It is safe to say that most of us will not build a beam like the one in this video. It is also safe to say that most of us will need to make a template sometime soon. So, this video treat is a slick little way to get some template advice: 1/8 inch mahogany door skin.
Why door skin makes great woodworking templates:
- It's cheap
- It's rigid
- You can cut it with a knife
- You can fine-tune it with a block plane
The process for cutting the template for this joint:
- Rip the template stock to the same width as the beam.
- Snap a centerline along the template.
- Layout the joint and cut it from the single template to yield two mating template pieces.
- Snap a centerline on the beam
- Index the line on the beam to the center lines on the template
- Scribe. Cut. Install.
ICYMI, Samurai also has a nice detail for the ends of deck boards.