Woodworking - Art

Woodworkingmaking joints

Using Joints

Basic Butt JointThe butt joint is the most basicwoodworking joint. Commonlyused when framing walls inconventional, stick-framedhomes, this joint relies onmechanical fasteners to hold thetwo pieces of stock in place.Learn how to build a proper buttjoint, and when to use it on yourwoodworking projects.

Basic Butt JointThe simplest of joints is a butt joint - socalled because one piece of stock isbutted up against another, then fixed inplace, most commonly with nails orscrews. The addition of glue will addsome strength, but the joint reliesprimarily upon its mechanical fixings.!These joints can be used in makingsimple boxes or frames, providing thatthere will not be too much stress on thejoint, or that the materials used will takenails or screws reliably. Butt joints areprobably strongest when fixed usingglued dowels.

Mitered Butt Joint!A mitered butt joint is basically thesame as a basic butt joint, exceptthat the two boards are joined at anangle (instead of square to oneanother). The advantage is that themitered butt joint will not show anyend grain, and as such is a bit moreaesthetically pleasing. Learn how tocreate a clean mitered butt joint.

Mitered Butt JointThe simplest joint that requires any formof cutting is a miter joint - in effect this isan angled butt joint, usually relying onglue alone to construct it. It requiresaccurate 45 cutting, however, if theperfect 90 corner is to result.!To reinforce the plain joint, biscuits orsplines are often used (the spline beingtrimmed after the glue has cured).

RabbetAnother common cabinetry joint isthe rabbet. A rabbet is basically adado cut along the edge of a board.Rabbets are often used at the backof cabinets and other similarassemblies for attaching the back tothe sides of the box, adding aconsiderable amount of strength tothe assembly. Learn how to cutclean rabbets and when to pt1.htm

RabbetA rebate (or rabbet) cut in a piece ofstock is also a joint. The purpose is tomake assembly easier and to increaseglue surface area. It is also possible toscrew or pin through the rebate fromunderneath, or through the side.!Rebates can be simple or complex, butare effective joints and much strongerand easier to assemble than butt joints.

Half-Lap JointThe half-lap joint is where half ofeach of the two boards being joinedis removed, so that the two boardsjoin together flush with one another.This type of joint can obviouslyweaken the strength of the twoadjoining boards, but also is astronger joint than butt joints.

Half-Lap JointAnother simple joint is the half-lap joint. Thisrequires the removal of stock to exactly half ofthe overall thickness of the piece, in order thata similar piece can mate with it. Thistechnique is also used in the cross-halvingjoint (see later).!The main uses for this joint are to allow twopieces of stock to meet - usually at a rightangle - so that the joint is contained within theoverall thickness of the material. Used for faceframes, other simple frames and frequently ingarden projects. Glue alone can be used as afixing method, or combined with screws ornails.

Cross Half-Lap JointThe cross-halving joint is another form of halflap, but used where one piece of stockcrosses another, in order to retain the samedimension. These joints are often used inbraces, especially where stretchers crossover. If accurately constructed, this is anextremely strong joint.!Cross-halving joints can also be used in trellisconstruction, making box compartmentdividers and as the bracing ribs of a torsionbox.!The halving joint has good glue surface areaand will resist side forces if accurately madewith tight /crsh1.htm

Corner Bridle Joint - finger jointA development of the halving-type joints is acorner bridle joint. This uses an open mortisewith a through open tenon.!There is plenty of glue surface area and thejoint will be strong, but screws or dowels asreinforcement will help the joint to resist sideforces. Another useful joint in frameconstruction. The visible end grain can bealso be utilised as a decorative rid1.htm

Dovetail and Box JointsOf all woodworking joints, the throughdovetail may be the most revered. A classicthrough dovetail is beautiful and verystrong, and adds a touch of class to anypiece. There are a few methods for creatingthrough dovetails. Learn the keys to aquality through dovetail joint.

Dovetail JointNatural enhancement to this joint is theinclusion of the dovetail.!The dovetail will prevent the joint separatinglaterally through side forces.

Through Dovetail JointThrough dovetail joints are also extremelystrong - again due to the vast amount of gluesurface area they contain.!Although more time-consuming to make, theyhave a major advantage over box joints as theshape of the tails and pins mean that the jointcannot be pulled apart. For this reason, theyare much used for drawer fronts, where theyresist the pulling forces well.!

Half-Blind Dovetail JointHalf-blind dovetail joints are also very strongand resist pulling forces well.!The advantage with this joint is that it allows aplain drawer front, whilst retaining all thestrength qualities of the through version.

Half-Blind Dovetail JointThrough Dovetail Joint

Box JointDovetail joints are beautiful and strong, but notalways practical. A box joint is a simpleralternative to the dovetail joint. Learn how tobuild consistent and strong box joints in yourwoodworking project

Box JointA straightforward joint (which in a way isa development of the bridle joint) is thebox joint, also known as the finger joint because of the similarity to interlacedfingers. This is a very strong joint due tothe vast amount of glue surface area.!The end grain of the fingers can be aproblem, as it will inevitably stain or finishdarker than the remainder of the piece,but this is often used as a feature ordecorative element.

Tongue and Groove JointWhen joining two boards along along edge, one can simply butt thejoint together and hold it with glue.However, the tongue and groovejoint is stronger and provides moreglue surface. Learn how to createconsistent tongue and groove joints.

Tongue and Groove JointThe natural development of a rebate is agroove, as shown here in a spline joint, whichuses a separate strip of wood (the loose spline)to join two pieces of stock via a groove in each.!The advantage of this method over simplybutting and gluing, or using flat plate doweltechnology (biscuits) is that the glue surfacearea is at least doubled and the spline helps toprevent bowing or cupping.!A more common development is in the tongueand groove joint, which uses a milled tongue inplace of a seaparate loose spline to achievethe same result.!Quite a strong joint, the glue surface area isgood and ease of assembly is a main feature.

Mortise and Tenon JointThe mortise and tenon is a classicwoodworking joint. These jointshave been used since the earlytimes of woodworking, and are stillamong the strongest and mostelegant methods for joining wood.Learn methods for creating tight,beautiful mortise and tenon joints

Mortise and Tenon JointThe mortice and tenon joint is a verypopular, strong and frequently-used joint forassembling a variety of projects wherestrength and reliability are required. Themortice can either be a through mortice passing all the way through the stock - or ablind mortice that only partly pierces thestock.!Mortice and tenon joints have severaladvantages, including a lot of glue surfacearea, shoulders to resist side forces actingon the finished project, neatness and virtualinvisibility if required, plus the option to beused as a decorative feature if constructedas a through mortice, using a contrastingwood wedge, as shown a1.htm

Mortise and Tenon JointIn addition to gluing, dowel pins can alsobe used to secure the joint - this can bean advantage if the joint may needdismantling later.

Dowel JointDowel joints are basically substitutes formortise and tenon joints. A dowel joint ismade by fitting a butt joint and thendrilling corresponding holes in the twopieces of wood to be joined and insertingthe dowel pin or pins before joining thepieces. Glue is used in this type of joint,and the dowel pins serve as roundtenons, holding the two pieces together.

Biscuit JointAnother method for joining boardsalong the edges (like the tongueand groove joint) is to cut slots anduse beechwood biscuits to hold theboards in place. This is a verycommon modern woodworking joint,relying on glue and the swelling ofthe beechwood biscuit to hold theboards in place. Learn how to cutconsistent slots and get reliableresults from biscuit joinery.

Making strong wood connection screws nails wood glue pegs bisquits

Making strong wood connectionUsing screws :1. clamp and secure both pieces before connecting with screws.2 .pre drill holes for screws to prevent splitting of your wood.3. sink the head of the screw by drilling larger hole just bit under the surface.4. dont force it!! Forcing screws may strip the head grove and brake the screw.5. using drywall screws may split your wood piece.

Making strong wood connectionUsing nails :- clamp and secure both pieces before connecting with nails.- if the nails are too large, pre-drill small hole to guide your nail- sink the head of the screw by drilling larger hole just bit under the surface-dont force it!! Forcing nails to your piece will bend the nail and damage your wood.

Making strong wood connectionUsing wood glue :- sand smooth and clean both surfaces before gluing together.-apply even thin layer of glue to both surfaces. Do not put too much! it may weaken yourconnection- clamp and secure both pieces and let the glue completely dry.

ResourcesFurniture re-joints.html!!How to make oineryHub.htm!Common woodworking c woodhttp://www.macbeath.com

ResourcesOverview of wood working ex1.htmOverview of wood working dex.htm

woodworking joint. These joints have been used since the early times of woodworking, and are still among the strongest and most elegant methods for joining wood. Learn methods for creating tight, beautiful mortise and tenon joints