Clamp alignment trick that saved my sanding time by 40%

I was working on a set of shaker cabinet doors for a kitchen in Phoenix last week. The face frames kept having tiny gaps at the cope joints after glue up. Tried everything. Then a guy at the lumber yard told me to use spring clamps on the cope tenon before tightening the bar clamps. Keeps the joint perfectly flush. Took me from 20 minutes of sanding per door down to maybe 5. Anyone else run into this on cope and stick joints?

2 comments

2 Comments

avery7216d ago

Actually that's a spring clamp trick for cope joints, not the tenon itself.

wren3016d ago

Honestly, so if you're using a spring clamp for the cope joint, what's the best way to actually dial in the tenon fit without crushing the shoulders? I always end up with a gap on one side and a tight squeeze on the other when I try to dry fit them.