Butt joint
A butt joint uses a simple technique whereby two pieces of material are joined together at their ends, without any special shaping or cutting. Although it is simple, the butt joint is also the weakest of the wood joinery types.
Butt joint Jomegat at the English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tongue and Groove
Tongue and groove joints are most commonly found in flooring as they allow you to join two edges together to make one flat surface. The tongue and groove joint is strong, perfect for re-entrant angles, panelling and flooring.
Solid parquet boards with grooves on the near ends. Tongues on the right sides of the boards and grooves on the left sides. The far ends are tongued. Photo credit: Petko Yotov
CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Half lap
Lap joints involve two pieces of material overlapping. In a half-lap joint, you remove the material from the two pieces. So, the overall thickness is the same as the thickest piece of material. Most of the time, the two pieces used for the half-lap joint are of the same thickness, and you remove an equal amount of material from both.
Half lap joint Diagram credit: Fred the Oyster, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mitred Butt
Also known as a mitre joint, you can make a mitred butt joint by cutting the edges of two pieces of material at a 45-degree angle to form a 90-degree angle when you join the edges. Mitre joints are fairly simple to construct; however, they are weak.
Mitre butt joint. Diagram credit: PixelBytes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mortise and Tenon
Woodworkers have used this wood joinery technique for thousands of years as they are strong, stable and can be used in various projects. These joints are connected by either glueing or locking into place. However, precise cutting is required to make a successful mortise and tenon, making it a difficult joint to use.
Mortise and tenon joint. GreyCat, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Biscuit joint
When creating a biscuit joint, a crescent-shaped hole is cut using a small circular saw blade in the ends of two pieces of joining wood. A wooden biscuit is then covered with glue and immediately placed into the two holes, firmly joining the pieces.
Biscuit joint. Billbeee at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pocket joint
A pocket joint is created by drilling a hole (usually at a 15-degree angle) into one piece of material and then joining a second to it using a self-tapping screw. This technique requires great precision and the correct technique to ensure that gaps do not appear.
Pocket screws are typically used by carpenters for building custom cabinets. Pocket screws are set into holes in the wood.
Dovetail
Furniture and timber framing is the most common places you’ll find dovetail joints. The joint is highly resistant to being pulled apart so that it can withstand everyday wear and tear. Pins are cut to extend from one piece of material that interlock with tails cut on the other piece.
Dovetail joint. Credit: Joinery-throughdovetail.gif: SilentCSVG conversion: Duncan Tate, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rabbet joint
When creating a rabbet joint, grooves are cut into the edge of a piece of wood, and a second piece is then locked into the grooves. This joinery technique is commonly used when inserting pains of glass or panels.
Rabbet joint. Diagram credit: The original uploader was SilentC at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Finger joint
Finger joints are also known as comb joints and are made by cutting multiple interlocking profiles into two pieces of wood. The pieces are then glued together, and the resulting cross-section joint takes the appearance of interlocking fingers.
Joinery can be tricky for any woodworker. To make things a little easier for yourself, why not get in touch to discuss commissioning JCM contracts for your next bespoke joinery project?
Finger joint. Credit: Dirk Bartens, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
