Woodworking Joints

[Onetrack]

Hello 4DThinker, I'd love to see those files in Vcarve Pro format if possible! My rig only allows vertical (or horizontal) cnc cutting though.

[4DThinker]

Hi Onetrack,
Since the original thread started, and my most recent post I've done literally hundreds of CNC cut joints for my students. I'm also now two computer upgrades past the original post date.

If you can be specific about what you would like to see that would help me track down or recreate a joinery file. If I'd been able to see the future I'd have them all in one folder on an external hard drive and also backed up on the web. I did not, however.

Most joints are relatively simple to create, using the same vectors for both male and female halves of the joint but with a change in how the toolpaths are done. I usually add a -.003 allowance on one half or the other to ease the fit and make some room for glue.

4D

[Onetrack]

They all look excellent so any would be great! Might you have the "French dovetail which tapers to tighten when all the way inserted" e.g (blind tapered dovetail_1.JPG) and Trim Cormer Pinned Mitered Rabbet1.jpg in Vcarve Pro format? What are your guidelines for material thicknesses for hardwood, softwood and plywood? Do you always use backing reinforcement to reduce tearout?

[4DThinker]

... "French dovetail which tapers to tighten when all the way inserted" e.g (blind tapered dovetail_1.JPG) and Trim Corner Pinned Mitered Rabbet1.jpg in Vcarve Pro format? What are your guidelines for material thicknesses for hardwood, softwood and plywood? Do you always use backing reinforcement to reduce tearout?

You're asking for a long story here, and my time at this moment is short.
Most joinery I cut for furniture is cut in hardwoods. Thickness depends on what the project will be and forces it will encounter.
I've found I don't need any backer reinforcement if I'm thoughtful about bit travel direction, entry points, etc. For tenons on the endgrain of hardwood I do a first perimeter pass, clockwise, with an upcut spiral endmill. This shears fibers inward for a clean shoulder for the tenon.

4D