Advice on making the recesses for bowtie joints

[sam bennett]

Hi guys,

Just want to get some advice on bowtie joints. I have a side table project. The piece of wood i have has two splits in it that i want to create bowtie joints for. Creating the bowties themselves is fine, but im just wondering what the best process is to create the recesses that the bow ties go into.

The method i was initially thinking of doing was using the pillar drill to drill to the depth of the bowtie, then a straight cut router bit to remove the majority of the recess, finishing with a chisel to give flush and straight lines.

Im pretty new to wood working so i just want to double check this is a viable method. If not, please do let me know.

Much appreciated.

Sam

[David Jenkins]

Make a router jig (using laser cutter?) to clamp to one side - then you will have straight, parallel lines (with rads in the corners) And also make a matching jig for the bow ties.

[Luke Barnard]

Yup. What you suggest of drilling, roughing out with a router and tidying up with a chisel will work, but Dave's suggestion of making a guide jig on the laser cutter or scroll saw to use with a guide bush/bearing may well be easier, and is probably what I would try.

[Luke Barnard]

I forgot to mention, we also have a pantograph for the router, which is kind of a middle ground. This lets you "trace" a path with a router, and could be quite good for doing the butterflies- particularly if we don't have the right size guide bushes or bearings you might need for a template.