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This tip presents some helpful information for those buying quarter sawn white oak. I’ll talk about what to look for, and answer some common questions that arise.

Stickley and other manufacturers of Arts and Crafts furniture used quarter sawn white oak because it was stable, inexpensive, and in abundant supply. I use it because it is the wood, most associated with Arts and Crafts era furniture; and I also enjoy the unique ray fleck patterns it presents. Quarter-sawn white oak is also representative, albeit on a national level, of a local material, which is consistent with the movement’s philosophies.

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Photo 1:Various shaper cutters and a router

Whether using a shaper or a router table, setting up a locking miter bit is the same. While it’s a simple 3 step process, you should take this set up seriously. Because like its cousin the miter joint, there’s no room for error with the locking miter joint–if you don’t get it dead-on, it won’t look good. But unlike the miter joint, it can be fixed, if it’s a little off.
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I make  Arts and Crafts style legs from four pieces of quarter-sawn white oak to maximize the ray-fleck pattern on all four sides. I also try and cut the four pieces from the same board, allowing the grain pattern to wrap around the leg. I use a locking miter joint, cut on a shaper, to assemble the legs. Sometimes, when gluing and clamping the legs, the locking miter joint does not close up completely. Whether from too much glue in the joint, insufficient clamping pressure, or some unexplainable force–maybe karma–I get an unattractive gap in the leg. Normally, this gap won’t be more than a 1/16″, and can easily be closed with a simple burnishing procedure. Read the rest of this entry »