this bit?
Hi David, I use the locking miter bit to build oversized furniture legs. I just finished a locking miter glue up today for 2-3/4" square legs. I glued a solid oak core in the middle as I assembled it. Basically just a way to make oversized legs if you don't have 3" thick solid stock.
Best to you.
Since your sample cuts fit so well, why changer the settings?
True, as soon as you're happy with the results, you can lock in the settings. Lately I've been using the Infinity lock miter bit with setup jig. I'm getting spot on results on the first try. ruclips.net/video/aXRkmE-wuLU/видео.html
Hey, I'm new to this but I'm a computer engineering student.. I really like this joinery and I am building my first bench (2" x 6") with a frame. A friend of mine has a routing table and this video is really helpful for cutting down the confounding variables, so first off thank you! I was also looking at the cleverness that is drawbore Mortise and Tenon joints; the geometry of this joinery suggests that it may be possible to drawbore through the center of this joint and offset the halves of the holes to achieve that tightening effect with an aluminum rod; do you think something like that would work for keeping this joinery fixed while it glues with a half inch hardwood? Cause right now I don't have a table with dogs, holdfasts, and only 2 short clamps.
If you plan out the joint in advance, with the same profile on both edges of one board, and the opposite profile on the mating board... You will only need to clamp in one direction. But you will need a few clamps!
Best of luck with the project.
@@TheThoughtfulWoodworker thanks!
Will this work on thinnerstock?
Yes, it has a range of thicknesses it works for. Usually 1/2"-3/4" is okay. Infinity also has a standard and large locking miter bit. Best to you.
What speed do you have the router set to for this bit? Thank you in advance.
Hi Jennifer, you are smart to ask this question because big bits need slower speeds. It's hard to say actual R.P.M. but I usually set the router speed to 3.5 or 4 out of a maximum 5. Probably equates to 17,000-18,000 rpm out of a maximum 23,000 on my router. Best of luck!
@@TheThoughtfulWoodworker Thank you for replying so quickly.
I did my first tries on this but today and I had a good portion of year out along the top edge of the table cut. I thought perhaps it was due to either the speed not being fast enough and or that perhaps, I had the bit set too high. I would post a picture here if it, if I could. Thank you once again.
The top of the bit or top of the cutting edge is non-standard and can vary from brand to brand and even bit to bit, so not a good point at all to use setting up a lock miter bit.
What you really need to do is to align the center of the cutting profile which may not be easy to find, with the center of the stock - with the stock laying flat for bit height and vertically against the fence to adjust fence position. Everyone should know how to find and mark the exact center of the stock. To align that with the center of the bit profile, the only solution is to use Infinity's Lock Miter Master! It makes setups simple- no guessing and no trial and error which results from other methods. It works with virtually all brands of lock miter bits.
Setup blocks only work when the setup block is EXACTLY the same thickness as the stock which rarely happens!
Yep, Infinity offers a nice gauge if you have trouble eyeballing it.
Best
At what speed setting are you using with this bit?
Definitely not at full speed. I think my router has 6 speed settings, and I run it at 4 or 4-1/2
Best
Could this bit be used for drawers?
Yes, you could use this bit for drawers. It would be an end grain cut though, which comes with its own set of challenges. I don't recommend plywood for locking miters, but hardwood works great.
Best
Great video, however, your dog looks soooooo bored.😅
Dog was seriously bored. He won't even come out in the shop anymore!
You are lucky that the taper on your truncated pyramid assemblies is not severe. or the 45 degree lock miter joints would not fit together properly.
It doesn't seem like it would fit precisely, but it does.
Thanks
That was a really bad 45* lock miter. Sorry, but that jig should be a lot tighter.
Hi Tom,
Not sure what frame of the video you're referring to. I'm quite happy with the results with this bit. My only intent with this video is to show people who are unfamiliar with a locking miter bit that it's really easy to use. Corner joints made this way - once glued and sanded - have no gaps, and look like a solid post.
I also have no idea what you mean when you say that jig should be a lot tighter.
Best
What router table is that? Looks like Bosch, but not sure
your "music" is really annoying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe you'd like this video better on the locking miter bit... ruclips.net/video/aXRkmE-wuLU/видео.html Best to you.
Thanks dude
My pleasure!
I wanna' see the dog again.
I know Trooper is such a great dog. Thanks.
@@TheThoughtfulWoodworker SuperTrooper!
What's the cut like across the end grain?
You know, I only use locking miter joints on long grain hardwood. No plywood or end-grain for me. My guess is it probably cuts fine with this two-pass method, but I've never tried it.