Woodwork Joinery

 Woodworking joinery is the craft of connecting and securing the separate members of the wooden construction to one another by means of specific cuts on the ends and/or sides of the members.

Woodworking the joint is the spot where usually two pieces of wooden construction are joined together to form a rigid self-supporting and permanent construction. Woodworking joints can be formed between the edges or between the end and the face, in the direction of the length, at right angles or it may be at an angle, other than a right angle. Various glues or fasteners (nails, screws, bolts…) are being used to increase the strength, effectiveness, and rigidity of woodworking joints. Since the main purpose of woodworking joints is to join wooden parts together, their construction should be done carefully, so it would not weaken the parts that are joining.

The quality woodworking joints can be manufactured with hand tools, but if you need high productivity, you will have to rely on machines and power tools.

There are many types of woodworking joints; some can be made easily, and the others are quite difficult to make, but the practice will show you that the more complex the woodworking joint is, the stronger it is.

Here’s a look at the most widely used joints you’ll find in woodworking and why you may want to use them.

Butt joint

The butt joint is the easiest type to make, but it’s also one of the weakest. It’s a simple wood joint that anyone can use, and you’ll find it in a variety of woodworking projects including furniture and raised garden beds.

Butt joints also work well with dowels – drill the corresponding holes into the wood pieces using a dowel jig and insert the dowels with glue.

Mitred butt joint

Instead of connecting two boards at a 90-degree angle, with a mitered butt joint, one or both ends are mitered to a 45-degree angle, creating an angled corner. You can then fasten the boards together with nails or screws. You'll find this type of joinery used with exposed beams.

Dado joint

With this type of joinery, there’s a single slot cut into the surface of one piece of wood so the other piece will fit perfectly within the slot. If you’re cutting the slot, cut it perpendicular to the wood grain. The dado slot can either travel all the way to the other end of the wood board or it can stop before the edge.

Mortise and tenon joint

This is one of the most traditional types of woodworking joints. It involves a mortise, which is a rectangular or square-shaped hole or cavity carved into the side of one board, and a tenon. The tenon is a protruding piece on the other board, which is the same size as the mortise.

Half lap joints

With a half-lap wood joint, half of the thickness of each piece of wood is removed. When you fasten the boards with glue, they should fit together seamlessly just like a puzzle piece of wood. This is a great joint to use when the wood pieces you’re using have the same thickness. Lap joint uses include building storage furniture or desks.

Dovetail joint

The dovetail joint is often used in advanced woodworking projects because of its inherent strength and aesthetic advantages. With this type of joinery, notches are created to fit the boards together. When it’s done, it looks like the wood tails and pins are interwoven together.

Tongue and groove joint

With this type of joint, the edge of one board has a grooved notch that extends beyond the edge of the board. Then the edge of the joining board has an extended thin a tongue that will fit within the groove of the housing board.