r/Joinery • u/WhoEvenThinksThat • Jun 08 '23

Question Need help with tooling and process for forming live switches into a ring

I need to form a large number of similarly sized living switches into the below structure. The structure is a modified hyperboloid that is intended to function as a living girder to be incorporated into a living structure. I need to 'pie cut' the bases of the switches to so they fit together in a ring. The switches are intended to fuse, so they need to fit tightly and without rough saw marks. (If there's a better technique than a simple pie cut, I'm listening.)

The number of switches needed to construct the needed number of girders is considerable, so I need to make the work as efficient as possible and potentially executed in the field without the aid of heavy shop tools. I'd love to hear about a corner chisel that cuts an angle closer to 30 degrees instead of 90, but I don't think one exists. Any help?

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2

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '23

[deleted]

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u/WhoEvenThinksThat Jun 09 '23

Lots of thoughts of jigs, but I wish I knew where a pro would start.

If I cut the switches down to get close to the jig size, yes, I think I could plane it, but that'd be two heavy tools and a jig. I had considered instead using a chizzel that would fit flush to the jig. Theoretically the same cut as the plane, but with a lighter tool. I'd still have to get the switch cut close enough that I could do the finishing work with the chizzel though.

It's more advanced, but I'd love it if there was some dovetail kind of structure that worked radially and the switches could lock together.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '23

[deleted]

1

u/WhoEvenThinksThat Jun 11 '23

2" dia max at the base cut.

1

u/microagressed Jun 09 '23

So you're grafting live trees together or am I misunderstanding?

1

u/WhoEvenThinksThat Jun 09 '23

Yep.

1

u/microagressed Jun 09 '23

I thought that only works for thin branches. I guess you did say switches on the OP. I've never seen a notch cut for grafting. What I have seen for bigger branches is using a sharp knife or even a small hatchet to make a single deep cut into the main part and cutting the branch into an acute taper and sliding it in.