Professional Documents
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Wood Joint
Wood Joint
Butt joints are those where one piece is simply butted up against
another.
by biscuits, or by other
means. The flat butt joint
occurs in cabinet face
frames, where it is often
reinforced by pocket screws.
Dado Joints
Nomenclature
Rabbet Joints
Dovetail Joints
The dovetail joint is an advanced joint used most often to join two
pieces at a right angle. Each piece has a combination of recesses and
projections. On one piece the projections are called pins, on the other
tails.
There are many kinds of dovetail joints, but only five are very
common.
In the through dovetail joint, both the pins and
tails extend entirely through the mating piece.
End grain is visible on both pieces.
Dovetail joints are very strong, but also very difficult to form.
Historically they were used on high quality pieces because of their
strength. They were not considered a good looking joint however.
The lapped-dovetail and stopped-lap dovetail were ways to hide the
joint, at least partially. Often veneer would be used to cover a
dovetail joint.
Today dovetail joints are used primarily because when well-fitted they
are a sign of craftsmanship. Usually some other joint which is more
easily and quickly produced would provide more than enough strength,
particularly with the glues now available.
In the small shop dovetails are usually made using a router and a
dovetail jig. Some of these jigs produce pins and tails with rounded
surfaces - they are like pieces cut from a cone. When assembled,
however, they have the same appearance as hand-cut dovetails.
Using a router and a jig to guide the bit, a cabinet or furniture maker
can produce this joint fairly quickly and with repeatable accuracy.
Considerable set-up time is usually required though.
With most dovetail jigs the size and spacing of the pins and tails is
pre-determined by the template and bit used. You don't have the
option of having some tails narrow and some wide. These joints are
most attractive when they begin and end with part of a pin, rather
than part of a tail. Further, the same amount of pin should be found
at each end of the joint. That, plus the fixed size and spacing imposed
by the jig, means that the width of the pieces on which the joint is
formed is somewhat determined by the jig itself. You may have to
settle for a 6" high drawer side, rather than the 7" one you had in
mind when you designed the piece.
Splice Joints
Splice joints are used to join two pieces at the ends. They are not
common in small shop woodworking, although you may occasionally
encounter one. Shipwrights of old were very familiar with these joints
as are timber framers.
Half-Lap Splices
or biscuits.
Miter Joints
At its simplest a miter joint is a butt joint connecting the end grain of
two pieces, each of which is cut at an angle. It has the advantage of
hiding the end grain, giving a better appearance. You're familiar with
it as the joint usually found in picture frames, and on door and window
casings.
or with a spline.
When used with an
edge miter, the
spline is sometimes
called a key.
Other Joints
The Box Joint
The box joint is somewhat like a
through dovetail joint, but the pins and
tails are all cut at right angles to the
surfaces of the pieces.