BOOK STORAGEBOOK STORAGE^7755
the tenons back to the shoulder line.
Fit to be Fit
In a perfect world, the tenons would slide neatly into the
mortises at this point, and I would move on to the next step.
In real life, however, it isn’t that easy. There needs to be a
slight amount of clearance to assemble the joint, but not so
much as to leave a visible gap on the outside. The prudent
course is to make the tenon just a bit big, then reduce its size
in controlled, small amounts.
Before fi tting the joints, I take a chisel and bevel both the
ends of the tenons, and the inside edges of the mortises. This
makes it easier to slide the tenons in, and it prevents the hard
edges of the tenons from breaking the edges of the mortises
as they exit.
I start with the narrow top shelves with the single tenons,
and I push the piece in as far as I can. I remove the tenon and
look for dents or shiny spots that indicate where material needs
to be removed. It’s easier to remove material from the tenon, and
depending on how much needs to be removed I will use a chisel,
shoulder plane or a float.
Before the second attempt at fitting, I take a soft pencil and
make hatch marks on the tenon. Then I shove the pieces back to-
gether. The pencil marks smear on the high spots, and I’ll work on
those with the float. The mortises shouldn’t need any work, but
sometimes there will be a bump on the inside walls that has to be
removed, so I always take a good look at both parts of the joint.
It’s tempting to break out the mallet and start pounding away,
but it is safer to work on the joints with hand pressure only. Bang-
ing can split the side piece, especially if it has been glued up from
Rise to the challenge. Set the cutter to the bottom of the layout line. Got your back. Use a wide block to move the narrow shelves across the
router bit.Now you know. Aim for a snug fi t by testing a corner of the tenon in the
mortise after routing the cheeks.From the source. Mark the ends of the tenons directly from the mortises. Stop in time. Cut the end of the tenon, but stop just short of your shoulder line.7 70-77_StickleyBookRack.indd 75 0 - 77 _StickleyBookRack.indd 75 3/25/13 9:57 AM 3 / 25 / 13 9 : 57 AM