Woodwork JointsIntroduction

This unit will introduce various woodworking joints. You will be asked to manufacture some commonly used joints.

Assessment

All joints will be assessed by your class teacher. The assessment will follow the Standard Grade marking Scheme.

Level Foundation General CreditGrades 5 & 6 3 & 4 1 & 2

Fit together. Fit securely. Fit securely.

To gain this grade your joints

must:

Have no more than a

3mm or 4mm gap.

Have no more than a 1mm or 2mm gap.

Have no gaps showing.

Have some sort of finish.

Have a fair finish.

Have a good finish.

The Halving JointHalf the thickness of the top piece of wood is removed and half the thickness of the bottom piece of wood is removed. When the two pieces meet they sit flush.

Halving JointsCross Halving Joint

Used when two rails meet square to each other.

Corner Halving Joint / Half Lap

Similar to cross halving but the pieces meet at the ends rather than in the main body of the rail.

Tee Halving Joint

Used when the end of the rail meets flush with the outside edge of another.

Dovetail Halving Joint

Very similar to Tee Halving but the pieces are cut at an angle specific to dovetails to give the joint more strength.

Mortise and TenonOne of the most common joints used for joining the rails and legs of tables, chairs and other type of furniture is the Mortise and Tenon joint. A large range of mortise and tenon joints exist and the most simple of these is shown below. By rule of thumb, the thickness of the tenon should be roughly a third of the thickness of the whole piece, but rounded to the size of the nearest mortise chisel.

Mortise and TenonsThrough Mortise & Tenon

Mainly used for decorative effect. The tenon projects through the leg and shows on the outside.

Stopped / Blind Mortise & Tenon

Similar to a through Mortise &Tenon but the tenon does not go out the other side.

Haunched Mortise & Tenon

Mainly used when the top of the legs have to be made level with the outside face of the rail.

Corner Mortise & Tenon

When two rails join together at the top of a leg the joints will meet together. The end of the joints will need to be cut at an angle to stop them hitting each other.

Housing JointsHousing joints

Housing joints are slots that have been cut across the grain of the timber. They are commonly used when fixing shelves or dividers.

Through Housing

This joint is a groove cut the full thickness of the shelf. It is the most common and easiest housing to make.

Stopped Housing

This joint is the same as the through housing except that one end of it stops short and cannot be seen on the front edge of the side panel.

Corner JointsCorner Rebate

The corner rebate ( also known as shoulder or lapped joint ) is very common and is used for furniture and box constructions.

Comb / Finger Joint

If the joint is cut accurately the ‘fingers should fit together without any gaps. They are used for a wide range of products including boxes, cabinet construction, kitchen cupboards and many others.

Corner JointsDovetail joint

The ‘DOVETAIL JOINT’ is very strong because of the way the ‘tails’ and ‘pins’ are shaped. This makes it difficult to pull the joint apart. This type of joint is used in box constructions such as draws, boxes, cabinets and other pieces of furniture where strength is required. It is a difficult joint which requires practice. There are different types of dovetail joint and when cut accurately they are very impressive and attractive.

Dowel JointDowel Joint

In this joint, small holes are cut in each of two pieces of wood at equal distances. It is important to ensure the holes line up exactly and this can be done using a dowel jig. They are then joined by gluing small, round pegs (dowels) into the holes of each piece. This type of joint is very neat and fairly strong.

Dowel JointDowel joints are commonly used in knock down furniture packs you can buy from MFI or IKEA.  They can also be used to make partitions. If the dowel holes are 'blind' (they do not go all the way through) the dowels are completely hidden.