Crossmanship - Construction Process

Construction Process

Provided below is a step-by-step illustration and description of the process and level of detail which go into handcrafting Cross Joint pieces. I hope you appreciate the care and creativity.

Phase I - Measure and cut pieces to form the sides

I prefer using miter joints for the corners. One, they provide great strength. Two, they go nicely with the top of the cross post.

In this photo, since I'm making several at the same time, the tape and letters are used to make sure they are assembled and glued in the order in which they are cut.

Phase II - Construct the bottom

It' a great look to have the bottom of the box or tray have character, and one of the best ways to accomplish this is to glue up boards which contain different grains and/or colors.

In this photo, since it was taken before I got my Rockler Mini Deluxe Panel Clamps, I use a series of clamps to bind the pieces while the glue dries.

For additional strength, the pieces are joined with glue AND biscuits. It's additional labor, but well worth it.

Phase III - Prepare the sides

Now that I have the precise height of the bottom panel, I cut dados near the bottom of each side creating space to receive it. This provides a clean and strong look from both the top and bottom of the piece.

Due to limitations in my table saw, I need to make several passes across the dado blade till I get to the thickness needed. Perhaps in the future, I will upgrade so I can use the full width of my dado stack blade.

Phase IV - Glue the pieces together to form the box or tray

With a little bit of glue and my trusty strap clamps, the box is assembled, corners are verified they are 90 degress, and we let this sit at least 12 hours to dry.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention I do a thorough sanding of the interior walls and bottom. It's much easier to sand the interior before assembly.

Phase V - Create the splines

Using my table saw spline jig, I lay the foundation for the horizontal portion of the cross. This is one of the most stressful phases of the project. If the spline widths do not match the width of the walnut splines, then the joints will look like crap. Yes, I can fill with putty, but I try to avoid that. Avoid crap where possible.

In case you are wondering, I created the spline jig after watching what seems like 100s of hours of video for tips and ideas. God bless the Internet ;)

Phase VI - Glue walnut splines into each corner

With a little bit of glue and some hand clamps, the walnet splines are inserted into each corner and clamped into place.

In this stage, I need to make sure the splines fit snug with no gaps. I give them at least 12 hours to dry before trimming and sanding.

Phase VII - Trim and sand the splines

This is where the project begins to get very exciting. You can see from the photo, we now have a properly fitted and sanded spline joint which represents the horizontal portion of the cross.

If I'm honest, this is an example of NOT using a waterfall pattern. As a result, the grain patterns do not flow together. Not terrible as you will see later when the vertical portion of the cross is complete.

Phase VIII - Create rabbet (notch) in each corner

This is another exciting and nerve racking part of the build. I carefully line up the box and run it through the dado blade on the table saw. This produces the rabbet we need for the vertical portion of the cross post.

This is performed on all four corners, and the width, or thickness, should be identical to that of the horizontal splines.

Phase IX - Final sanding and wax/stain

Similar to the horizontal splines, I glue and clamp the posts to each corner. Once they have set for at least 12 hours, I sand and prep for wax or stain.

Here are samples of recent builds.

Thank you for following me along this journey, and God bless.

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” - Matthew 19:26