Woodworker's Journal 2004 Spring, страница 50

MS (J CRAfT5 WEDQED TENON SPICE RACK

By Chris Inman

Pay tribute to the venerable wedged tenon joint with this easy to complete weekend project in the Arts & Crafts style.

Sometimes the best way to approach a simple project is to view it as a potential learning experience. In this case, our weekend spice rack project offers an opportunity to work with an interesting joint. The wedged tenon was popularized during the English Tudor period in the 1500s. At first it was used by house framers for joining flooring timbers, and it was called the tusk tenon. Soon cabinetmakers adapted it for their own use by dropping the tusk portion of the tenon, which was no longer needed for the lighter load-bearing requirements of furniture. The wedged tenon was used primarily as a knockdown joint in large trestle tables until Arts & Crafts designers of the late 19th century, like Gustav Stickley, popularized the joint as a structural highlight on bookcases and cabinets as well.

Be sure to determine the size of the spice jars you'll be using, in case you have to alter the dimensions. If you do plan on changing the project, be sure to keep its overall height in mind — as it's sized here, the spice rack tucks neatly between standard upper and lower kitchen cabinets.

To reproduce the flavor of an Arts & Crafts era piece, I used quartersawn white oak for my spice rack. If authenticity isn't important to you, use wood that matches the woodwork in your kitchen. All you need is three board feet of 1/2" thick stock for the entire project.

Tips for Cutting Wedged Tenons

To guarantee tight-fitting joints, bear in mind three important elements of the wedged tenon. First, be sure the wedge hole in the tenon extends a hair into the mortise (see Figure 1). This overlap allows the wedge to force the two joint members tightly together. Second, watch the slope of your wedges. If the pitch is too shallow, the joints may loosen at even

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Spring 2004 Arts & Crafts Furniture