Woodwork joinery

Wood joinery is one of the most basic concepts in woodworking. If we didn't have the ability to join two pieces of wood together in a solid fashion, all woodworking pieces would be sculptures, carved out of a single piece of wood. However, with the many varied types of wood joinery, a woodworker has several different joints in his arsenal from which to choose, based on the project. If you master these wood joinery concepts, you'll be well on your way to becoming a very accomplished woodworker.

Following are some stronger joints type.

THE MITER JOINT

A miter joint occurs when two end pieces are cut on angles and fitted together, commonly found in the corners of picture frames and the upper corners of some styles of doorway casing (trim).

The word “miter” simply means “angle,” so while many types of miter joints are cut on 45-degree angles, other angles can be used as well. For example, you can create an octagonal mirror frame using eight pieces of woodcut on 22.5-degree angles.

Best for: Making outside corners on door and window trim and creating decorative frames.

THE BUTT JOINT

Among the first types of wood joints, you’re likely to encounter when installing trim in a home is the butt joint, which, true to its name, signifies two pieces of wood butted together. In a basic butt joint, the square end of one-piece butts into the side of the end of the other piece. The pieces are not attached to one another where they abut, but rather are fastened by nails or screws to framing lumber in the wall (such as wall studs, which you can locate with a stud finder or without one). Butt joints are often found on window and door trim where vertical trim pieces butt into a header (horizontal trim piece at the top of the window or door) or a horizontal windowsill.

Best for: Installing trim and baseboard.

THE LAP JOINT

Lap joints are simply types of wood joints where two pieces of wood overlap. The two most common variations are the full lap joint and the notched lap joint.

A full lap joint, in which one board overlaps another and is then fastened together with screws or nails, is often used to construct the structural frame of a home. Lapped joints are also used to reinforce other pieces of wood, such as lapping a diagonal piece of wood over vertical pickets in a gate.

Best for: Structural framing or to reinforce pieces of wood that would otherwise tend to sag or warp.

THE MORTISE AND TENON JOINT

Mortise and tenon joints have been used to build hefty structures for thousands of years, and likely came about when ancient builders discovered they could create a stronger type of wood joint by tapering one end of a piece of wood and inserting it into a cavity carved in another piece of wood. The mortise is the cavity and the tenon is the piece that fits into the mortise.

Best for: Joining perpendicular pieces, such as furniture legs.

THE DOWEL JOINT

The dowel joint is like the mortise and tenon in that a projection is fitted into a socket to strengthen a joint. The difference is that a dowel is a separate cylindrical object and both pieces of wood will need to have sockets. Many of the types of joints we’ve already discussed can be further strengthened by the addition of a dowel.

Best for: Wood construction where other fasteners are not desirable, such as bookcases, cabinetry, and handcrafted wood projects.