Making a Castle Joint | My First Attempt

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How I made my first castle joint and why you shouldn’t wedge the joined pieces (see ending).
Castle joints are useful for decoration and for easily joining three pieces of lumber. They are not a joint I would use for high stress, lateral, sideways loads but are perfect for vertical weight bearing loads like a bed frame. This is the first castle joint I’ve made and the goal was to get some practice before making a series of them for a bed frame.
The primary steps in this video are as follows:
1. Rough cut the castle
2. Trim and chisel the castle until all dimensions are correct
3. Cut both of the primary beams and trim them to the correct dimensions
4. Cut the opposing notches allowing the beams to interface
Lessons learned:
1. DO NOT add a wedge to the primary beam notches. The grain direction will not allow for the higher stresses and you may experience breaking like I did
Josh
Northwest Craftsman
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Products Used in this Episode*
Canvas Apron: amzn.to/3osYVkR
Dewalt 735X Planer: amzn.to/2TuaKJ0
Dewalt 735 Planer Stand: amzn.to/3jAmOmP
Irwin Quick Grips: amzn.to/2TJalmt
Japanese Pull Saw: amzn.to/2G5WaVh
Knife: amzn.to/3mrurhe
Machinist Square: amzn.to/2HKtfXm
Marking Gauge: amzn.to/3jyomh5
Stanley Sweetheart Chisels: amzn.to/3oyIJhR
Tekton 16oz Rubber Mallet: amzn.to/3e3dh6q
Wood is Good WD201 Mallet: amzn.to/3oAiacg
Support:
Website: NorthwestCraftsman.com
Apparel: NorthwestCraftsman.com/shop/apparel/8
My Tools: www.amazon.com...
Total Cost
$8 - Pine 4x4
Connect
Instagram: / northwestcraftsman
Facebook: / northwestcraftsman
Email: See contact section
**************
Audio Credits:
Euphoric Waltz by Cody Martin (Licensed by Sound Stripe)
More Audio from Soundstripe**:
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*The links above are Amazon affiliate links, which go to support the channel at no cost to you. We greatly appreciate your support.
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Опубликовано:

9 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 92

@Jerry-nn2bf 4 года назад

Thanks for sharing your efforts, we all learned something because you posted it.

@NorthwestCraftsman 4 года назад

Jerry, Thank you very much. That is my goal for all of these videos and it’s comments like these that make me love what I do. Cheers, Josh Northwest Craftsman

@impediment1 3 года назад

It's more instructive to show mistakes and what could have been done better than to explain the obvious, sometimes.

@jeffhammersley 3 года назад

I have also experimented with this joint, and also seen the issue whereby the end piece of the cross members breaks off. The solution I have adopted is to drill a small hole (in my case 3.5mm) vertically through the end piece and plug it with a dowel. This provides sufficient robustness that breakage at this point is no longer a risk. My technique has now evolved to the stage that this 'strengthening' is actually the first operation carried out, before any cuts are made.

@NorthwestCraftsman 3 года назад

That's a great idea! I'll try that on my next one! Thank you for sharing.

@mohdalisyed 2 года назад

This is genius

@thaddeusstevens1344 8 месяцев назад

Thanks for the tip. I have broken off like 20 of these castle-receptor hooks.

@walterperrault 4 года назад

You just captured how most of us if not all of us learn which is trial by error even the best of us are not perfect ask Jimmy DiResta he has his share also but chooses to edit them out for the final video it's just nice to know we all are human and far from perfect keep doing what you are doing

@NorthwestCraftsman 4 года назад

Thanks for the compliment Walter, I appreciate it even more given that it’s my goal to show what it’s like to learn woodworking on this channel. Hope you have a great day, Josh

@salottin 9 месяцев назад

This was awesome! Also, I was happy to see it being done with simple hand tools

@user-yn5iw6ls3b 2 года назад

Thanks for sharing! The end was certainly unexpected, but very much appreciated :). I see a lot of videos of wonderful woodworking projects that folks are posting online, then I try to build something like it, and it ends ... differently. Your video tells me that I am not alone, and that all of those skillful people got there in the only possible way: by trying a lot, failing a lot, persisting and eventually (after years of trying) finally getting to a place where stuff actually works. Even for them, I bet there are still cases where things don't turn out exactly as expected :).

@NorthwestCraftsman 2 года назад

I couldn’t agree more and am glad you appreciate what we’re going for here! I hope nobody ever gets the idea that I have it all figured out. It’s all about the process and learning along the way. Hopefully, you guys can make fewer mistakes than me by me sharing many of the ways NOT to to it 😂

@Ratkill 4 года назад

Shoot I was considering doing just that with a slight wedge, also using hand tools only, boi you saved me some time.

@NorthwestCraftsman 4 года назад

Good! I’m glad to hear it! One other piece of advice I’d give is to cut just inside your lines and then chisel it out (seems common but I seem to always forget). Also, to make it easier to fit a tight joint, you may consider putting a small chamfer on the internal faces that interface. They remain hidden but will allow the boards to mount the other pieces more easily.

@jayemporia4516 3 года назад

What a bittersweet moment at the end. ☹ All that work! However, I busted out laughing because I've spent a week just making a box for an animal cage. I used half laps but not the flat kind. More like a partial castle joint. I dry fitted them together for the first time and the joints broke...whole thing fell apart! I reglued it and tried again...and it fell apart. And then the third time...it stayed together so I glued up that frame and put the clamps on it. I don't dare go near the table! And that's why I laughed..i could relate. It's the first time I ever made nice clean cuts and it fit together beautifully...like yours. You did a beautiful job! I have a feeling however, the problem is the wood. Pine is a bit flimsey. Great to practice with of course, but the actual project needs to be something that holds together. At least you weren't in the completed bed when it fell apart 😁.

@NorthwestCraftsman 3 года назад

I couldn’t help but laugh when the joint exploded 😂 and you’re totally right! Pine is not the right wood to be using for many of these joints but is excellent for practice and learning. Glad to have you around! Happy woodworking! Josh

@connerreid3579 3 года назад

This is exactly what happened to my castle joint. I chalked it up to using 3/4" x 3/4" stock and it being too little material. Glad to know that this is failure is scalable and it's not just me. Thanks for uploading the vid even though the joint didn't work! Helps me want to keep going.

@NorthwestCraftsman 3 года назад

Honestly there are mistakes in all of my projects, most of what I do of learn how to work with them. I actually heard something interesting that I like. There are 3 types of mistakes: 1. Those you live with 2. Those you fix 3. Those you scrap the workpiece and start over I try to stick in the first two categories 😂 but this one was obviously in category 3 😂

@mohdalisyed 2 года назад

Thanks for making and sharing this video

@mohdalisyed 2 года назад

The wedge was bit of an overkill. But mine broke in the same place even without the wedge. I think it's got to do with grain direction. The solution is leave the tenons a bit long and extending out from the leg so the grain has some "hold over a longer piece.

@NorthwestCraftsman 2 года назад

Agreed, lessons learned. One of the other viewers had an idea I’ll be trying out at some point. When strength is needed, drill a hole through your tenon and insert a wooden dowel. May not work on huge joints but would add some rigidity.

@youtukang 2 года назад

Excellent

@felixraj973 3 года назад

Glad I found this, this is far easier than setting up a jig

@felixraj973 3 года назад

Just watched it till the end, I almost teared too.

@NorthwestCraftsman 3 года назад

I had this dumbfounded look on my face when it happened. Like, "Well, that just happened...I guess...I need dinner" Learned a ton though. I'll likely be doing another one at some point with my table saw to test it out. All possible with hand, maybe faster on the TS.

@felixraj973 3 года назад

@@NorthwestCraftsman cant wait to see the second attempt. Love the Roman's quote in the end too

@NorthwestCraftsman 3 года назад

Felix, thanks! Nice to see fellow believers in all circles of life 😊

@vandrvandrow1496 3 года назад

Because it is a pine wood and a main part is so tight. I used an acacia wood for my bed and glued one piece as well))

@NorthwestCraftsman 3 года назад

I’m excited to work with more hard woods! It’s just been hard to afford at this point. Do you have any photos of how your bed came out?

@vandrvandrow1496 3 года назад

@@NorthwestCraftsman It’s not finished yet but I’ll try to make it

@samsunkandroit8797 6 месяцев назад

Thanks for sharing, this was helpful, cause now I can keep in mind what to try to avoid.

@NorthwestCraftsman 6 месяцев назад

Glad my pain may help you to avoid it! 😂 but seriously, glad I could help!

@samsunkandroit8797 6 месяцев назад

@@NorthwestCraftsman I think it is very helpful if more craftsmanship would also share their mistakes, because it helps others to learn, to not think that they are so bad at craftsmanship, when every youtuber is perfect at their Job. It encourages us to not give up and it takes courage to share your experiences eventhough they might not seem pleasent and for your courage I thank you. :)

@NorthwestCraftsman 6 месяцев назад

Thank you for your kind words Samsunk. They mean a lot to me.

@samsunkandroit8797 6 месяцев назад

@@NorthwestCraftsman ❤️ sure bro :)

@Scott_Hauck 3 года назад

Thank you for showing the pitfall of the castle joint.

@NorthwestCraftsman 3 года назад

Oh no problem 😂 planing to make another one that won’t do that

@catw6274 3 года назад

Noooooo! Thank you for posting, very informative!

@NorthwestCraftsman 3 года назад

Oh I know 😂 it's painful to rewatch but such is the way of much first time woodworking! Glad you found it useful!

@tosh369 3 года назад

Been there, done that!

@CurmudgeonExtraordinaire 4 года назад

The normal castle joint does not have the wedge and from what I've gathered, is pretty good at resisting side loads. Obviously, not when you add a wedge in the design... :) Just from looking at the zone and the potential glue surface area, I suspect that it would have more resistance to side loads / racking than the same table constructed with mortise and tenon joints. Either way though, table legs are long and there's a lot of leverage being applied to the joints when you push sideways on the top and the bottom of the legs is not moving, so with either joint design, I would still add some additional support if it was on a project that expected very substantial side loads, especially if it has table length legs. For a low height platform type bed though, you could get away without the additional support.

@NorthwestCraftsman 4 года назад

I’ve heard both sides of that debate but I’m not sure which one works best. I agree with your conclusion though that longer legs of any sort will do better with lateral support.

@CurmudgeonExtraordinaire 4 года назад

@@NorthwestCraftsman -- I suspect that the amount of glue surface might be a good indication of the strength of a joint, but I'm not motivated enough to calculate it for a wide assortment of possible joints. If a person really needs a lot of lateral support, they need to start thinking of adding triangles into their design. For example, take 4 boards so that they lap over each other at the corners and then put a single bolt through the overlapping area. clamp one edge down and then push on the top edge sideways. It's going to fold up very readily. If you do the same thing with just 3 boards though, it is not going to be moving since a triangle is inherently stable. Of course, we tend to prefer the look of furniture that does not have triangular supports, plus they use up space that we might prefer to use for storage. It's the ol' "looks vs strength" compromise... Of course, I'm sure you know this -- I'm just pointing it out for others who might not realize it and are reading it in the future.

@catmeme7945 3 года назад

My castle joint also broke when i tried to fit it, well we learned our lesson..

@NorthwestCraftsman 3 года назад

Sure did! 😂 one of the other commenters had a great suggestion to drill out and insert a wooden dowel in the portion to add some cross grain strength. I’ll be trying that in the future.

@scannon90 3 года назад

I wept tears of blood when that thing broke apart.

@NorthwestCraftsman 3 года назад

You’re not the only one 😂 learn from mine and don’t shed your own 😂 straight all the way

@wilsonchin5619 2 года назад

yeah, I have to agree, when i saw that WEdge being off cut, I was crindging of it too myself. but, its first time, so we all been there before its the process of learning. even If you are 15 years in the wood industry,( thats me) you can also make mistakes from time to time.

@NorthwestCraftsman 2 года назад

Yea, my biggest goal is to make those less and less often and not to make the same mistake twice. Other than that, as you said, it’s just a part of the process. Thanks for being around! Josh Northwest Craftsman

@wilsonchin5619 2 года назад

@@NorthwestCraftsman But hey, if you didnt make mistakes, you wount succeed. I mean, I would be worry wart(or how you guys spelled it) if i Didnt made a mistakes or 2. Your Method of cutting a Wedge is Also Correct. But Being used on Soft Pine wood, it will Ruin The days of work. And a little Tips, Never wedge on Pine. I love your Video though, until it snap and even caught me off guard.

@NorthwestCraftsman 2 года назад

Haha, no worries at all! I came to the same conclusion that I was the weak pine that was the root of my issue, not necessarily the wedge. Though there is a balance there as well. And fully agreed, mistakes are how we learn so even though it’s frustrating, it’s how we get better. And same here, I’d be a paranoid mess if I was worried about making mistakes all the time. I just try to keep them small enough that they don’t A) ruin the entire project or B) send me to the hospital.

@wilsonchin5619 2 года назад

@@NorthwestCraftsman And i also noticed that its was only a practice block. 😂

@NorthwestCraftsman 2 года назад

Yea, one major advantage of doing woodworking as a hobby instead of as my livelihood is that not every workpiece needs to be for a customer and I have the freedom to practice some. Downside is much less practice than working 8+ hours a day on the skills 😂

@juanchipesoa5596 4 года назад

No tuviste en cuenta q la resistencia mecánica de la madera es en el sentido d las vetas, el corte tendría q haber sido recto. Saludos!

@NorthwestCraftsman 4 года назад

Juanchi Pesoa, eres muy correcto, mas simple es mejor. aprendiendo paso a paso. ¡Saludos a ti también!

@dbnoho 2 года назад

Considering making a pergola out of redwood using this joinery. Anyone think that’s a terrible idea or it’ll work fine?

@NorthwestCraftsman 2 года назад

Great question! If you fasten the beams together at the castle, I don’t see there being an issue. The biggest concern I would have with the red wood is splitting down the grain at the joint. For vertical load, the joint should be fine, it’s the lateral load that has me concerned.

@timothy-xd8hk Год назад

This type of joint is definitely not an easy one. Should you need power tools?

@NorthwestCraftsman Год назад

I don’t think so. Power tools mainly help with speed, not precision. If I was doing this joint now, I’d start with power tools and finesse the final fit with hand tools

@tjwilson317 3 года назад

Have you completed the bed with out breaking the end pieces? I see you have a video but with different joints

@NorthwestCraftsman 3 года назад

Much to my chagrin the bed frame hasn’t been finished yet 😅 working on the sanding and finish now! For the joinery, I ended up using blind mortise and tenons with 1/4-20 insert nuts to allow for easier disassembly. I had also heard that castle joints will lose stability over time which steered me away from them.

@tasoeurmarie5855 3 года назад

Is it a good joint to make a work bench ?? Looks solid

@NorthwestCraftsman 3 года назад

I haven’t used this joint in a workbench but from what I’ve heard, a castle joint is good for looks but you’d be better off with a mortise and tenon for sturdiness.

@tasoeurmarie5855 3 года назад

@@NorthwestCraftsman yes ok. But mortaise scared me ^^

@NorthwestCraftsman 3 года назад

Not a problem at all! Do you have hand tools only?

@tasoeurmarie5855 3 года назад

@@NorthwestCraftsman yes. Im begginer. I just got the esssencials. For joints i only use hand Saw and wood cissors :)

@tasoeurmarie5855 3 года назад

Maybe u made a video like handmade mortise ^^

@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co Месяц назад

If you look closely at the cut lines at 12:21 - 12:22 you'll see that they aren’t straight.

@NorthwestCraftsman Месяц назад

That was both intentional and one of the reasons the joint failed as it did. I angled them like this so the joint would get tighter as I assembled it but it created too much tension and split the pine. It may work on a hardwood but I'd also do a less aggressive version if I were to do it again.

@dheerajsanil6789 3 года назад

Can please reveal the measurement? For to try my self.

@NorthwestCraftsman 3 года назад

Which measurement are you looking for? The leg is about 3.5” square and cross members are 1” thick.

@dheerajsanil6789 3 года назад

@@NorthwestCraftsman Thank you so much sir, I never expected that you reply so fast.

@dheerajsanil6789 3 года назад

Is this joint good for to make heavy work bench?

@NorthwestCraftsman 3 года назад

Not a problem! You hit me at a good time. And I wouldn’t use a castle joint for a work bench. Mortise and Tenon would be my recommendation. You can also check out my work bench build where I go through more details (ru-vid.com/group/PLBkW_zpeByMF_0fTn9MCkNWQyMVnlKN-B)

@robertdennis1439 3 года назад

@@NorthwestCraftsman along this same topic... To clarify... You are working with a 4x4 (3.5" square) you did not divide the width evenly in 3's?...the center you cut out was 1"wide?. Leaving 1.25" on the sides?... I been racking my brain trying to figure out a smart way to divide the thickness in thirds... Thanks... Loved the video!

@klemorxhannel8116 4 года назад

Diy tutorial youtube its not easy like we saw😂

@NorthwestCraftsman 4 года назад

Is it ever? 😂

@marson8870 3 года назад

Oh man. You did a great job until that skew cut. All that work for nothing, i’m so sorry.

@NorthwestCraftsman 3 года назад

No problem at all! That’s what it’s about! Learning and growing.

@thaddeusstevens1344 8 месяцев назад

Dude, like 20 fucking times. I cannot figure out why this keeps happening, and the tenon castle-receptor I'm working with is 8ft. I have to buy an entire new 8ft segment every time it breaks. I'm literally about to give up on this joint.

@NorthwestCraftsman 8 месяцев назад

Oh shoot! I’m sorry to hear that. Are you using a softwood? The grain structure makes them more prone to failure like this. I also don’t use a castle joint for exactly this reason.