Questions tagged [joinery]
The process of joining two pieces (usually wood) together. Techniques, tools, hardware.
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What is special about wood glue?
Whenever I'm joining wood together, no matter what type of joint, I turn to wood glue. But there are other glues out there, such as epoxies and Gorilla Glue. It seems the alternatives are very strong ...
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How can I join two boards at the ends?
I want to join two boards end-to-end, effectively making a longer board. Thus, the glue will be on the end grain of both pieces (highlighted blue.)
(Source: self)
I know that an end-grain butt joint ...
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Perfect miters every time
I'm using a table saw to make picture frames with mitered corners. It turns out that even tiny inaccuracies in the miter angle or the lengths of the frame pieces cause gaps that make a frame look ...
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Can clamps be too tight?
When gluing pieces together, I've always used an abundance of clamps and tightened them with all my might. Is it possible to tighten them too much? At some point, could I squeeze out so much glue that ...
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How do experts make dovetails by hand that fit so well?
I keep coming across various YouTube videos of experts making dovetail joinery by hand, and they get tolerances of the 1/16" of an inch or less.
What I don't understand is how they get such accuracy ...
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How can I attach a solid table top to perpendicular cross rails?
I plan to build a coffee table following plans in Fine Woodworking. In the article, the author uses a plywood top, but I already have solid lumber that I'd like to use.
Source: me, based on plans in ...
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What type of joint should I use for building a piece of furniture that will be assembled and disassembled?
I am working on a large piece of furniture that cannot fit into my home fully assembled. I must carry the smaller pieces through the door and assemble the item in its final resting place.
What ...
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What is the simplest joint for a non-experienced woodworker to start with?
I would like to start designing some boxes based on an idea that I have. But I've never worked with wood before and I have no woodworking tools so I would need to purchase whatever tools are required.
...
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How do I make a mortise and tenon joints by hand
I am starting a new project and intend to use more joinery techniques. I am going to make a chair, and I was hoping to create some mortise and tenon joints for the chair that I am making. I do not ...
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What might be stronger than a miter but still look like a miter joint?
In this bench, the joints appear to be simple miters; however, I can't believe that this piece would be stable with a simple miter. How might this joint be constructed so that it is strong enough to ...
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Joining wood at an angle
To give you an idea of scale, as it give context, I am referring to the roof of an open bird feeder.
Currently I make 3 holes that I drill perpendicular to where the two pieces meet. Getting a screw ...
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What am I doing wrong when making lap joints with my stacked dado set?
I'm trying to cut some lap joints on a table saw using my stacked dado set. But the depth of the cut is inconsistent from pass to pass.
Here's a picture of what I'm getting:
It seems like I'm ...
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What is the proper place of nails in woodworking?
When is it appropriate to use nails to join wood?
Other than for rough framing, the only common accepted use I can think of is for tacking trim, but even there it doesn't quite feel right because ...
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What is the name of the corner joint with grooves on this chair?
I removed the seats from dining chairs I just bought but have never seen this type of construction. What is it called?
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When are pocket holes an appropriate joinery technique?
I have come across a lot of designs and plans for things like outdoor furniture, kids' furniture, etc., that call for the use of pocket holes. I can appreciate why this is enticing to a lot of people ...
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Gluing end-grain
Reading Is glue the best permanent join? and How can I join two boards at the ends? it sounds like the consensus is that gluing end-grain just doesn't work well. As this answer explained,
When ...
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Are there advantages to using pipe clamps over parallel bar clamps?
Pipe clamps seem to be a low cost and versatile option for gluing up projects. However, they're prone to racking the work piece if not placed correctly.
Parallel bar clamps aren't as susceptible to ...
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Is glue the best permanent join?
My understanding of modern wood glue is that, if the proper glue is used and wood surfaces are properly prepared, it will form a bond stronger than the wood itself.
Is this true? If not what are the ...
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Making biscuits cuts by hand
A good answer from my question on joinery talked about using a biscuit joiner. While this is a great idea a biscuit joiner is not in my top 5 of tools to acquire. I do have a variety of, recently ...
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What is a good way to prevent jointed tabletops from bowing when tightening fasteners or the glue sets?
I recently made a tabletop for a rolling tool cart using 2x4's jointed and pocket-screwed. When I set the table upon the cart I noticed a very serious bow, almost like I was starting to make a barrel!...
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What is the difference between a dutchman patch and a butterfly patch?
In How can I repair a split in a board?, the accepted response suggests a "dutchman patch," but I'm getting mixed messages from various sources. Some show a dutchman as being the removal of damaged ...
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What is a wedged through tenon and how is it used?
What is a wedged through tenon and how is it constructed? How is it different than a "standard" mortise and tenon? When should it be used?
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Mortise and tenon joint proportions for 3 wooden beams corner
I'm designing a cabinet with drawers and I would like to use 60mm (roughly 2 and 3/8") wide beams for the frame. The frame with one side panel visible looks like that:
I would like to use mortise and ...
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What are some best practices and techniques for building cabinet boxes with plywood?
I often find myself wanting to build plywood boxes of various sizes for various uses. I realize that the size and use can dictate how to construct the box, but are there some general recommendations ...
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What are the different grain directions, and how do they affect joint strength?
What are the differences between edge grain, face grain, and long grain (and why not throw end grain in there while we're at it)?
And which of these grain directions results in the strongest glue ...
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How to join at an angle?
So I'm building this bookcase. Birthday/wedding present for my middle child.
Sides are bamboo (originally supposed to be hotel stair treads)
6' x 11" x 1"
Horizontals are African Mahogany. ...
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Strong joints to use when making custom frames
I found this large 4' x 3' mirror in the garbage. It is a heavy beast. I plan on making frame for it but I'm worried about the joint.
I only have experience with miter joins and splines which seems ...
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How do you make mortise and tenon joints using power tools?
There is already a question about making mortise and tenon joints using hand tools. It would be nice to also catalog the various ways of making mortise and tenon joints using power tools. Wherever a ...
rob♦
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Why would someone cut a miter in a tenon?
In the May 2015 issue of WOOD Magazine, on page 50 there is a plan for a Woven-Seat bench. In the diagram (which I can't seem to find online, it may be copyright content) the short and long rails ...
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Quick corner joints in practice
I'm practicing building drawers, quickly and on the cheap. The drawers I'm making now have sides that are 3" high x 7/16" actual thickness, decent quality birch veneer plywood.
I know this is really ...
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How do I identify the appropriate size fastener for my application?
I often find myself guessing based on what I have on hand. Are there some objective guidelines for how to select the proper size? I'm usually thinking about three attributes:
Length
Length is ...
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"Joint" or "Join": What is the name for the place where two pieces of wood are fastened together?
When speaking in my woodshop, I can't quite tell whether people are saying joint or join when referring to the place where two pieces of wood are glued (or nailed) together. I know the practice is ...
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How to make a good joint by hand planing both edges at the same time?
In this comment on this question on jointing without a jointer it was stated that:
there's a trick where, if you plane two edges at once, they'll fit together even if they aren't perfectly square ...
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Glue spots under stain
I have two pieces of plywood that I joined with biscuits and wood glue (wiping away all excess glue after joining the two pieces. I then sanded the whole piece down to 220 grit. After staining there ...
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Joining corners in a loft bed
I'm making a loft bed, and would like to know if the way I plan to join the corners will be sufficiently strong to hold up say 120kg in the second floor.
The loft bed is 1920 x 896 x 2330 and I'm ...
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Are spline joints inherently stronger than a standard butt miter joint?
I have always liked how spline joints look, but I was unsure whether it would help or hurt the joint strength. Are splined miter joints stronger than other types of mitered joinery?
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How does one properly mount a breadboard end?
Given the below design which really violates the mechanical use for a breadboard, assuming that I were otherwise building a farmhouse table with pocket screws, what would be the appropriate way to ...
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When it comes to dovetails what is the significance of 1:6,1:7,1:8
I've been watching and reading about dovetails and you see workers put certain angle on their tails and pins. These angles can be decribed with number sets such as 1:6, 1:8 and other examples. Router ...
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Completely split butcher block
I live in a remote part of the world and ordered this butcher block countertop. It split in transit but no one cares and you can't return anything. How can I fix this best? Dowels? Just glue? No we ...
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Substitute for Pocket Hole Jig?
Pocket Hole jig is really expensive for me and I don't plan to buy one right away. So, as a newbie I was searching for any alternative.
I have seen many videos and stuff over the net but as a fresher ...
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Not-so-obvious disadvantages of butt joints
Having just completed my first woodworking project (a twin-size bed made of 1x poplar and plywood), there are of course many things I would change if I were to do it again. Perhaps one of the more ...
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Properly securing a ramp
I'm building a 2'x2', 3 floor parking garage for my son. I've built the core structure out of 1/2" plywood, with dowels supporting it, and 3/16" chalkboard-paper lined plywood glued on top of the ...
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What is the difference between a beveled and a mitered edge?
I know this is a basic question, but I see a lot of conflicting usage out there... What is the difference between a beveled and a mitered edge?
I think people say "mitered" when they really mean "...
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Mounting the top for a new workbench
I am planning a new workbench and have a bit of a dilemma. While many home shops I have seen on youtube videos utilize the garage (think of all those displaced, cold cars), I have seized our home's ...
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Is it sensible to use a router for cutting large dados?
I'm working on some landscaping projects with interlocking halved joints. The material is 100x50mm treated pine so my cuts are 50x50mm.
I'm currently achieving my cuts by clamping several lengths ...
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Does this butt joint with a beveled profile have a name?
I am trying to come up with a joint that I can use for a frame that will have beveled inside corners, where I can cut the bevels cleanly on my router, and that isn't a miter (I don't want the 45 ...
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What's the best joint when exposing to weather (specifically for a beehive box)
I'm thinking of starting a beehive this spring and I want to make my own beehive boxes. I realize that there are kits you can buy and assemble, but I like woodworking and have most, if not all, of the ...
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How much clearance/slop is allowable for a structurally sound PVA wood glue joint?
When I am cutting structural joinery, mortise and tenon joints in this case, what is the maximum difference between the mortise dimensions and the tenon for a good glue joint if I am using standard ...
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How should I orient a spline along a long edge join?
I glued up a 4' long dresser top last night, and ended up using a 1/4" spline to line up the two 12" wide sub-panels into one 24" wide one.
I was using pine quarter-sawn boards, and for the spline I ...
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When making a box joint, how do I calculate the width of the board so that the teeth appear even?
I have made some box joints and thus far I've found it difficult to ensure that the teeth are evenly spaced; there's usually a pin that is cut down a bit. Is there an equation or method of ...
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