Woodworking joinery is a vital part of woodworking which involves joining pieces of wood, lumber or other material, to make more intricate items. In the most basic sense, woodworking joinery is used to attach two pieces of wood together by a threaded portion, known as a heel. Some woodworking joinery uses only wood components, while others use fasteners, adhesives or bindings. Woodworking joinery is usually done in a shop by a professional woodworker who has completed the appropriate training.
Biscuit. The biscuit joint is one of the simplest forms of woodworking joinery. It involves a piece of wood of uniform shape, a round wooden handle, and a thin piece of wood held between the handle and the opposite end of the other end of the handle. Because it can be made from a number of different materials such as birch, pine, ash, maple, cherry, etc., it is sometimes referred to as woodpasteboard.
Rabbet. A rabbet is an open or nearly closed board with slats along its length. One side of the slats is slightly longer than the other and fits inside a corresponding slot in the other side of the board. Rabbet woodworking joinery is often used in pairs, but can also be used singly if desired. A rabbet is particularly useful for use in making panels or tables as it allows the two pieces to be securely joined while gluing or nailing them together.
Buttings. Buttings are flat pieces of wood glued or screwed together at the end of a wooden handle. Many woodworking joinery projects will call for buttings of varying sizes and purposes, depending on the type of project being constructed.
Dovetail. Dovetail is a very common type of woodworking joinery. In a dovetail joint, one piece of wood is precisely cut with a jigsaw-style blade at a precise angle so that it coincides with a corresponding slot in the other piece of wood. This method is widely used in cabinet and dresser making because it ensures the proper fit and results in aesthetically correct woodworking joints.
Lig welding. A lot of the techniques used in mig welding – or metal welding – actually require gluing or screwing a piece of metal together. The technique involves sewing a narrow strip of metal together using a soldering iron. A filler wire is then pushed through the soldered area, providing a framework through which the metal pieces are connected. Because this kind of joining requires soldering, it is only suitable for small pieces or for very intricate patterns.
Butt and Rabbet Joinery. To create a rabbet or a butt joint, two pieces of wood are joined using rabbets. The basic idea behind a rabbet joint is that long, narrow pieces of wood are actually sliced diagonally instead of flat. The resulting ” Rabbet ” joint is usually quite strong, and it has the added benefit of providing a number of different options when it comes to constructing different kinds of patterns. The most common rabbet is the straight rabbet, which creates a small slot through which wood can be pushed or stitched.
Butt joints are often achieved using a sliding miter saw. The pieces are put into place on the cutting surface, and after some adjustments, the pieces are pushed down into the rabbet, making a sturdy, secure joint. The result is a piece of wood that has increased surface area – as a result of the increased depth of the rabbet, the resulting joint provides more potential for creating intricate patterns. In addition to being a good choice for furniture making, the use of this particular woodworking joinery can also be used in millwork or chair molding.