I have seen a few variations on keys. The wood bow ties that are mortised in cross-grain to prevent further splitting of a crack in a slab of wood (aka dutchman). I’ve seen dark wood keys in light wood, light keys places in dark wood. I have seen fancy carved keys in the shape of a wineglass, butterfly, an X, and dragonflies. I lack the patience and skills to carve fancy shapes and mortise the place for them to sit. But I did decide to have a little fun anyway. I wanted to try some keys that had straight lines for cutting and mortising, but still had some curve to their appearance.
First I took similar pieces of walnut and cherry then taped the two blocks together with double-sided tape.
I then traced a curve using a flexible curve tool and cut the path on my bandsaw.
Switching partners here gives you a curvy piece of walnut nestled against a curvy piece of cherry.
A bit of glue and some clamps to hold them together.
Now the curvaceous dutchman blanks are ready for turning into bow ties.
I drew in the layout lines for the cuts that would make them look like bow ties.
Ready for some mortises to call home. The bottom keys were freshly planed, so the cherry looks lighter.
I mortised these into a swamp laurel oak slab that is slated to become a coffee table.
These two will do a good job of stabilizing the crack in the slab, while the slab goes back to dry for another 8 months.
Here are the same keys, 8 months later in my coffee table.
I enjoyed making these and am happy with the visual effect they have on my project. It was a pretty simple method for softening the look of the standard keys. I think they might add a nice effect when you have two cracks that are side by side. The keys could be made so that it looks like the curve flows from one to the other. One nice thing about this approach, unlike some fancier carved keys, is that there is virtually no degradation of the strength of the key.
Previously
- Coping Saw – Blade Direction – You lead, blade follows
Almost every coping saw being sold today is set-up wrong. They are backwards. This is not a discussion of the push versus pull in terms of does it cut on the push stroke or the pull stroke. Most of them are set up to cut on the pull stroke, and I am fine with that. […]
- Latex Paint Tacky on Furniture: FIX IT
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- Natural Oak End Table
A neighbor was cutting down an oak tree back in April 2016. I stopped to help, and some pieces followed me home. Then they started talking to me. The log on the left said, “I want to be live edge slabs.” The one standing up on the right said, “I want to be and end […]
- Alcohol Based Tea Stain
As I started planning my next projects using the Oak that I had slabbed, I knew I would want a bit of color. I wanted to accent the grain of the wood and not hide it, so I was leaning toward using a dye rather than a stain. My only problem was that I have […]
- Slabbing Some Oak by Hand
In April of 2016, a neighbor around the block was cutting off parts of an Oak tree in his yard. I offered to help him. While I was helping him move some of it, the wood started speaking to me, and several large pieces ended up following me home. The log on the left saidi […]
- Easy Router Sled
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- Simple Tool Oiler
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- Clever Table Leaf Extension
I really like this table leaf extension mechanism from Dustin Glasscoe. It is simple to operate and simple to include in almost any table design. I am adding this to my “I am going to use this someday list”.
- Intriguing Mortise and Tenon Foxed Dovetail Joint
This joint from Loyd Arve Nornes is an interesting one that has been rattling around my brain since I saw these videos. It is a locking Mortise and Tenon Foxed Dovetail joint or some variation on those terms. The slots in the piece of wood that makes up the tenon seem to be ripe for a […]
- Adirondack Chairs – without metal
I decided it would be nice to make a pair of Adirondack chairs for my front porch. Most designs have a back that leans back pretty far and a pair of back legs that stick out pretty far too. I didn’t think I had that kind of space on my front porch, So I wanted […]
- Starter Woodworking Kit
My son and I were recently talking about what tools I would replace immediately if my shop got wiped out by hurricane or sink hole. I have a lot of old tools. Many of them are not essential, but I keep them because the have family history (my Dad’s, my Grandfather’s, my Great uncle’s). […]
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- Carver’s Mallets – Father Son Project
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- The Resting Heart – The hardest project I ever built.
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- Workshop Memories
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- Handscrew Repair
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