In the case of a wood joint that is "long", as is the case in the
first photo and with your table top band, the stronger way to
do a spline is for the long axis of the spline to run along the
length of the joint. If you were to use biscuits they would
be put in in the same way, i.e. their length along the length
of the joint. With biscuits or splines, the slot for the spline/
biscuit is cut before the joint is glued. When doing it
this way the spline does not show except maybe at the end
as in the first photo.

The second photo shows what is sometimes called a key.
First the miter joint is glued together and then the slot is
cut and the key glued in. The key shows and can be made
very appealing aesthetically.

Remember that whenever you use a spline or key, always
cut the spline/key so that it's grain runs perpendicular to
the faces of the joint so that the forces pulling the joint
apart are pulling along the grain of the spline/key.




"Dukes909" wrote in message
...
After looking at examples of spline joints I'm even more confused. Which
direction is the spline supposed to go in? If looking at a miter joint,
say, in a box, does the spline go in from the top of the box "down", or
from
the side of the box "in"?

For example, look at the splines on these two pages:

http://www.smokymountainwoodworks.co...nd/Pic0110.jpg

http://www.woodezine.com/06_2004/06_...s/figure_2.JPG

It would seem to me a biscuit would be more like the spline in the first
photo? Is this what I need for this application?