BASIC WOOD JOINTS

BUTT JOINT
A butt joint is a technique in which two pieces of wood are joined by simply placing their
ends together without any special shaping. The butt joint is the simplest joint to make since
it merely involves cutting the wood to the appropriate length and butting them together. It is
also the weakest because unless some form of reinforcement is used (see below) it relies
upon glue alone to hold it together. It is also the weakest because unless some form of
reinforcement is used (see below) it relies upon glue alone to hold it together.
LAP JOINT
A lap joint is one of the many joints used to join two pieces of wood together. With this type
of joint, this is done by overlapping the wood and fastening them together.
DADO JOINT
A joint created by fitting the end of one piece of wood at a right angle into a groove cut across the width of
another, to a depth of half its thickness.
RABBET JOINT
A rabbet is a recess or groove cut into the edge of a piece of wood. When viewed in cross-section, a rabbet is
two-sided and open to the edge or end of the surface into which it is cut.
TOUNGE AND GROOVE JOINT
Tongue and groove is a method of fitting similar objects together, edge to edge, used mainly with wood,
in flooring and similar constructions. Each piece has a slot (the groove) cut all along one edge, and a thin,
deep ridge (the tongue) on the opposite edge. The tongue projects a little less than the depth of the groove.
Two or more pieces thus fit together closely.
FINGER JOINT
A finger joint, also known as a comb or box joint, is a woodworking joint made by cutting a
set of complementary rectangular cuts in two pieces of wood, which are then glued. To
visualize a finger joint simply interlock the fingers of your hands at a ninety degree angle;
hence the name "finger joint." It is stronger than a butt joint or lap joint, and often
contributes to the aesthetics (appearance) of the piece.
MITER JOINT
A miter joint sometimes shortened to miter, is a joint made by bevelling each of two parts to
be joined, usually at a 45 angle, to form a corner, usually a 90 angle.
DOWEL JOINT
The dowel joint is assembled in the same way that you would screw a regular joint together only pieces
of dowel are glued and inserted into holes instead of screws. By using pieces of dowel over screws the
joint becomes much stronger and can be turned into an appealing feature.
DOVETAIL JOINT
The dovetail joint is commonly used to join the sides of a drawer to the front. A series of pins
cut to extend from the end of one board interlock with a series of tails cut into the end of
another board. The pins and tails have a trapezoidal shape. Once glued, a wooden dovetail
joint requires no mechanical fasteners.
SCARF JOINT
A scarf joint is a method of joining two members end to end in woodworking or
metalworking. The scarf joint is used when the material being joined is not available in the
length required. It is an alternative to other joints such as the butt joint and the splice joint
and is often favoured over these in joinery because it yields a barely visible glue line.
SPLICE JOINT
A splice joint is a method of joining two members end to end in woodworking. The splice
joint is used when the material being joined is not available in the length required. It is an
alternative to other joints such as the butt joint and the scarf joint. Splice joints are stronger
than unenforced butt joints and have the potential to be stronger than a scarf joint.
MORTISE AND TENON JOINT
The basic mortise and tenon comprises two components: the mortise hole and the tenon tongue. The tenon,
formed on the end of a member generally referred to as a rail, is inserted into a square or rectangular hole cut
into the corresponding member. The tenon is cut to fit the mortise hole exactly and usually has shoulders that
seat when the joint fully enters the mortise hole. The joint may be glued, pinned, or wedged to lock it in place.