Woodworking Tips: Using Cauls and Playing Cards for Even Clamp Pressure

Woodworking Tips: Using Cauls and Playing Cards for Even Clamp Pressure

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George Vondriska teaches you a neat little trick for creating tighter biscuit joints on your shelving. After inserting the biscuits into their slots and filling them with glue, he likes to put two playing cards between the case side of a shelf that will be clamped and a flat caul. This will allow the glue to dry uniformly and seamlessly across the entire edge of the shelf.

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18 Comments

  1. Small Workshop Guy on October 27, 2023 at 9:33 pm

    Hmm… thanks, George. It is these little "tricks of the trade" that I find so useful – things one would never think about on their own. Keep up the good work. Particularly like your live sessions.



  2. Bob Pond on October 27, 2023 at 9:35 pm

    Nice video. This is another example of how simple, straight-edged cauls with shims can be used as a substitute for cutting cauls with a "camber" (curve). Much easier.



  3. Matthew Smith on October 27, 2023 at 9:43 pm

    Plane a camber on the timber!



  4. Richard Short on October 27, 2023 at 9:44 pm

    Why the 3 degree angle on the clamp up 🤔



  5. Tekagi on October 27, 2023 at 9:47 pm

    While I respect your professional opinion regarding the use of a Queen and a 4, personally I find that I get more lift when I use Jacks.



  6. TheRacerRich on October 27, 2023 at 9:50 pm

    I guess these are what they call cauling cards. Ba dum tish



  7. Erik Whitehill on October 27, 2023 at 9:53 pm

    The Robert Bridges quote is great.



  8. The Meat on October 27, 2023 at 9:55 pm

    George may know stuff, but he is too much of a wise-ass. Good thing he works for a magazine where he doesn’t have to deal with the general public.



  9. Myles R on October 27, 2023 at 9:58 pm

    Octopi don’t have any hands



  10. Garrett Ducat on October 27, 2023 at 10:03 pm

    Painters tape top temporarily hold the caul. plane a camber into the caul so you don’t need to mess with the cards.



  11. M W on October 27, 2023 at 10:04 pm

    The simplest tricks are the most genius! Thanks.



  12. Bruno Tachelet on October 27, 2023 at 10:17 pm

    Mostly, I use small, outdated HPL -samples. They are strong, thin (0.9mm) and free.



  13. gallos cornel on October 27, 2023 at 10:18 pm

    Hey. Have you ever considered trying the Tarkhavo planned woodworking course (do a search on google)? Ive heard some great things about it and my neighbor up the street built some pretty cool indoor climbing things for cats with it.



  14. Senator Joseph McCarthy on October 27, 2023 at 10:20 pm

    Good idea. When I’m getting low on cards, I just put a king and queen under the caul. When go to remove em, find 3 cards.



  15. Howard Hagadorn on October 27, 2023 at 10:20 pm

    I used to run a euchre tournament so I had lots of used playing cards. I use them for shims all over the shop, to use as a spacer when you want to move that fence over just a smidge, to lift a plate in a router table or a zero clearance insert in the table saw a few thou



  16. Andrew Stading on October 27, 2023 at 10:22 pm

    That is nice but you could use just about anything.  I normally fold a sheet of printer paper over quite a few times



  17. maripocita37 on October 27, 2023 at 10:30 pm

    Does it have to be a queen and a four?



  18. Sam P on October 27, 2023 at 10:31 pm

    You would get a much better joint if you cut a dado and glue that. And faster to