Guides · Section 03
Joinery
How joints hold, which one suits the load and the grain, and how to cut each so it fits from the saw. From simple butt and lap joints to mortise and tenon and dovetails, laid out and cut from reference faces.
- Subjects
- 4
- Guides
- 6
- Level
- Beginner · Intermediate
In this section
Choosing a joint
Load, grain direction, glue surface and appearance.
- How to Choose a Wood Joint: Grain, Load and GlueChoosing a joint from the grain it joins, the load it carries and the movement it must allow, from the Wood Handbook, with a guide to each joint.Beginner · 4 min read
- How to Glue Wood Together: Surfaces, Assembly and ClampingA glue-up step by step: fresh surfaces, moisture and temperature, a dry run, spreading, assembling within the open time, clamping, squeeze-out and the wait.Beginner · 5 min read
- Wood Joint Techniques: Mark, Cut and Fit Any JointThe techniques every joint shares: prepared stock, one reference face, knife and gauge lines, cutting on the waste side, the right fit and glue-ready surfaces.Beginner · 3 min read
Basic joints
Butt, rebate, housing and lap joints.
Dovetails
Through and half-blind dovetails, from layout to fit.
- How to Use a Backsaw: Bench Hook, Shoulders, Miters and Repeat CutsHow to use a backsaw for crosscut joinery: holding work on a bench hook, sawing a tenon shoulder all round, miters in a box and repeat lengths to a stop.Beginner · 5 min read
- How to Cut Through Dovetails by HandCutting a through dovetail by hand, tails first: gauging the baseline, sawing the tails, chopping the waste, marking and cutting the pins, fitting and gluing.Intermediate · 4 min read
Reading order
1.Beginner
2.Intermediate
What this section covers
- 3.1
Choosing a joint
Load, grain direction, glue surface and appearance.
3 guides
- 3.2
Basic joints
Butt, rebate, housing and lap joints.
1 guide
- 3.3
Mortise and tenon
Proportions, layout and cutting by hand and machine.
- 3.4
Dovetails
Through and half-blind dovetails, from layout to fit.
2 guides