Side frame joinery

Each crib side consists of a cherry frame with two maple panels (see previous posts). In this step I made mortise and tenon joints for the frame. The tricky part is that the frame is not entirely square: the top rail is curved. As a result, the mortises go into the top tail at funny angles -- funny angles that need to line up perfectly, or the frame won't fit together correctly!

In the first two pictures you're seeing the three styles (vertical parts of the panel) each with a tenon that fits into a mortise in the bottom rail. This part was fairly straight forward because the styles go into the bottom rail at a right angle. I used the tenoning jig on the tablesaw to cut the tenons, the mortising machine to cut the mortises.

Making the joints for the top rail is much more tricky. My strategy is to extend the lines of each style up over the top rail so that I can see what the angle of the mortise needs to be. Then I use a crazy set up on the mortise machine (not shown because it was too crazy) that holds the top rail at just the right angle. Finally, I have to cut the shoulder of the tenon so that it matches the curve of the rail. What a royal pain! But the results are pretty good.

The last picture shows the resulting frame dry-fitted together. The panels are just lying on the bench behind the frame. I still have several steps left: (1) cut a groove in the inside of the frame to hold the panel, (2) cut the panel to size, (3) cut a lip (a rabbet) on the edge of the panel so it fits in the groove.