Best way to join 45 degree window screen stock corners?

[Dennis S]

I am making some 45 X 28 wooden screens for a woman with a 100-year-old house. They are just plain 1.5 X .75 screen window stock. What is the best way to join the 45 degree corners with a minimum of tools? She is sprucing up the house to sell it.

A. Finish nails
B. Dowels
C. Stainless screws
D. Those squiggly things you hammer in

Plus Elmer's, of course.

[lafinfil]

Personally I would use butt joints, not 45° miters

Preference for jointing (if I didn't have a plate jointer) would be dowels and glued joints.
You can get a very simple jig kit for about $15 bucks that will have the proper bit with a depth stop
and a supply of splined dowels. A couple of pipe clamps would be helpful.

Miters will drive you crazy unless you have a plate/biscuit jointer IMHO



Here is the Wolcraft model http://www.wolfcraft.de/jcatalog_generat...oduct.html

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JCI...PDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_r=09G4CRK7VT73AHY7EMK6&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_i=B0000DD1P6

[M>B>]

I made 18 wooden screens for my 100 year old clubhouse and I used a butt joint, dowels and a screw, with weather proof glue. Routed out a grove on the mahogany I used and installed the screen with a spline, just like aluminium screens. They were painted with opaque stain and 30 years later they are just as new±.

I might add that an improvement like this will never pay itself off with the sale of the house. Best return during an inspection is to bake some cookies or brew some herbal tea!

[Dennis S]

I only have to make 2. The originals are shot. I'll tell the owner that butt joints were recommended. The current ones are 45 degrees, so that's what I was going by. I am just going to use screen tacks and cover the edges with screen molding.

If I use butt joints, should I run the top and bottom stalks out to the edge or the vertical stalks to the edge?

[lafinfil]

If you are only doing a couple you could get by with 45's if they insist

Also since you are only doing a couple, you could make your own dowel jig out of wood to
make sure that the joints are centered and consistent.

[nwyaker]

Half lap joints glued with epoxy are far stronger ... and simpler.