Best joint for the job

Re: Best joint for the job

Michael Recchione

>I've got some thoughts, but I don't know if they're orthodox.

Dovetails are for joining the ends of board faces at right angles, where the joint is going to be pulled on - like a drawer or a box. (I probably didn't say this as precisely as I should have, but it's clear from the examples.)

M&T's are for joining the end of one board to the long grain of another, where the joint is going to be subjected to forces normal to the top/bottom cheeks of the tenon. When made right, this joint also resists racking pretty well. Variations on this joint make it better for other things as well - wedging it will make this joint good for cases where it's going to be pulled on, haunching it will make it better close to the end of the long-grain board (like in a window sash). Overall, I'd have to say this is my favorite and most versatile joint. I don't have the same fascination for dovetails that a lot of folks do.

Rabbets are for joining back panels to frames - they can give some racking resistance, but the main point of them is just to hide the edges of the panel.

Grooves are good for drawer and box bottoms. Dadoes are good for shelves that don't have to be too strong, or for dividers that are not weight bearing.

Sliding dovetails are good for weight bearing shelves or dividing long spans, where you want the joint to prevent the long boards from bowing.

Butt joints are purely cosmetic unless reinforced mechanically. A butt joint that's held together with a captured nut and bolt is a decent quick&dirty substitute for M&T, and may even be better in some ways - you can tighten it back up when it gets loose. Great for workbench construction. (I know a lot of people will disagree, but I'm basing it on my own experience).

Lap joints are also good for quick and dirty, and also need to be mechanically reinforced.

Miters are cosmetic and need to be reinforced to give any strength, but are nice looking on moldings and picture frames.

I missed a bunch, particularly the fancy ones, but this is my normal repertoire.

Re: Best joint for the job

Don Pierson

>There are so many factors in selecting the "best" joint for the job. More often than not appearance is the main factor. Strength of the joint where mechanical interlocking and glue surface area are important. How well does the joint tolerate the movement of the wood, etc, etc. Personally I am fascinated with difficult complex joints using twisted dovetails, rising dovetails, pinned joints using no glue. But I am not a professional just a beginning hobbyist that enjoys playing with wood and computers and doing something that challenges me.

There are some good books

Scott Burr in Ben Lomond CA

>Personaly I like the Encyclopedia of Wood Joints and Japanese Jointery.

Books

Ed Mulligan, Cape Cod

>Encyclopedia of Furniture Making by Ernest Joyce. Every furniture maker should own a copy.

Anything written by Charles Hayward is worth a look. His book 'Woodwork Joints' is very useful.

These two authors will get you a very long way toward where you want to go.

Ed

Re: Best joint for the job

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>I don't think I've said this since BP: in my reductionist world, dovetails are merely special case M&T's.

Pam

Re: Best joint for the job

Michael Recchione

>To carry it just a little further, so is a butt joint - it's just a very, very short tenon... :-)

good ole' Ernest

Moses Yoder in White Pigeon, MI

>The paperback copy of the revised Ernest Joyce that I purchased soon after high school has actually fallen apart. I recently found a hardback version at our local used book store, but it is the original version so now I still can't get rid of my first copy.