Woodworking joints enable us to create items from multiple timber boards. Without the use of wood joinery techniques, everything we make using wood would end up coming from a single piece.Different wood joint types and styles are available for the woodworker to use, providing several creative options when putting together furniture, flooring, and more.
1. Butt Joint
The end of a timber board is called the “butt.” Woodworkers forming this joint are placing two ends together at a right angle to create a corner. Mechanical fasteners such as nails or screws are necessary to preserve this joinery.
2. Mitered Butt Joint (Miter Joint)
This joinery option connects two butts that get cut at an angle. The advantage of using this approach involves the strength of the corner. You receive a seamless look that does not show any end grain.
3. Half-Lap Joint
Woodworkers use this joint to join two boards together to create a flush surface.
4. Pocket-hole Joint
Pocket-hole joinery is where a basic butt joint is fastened using screws that are at an angle. It requires the woodworkers to drill a pilot hole between the two boards. The two pieces get connected with a screw to create a durable, flat surface for the wood.
5. Tongue and Groove Joint
Carpenters join two flat boards together to create a larger wooden panel using this option. One has a long edge carved at the edge, while the other has a groove cut in to receive the board extension. It can stay secure glue or fasteners for flooring, furniture, and similar applications.
6. Dado Joint
The dado joinery method is similar to a tongue and groove joint. The only difference is that the dado is cut across the woodgrain whereas a groove is cut in the grain direction which is usually along the length of the board. Moreover, there is no tongue carved on the edges, instead, the groove is cut wider to accept the thickness of the mating piece.
7. Biscuit Joint
Woodworkers use this technique to create a more robust version of the butt joint using tongue and groove principles. Both ends of the timber get a slot cut into them to hold a small wafer that acts as a connection. When the glue gets added to the insert, it starts swelling until the entire carved-out area gets filled.
8. Mortise and Tenon Joint
This woodworking joint was one of the first methods invented for construction. Mortise and Tenon joinery continues to be one of the strongest wood joints to use for framing and building. The technique is similar to the tongue and groove method except that a large square and receptacle form seamless joinery.
9. Rabbet Joint
Woodworkers form this joint by forming a recess into the edge of the timber. It looks like the protruding edge from a tongue and groove joint, except it only has one side cut from it instead of two. While the rabbet joinery is a simple wood joint, it is much stronger than the butt joint.
10. Dovetail Joint
Woodworkers use this option to add strength to a corner. It uses interlock joinery of a series of pins and tails to create a resilient edge that can be used for furniture, cabinetry, and framing.