• How To Cut Angled Slots In Wood Doors
• How To Cut Angled Slots In Wood Dowels
• How To Cut Angled Slots In Wood Lathe
• How To Cut Angle Slots In Wood

This article is from Issue 35 of Woodcraft Magazine.

Solid connectors that allow wood movement

Many woodworkers have learned the hard way not to glue or screw a solid wood tabletop to its base. This can be a painful lesson in wood movement because a secured tabletop that shrinks during the dry season can crack in response. On the other hand, expansion during the humid months can cause the joint to blow apart at the apron.

Cut the first piece of wood using the miter box. Now place the second piece of wood in the miter box and hold it in place. Place the saw in the slots, so that the second cut will match the first one you made. Cut the second piece of wood. Machining a groove or slot, often called full slotting, involves three machined faces: Slots closed at both ends are pockets, requiring end mills that can work in the axial direction Full slotting with an end mill is a demanding operation. The axial cutting depth should be generally reduced to around 70% of the edge length. Finish the OD in the lathe and leave it long so you have something to hold, place in a suitable holding device on the rotary table and nod the head and cut the slots with a saw. Knowing how to make an angled cut will allow you to finish more advanced wood-working projects. Angle cuts add character to projects and they make them look better when used properly. Learning to make a 60 degree angle cut takes less than ten minutes, and you will only need a handful of tools that are available to any woodworker. Alternatively, cut the slots after assembly with a biscuit joiner set for a #20 biscuit or with a router outfitted with a 3⁄8'-deep slot-cutting bit and bearing (Photo D). When attaching the tabletop, position the clips far enough from the side aprons to allow the appropriate amount of cross-grain wood movement.

The solution is to use fasteners designed for the job. The three most common forms are store-bought 'figure-8' and 'Z-clips' and shop-made wooden 'buttons.' They’re all easy to install and allow the wood to expand and contract seasonally. Keep in mind that wood moves only across the grain, so mount the fasteners appropriately, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure-8 fasteners

Figure-8 or “desktop” fasteners screw to both the apron and the tabletop, and can pivot slightly to allow some wood movement. These work well for smaller tables but, due to their limited swing, I wouldn’t use them for tops wider than about 18'.

To allow tabletop-to-apron contact, drill a recess for each fastener in the top edge of the aprons on the drill press before attaching the legs (Photo A). Position the screw location about 3⁄16' in from the inside edge of the apron. Chisel the edges of the recess to allow for swing, and then install the fastener with a flathead screw (Photo B). After assembling the table base, orient the side apron fasteners at an angle before screwing them to the underside of the tabletop.

Determine the necessary offset of the apron slot by measuring the clip offset and adding 1⁄32'.

A 1⁄8' slot cutter can rout clip grooves after the table base is assembled. Clamp a board to the apron to prevent router tip.

Z-clip fasteners

Z-clips are strong and offer a good choice for all sorts of tables (although they’re not very attractive). One end is screwed to the tabletop, while the other sits freely in a slot cut into the apron. To locate the apron slot, measure the offset of the clip (Photo C), and then add 1⁄32', which will ensure that the clip pulls the top tightly to the apron.

The apron can be slotted various ways. One approach is to cut a 1⁄8'-wide × 3⁄8'-deep groove on the tablesaw before attaching the table legs. Alternatively, cut the slots after assembly with a biscuit joiner set for a #20 biscuit or with a router outfitted with a 3⁄8'-deep slot-cutting bit and bearing (Photo D).

When attaching the tabletop, position the clips far enough from the side aprons to allow the appropriate amount of cross-grain wood movement. The end-apron clips should be seated fully in their slots. Attach the clips with panhead screws long enough to provide a good bite into the wood.

How much movement?

When calculating seasonal movement of a tabletop, figure roughly 3⁄16' per foot of board width. This determines how deep to place the fasteners in their side-apron grooves. For example, if you’re attaching a 24'-wide tabletop during the most humid time of the year, seat side-apron clips fully in their grooves. In the driest season, set them back 3⁄16' to allow for future expansion. For wide tabletops, use large buttons with longer tongues that slip into deeper apron grooves.

Wooden buttons

Wooden buttons are used to attach tabletops on much high-end furniture. They’re very strong and exude an aura of fine craftsmanship. You can make a bunch at one time and save some for use on future projects. Install them in the same manner as Z-clips.

To make buttons on a tablesaw, first mill a strip of hardwood 3⁄4 × 1 × 24' long for safe handling. Set up a dado head for a 5⁄8'-wide cut, and outfit your miter gauge with an auxiliary fence that reaches to the blade. Place a thick stopblock against the fence 1' to the side of the blade. Then clamp the stopblock to the fence a few inches in front of the blade and lock the fence.

Register the strip against the miter gauge and stopblock, to saw a dado on each end. Use a spacer to reposition the fence 15⁄8' further from the blade (Photo E), and then cut the next dado on each end. Reposition the fence and repeat the process to dado the rest of the strip (Photo F).

Bore a series of clearance holes for the screws (Photo G).

Saw each button from the strip by aligning the saw teeth with the rear of the adjacent button (Photo H). (For safety, stop the saw before moving each offcut button away from the blade.) Finish up by sanding decorative chamfers on the rear ends and sides of the buttons, as shown in the lead photo.

Cut a dado in each end of the button stock and then use a 15⁄8' spacer to reset the fence and stopblock for the next cut on each end (left). Continue in this manner to dado all the buttons (right).

I’m working on a new woodworking project that involved cutting through-slots for bolts in a couple of boards. The two boards will act as adjustable arms to hold a dowel handle for a garden cart.

How To Cut Angled Slots In Wood Doors

I have cut shorter and narrower slots using a table-mounted router for a coin bank. These bolt slots were considerably longer and 1/4' wide so I was reluctant to use the same technique. I don’t have a plunge router – which would probably be the fastest and easiest way to do this.

Crowd-sourcing ideas

After checking a couple of woodworking forums for ideas – including one where someone trying this on a router table said the board 'shattered' (yikes!) – the general consensus seemed to be todrill out most of the material and clean up the slot later with a coping saw.

That sounded good (and safe) to me.

Since my slot was only 1/4' wide, I decided best approach was to use a 1/4' Forstner bit in a drill press to define the slot and remove most of the material, then clean up the slot with a file and sandpaper.

How To Cut Angled Slots In Wood Dowels

The shaft on the 1/4' bit was larger than the bit itself so I had to flip the board over to drill all the way through the 3/4' material. It’s probably a good idea to do this anyway to avoid tear-out unless you have a backer board underneath when you’re drilling.

What to do

Drilling

• Mark the centre points for each end of the slot in the blank and use a nail or awl to punch a small hole for orienting the bit.
• Set up the drill press with a Forstner bit the same size as the slot you’re cutting. You’ll need to attach a fence to the drill press table to maintain a straight line as you drill along the length.
• Place the blank against the fence and lower the bit. Adjust the fence and blank so the point of the Forstner bit enters the small punched hole. Clamp the fence in place, slide the blank to the mark at the other end of the slot and check that it’s aligned properly.
• Put a mark on the edge of the board that’s against the fence. Keep this edge against the fence when you flip the board over and drill the other side. This ensures the holes are in line even if your a hair off centre of the board.
• Turn on the drill press and drill the each end hole to define the slot – drilling about two-thirds to three-quarters of the way through the board. After that, just keep drilling holes and moving the work piece along the fence, overlapping holes just enough to keep point of the bit entering new wood. The slot will fill up with shavings which you should clear out if they get in the way.
• Once you’ve drilled the length of the slot, clean it out with a screw driver or something similar. Flip the board over (keeping the same edge against the fence).
• Repeat the process starting with the end holes. It doesn’t matter which direction you work in.

A COUPLE OF NOTES:

• If you’re making a wider slot, you may want to make an additional pass to remove the 'peaks' between holes.
• If you have a mortising chisel & bit you could swap that in once you’ve drilled the end holes.

Cleaning up the slot

How To Cut Angled Slots In Wood Lathe

• After the drilling is complete, clean out the shavings with an awl or small screwdriver.
• Clamp the work piece on edge to your bench and use a flat file to remove the high points left between the drilled holes being careful not to hit the rounded ends of the slots.
• Wrap a small piece of sandpaper around a drill bit (smaller than the slot) to sand the ends of the slot.
• After filing off most of the rough surfaces in the slot, wrap some sandpaper around the file and use it to finish cleaning up the slot.

How To Cut Angle Slots In Wood

If the slots were 1/2” wide or more, I probably would have used a jigsaw and straightedge to clean up the slots before sanding.