Predrill to avoid hitting the screws that hold the half-lap joint together.
For extra strength and longevity, we assembled it with half-lap joints, screws and exterior glue.
Cutting accurate half-lap joints is the trickiest part of this project.
T required a Lansing cabinet shop to mill the boards with a rabetted,
half-lap joint. Frost made sure the 3/4-inch boards had a consistent 3/8-inch half lap, so the joints are of furniture quality.
Because each
half-lap joint is assembled with one piece upside down, you need to flip either part A or part B over (not both), and flip over one part C, before you can cut the beveled ends.
Because each
half-lap joint is assembled with one piece upside down, you need to flip either part A or part B over (not both), and Rip over one of the parts C, before you can cut the beveled ends.
For the pictured box, I used half-lap joints on the upper pieces.
I could've used half-lap joints but instead I chose to use a 1/4-inch-thick plywood gusset at each corner.
You can do this by fixing an additional piece of post using
half-lap joints and galvanised screws.
Then set up a simple jig (Photo 12) to use with your router to make the
half-lap joints on the ends of all the stile and rails.
