I am trying to discover a reliable method of joining a canopy bed rail (tester) with a finial. The rail profile is beads & coves above a flat portion (see attachment). The finial will attempt to match the profile of the rail.
My question is, how is this joint made? My first attempt at dadoing the finial and then mitering the rail end and one side of the dado was unsatisfactory. Is there a tried and true method for this, or is it just trial and error … lots of error?
Drew
Edited 1/22/2006 11:36 am ET by SpecialK
Replies
Special,
I've seen similar corner joints on Empire era pieces that were made by joining an underlying framework in a conventional way-dovetailing, for instance. The molded (applied) faces terminate with a square end, which is butted to a 1/4 turning. These are usually flush, however rather than bulging out from the moldings.
I'd be inclined to try something similar though. Make up the corner, then fill it in with an appropriate section of a matching turning. Mill off the turning til it fits the way you want it. Glue in place.
Regards,
Ray Pine
FYI, what I wound up doing was slotting the finial blanks with two 1/2" slots to accept the flat part of the rail and then coping the beads on the rail to match the finial. It's tedious and the fit is not as perfect as I'd like, but it looks pretty good.
Special,
As my dad used to say, there's more than one way to skin a cat.
Regards,
Ray Pine
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