Different wood joints are suitable for different objects. The mortise and tenon is the strongest joint, while dowel, spline, biscuit, dovetail, finger, dado, rebate, and butt joints are also effective.
Choosing the most effective wood joint generally depends on the type of object a craftsman is building. For example, wood joints that would serve perfectly in a dresser or dining table would not be appropriate for a musical instrument or knick-knack shelf. Fortunately, there is a plethora of wood joints for the builder to choose from. Their strength and appearance can vary greatly.
Most woodworkers would agree that the strongest wood joint is the mortise and tenon. The most common use of a mortise and tenon is to join two pieces of wood at a 90 degree angle. In its simplest sense, a mortise is a hole or cavity that has been drilled, carved, or chiselled into a single piece of wood. A tenon is a tongue or protrusion on another piece of wood, usually taller than it is wide. The tenon fits into the mortise and is glued or slotted into place.
Several wood joints are similar to the somewhat complicated mortise and tenon and are quite popular, being easy to shape. Dowel joints are formed by drilling holes in both pieces of wood to be joined. After that, wooden dowels covered with glue are inserted into the holes. The meeting edges of the wood are coated with glue, tapped together to form a snug fit, and locked together until dry. Two other variations of the mortise and tenon are the spline joint and the biscuit joint.
Another of the strongest wood joints common in drawer construction is the dovetail. The flat end of the panel intended to serve as a side guard is cut into trapezoidal tabs or protrusions. Trapezoidal holes of exactly the same size are made in the wood which serve as the front of the drawer. These two pieces fit together, are glued together and then locked. The dovetail joint is impossible to disassemble and is known for its immense tensile strength.
A finger joint is made on the same premise as a dovetail, with the exception that the tabs and holes are square rather than trapezoidal. The finger joint, while not as strong as the dovetail, is still useful. It is easily created on a table saw or using a router, while dovetails require the carpenter to possess a high degree of skill.
Other effective wood joints include dado, which is simply a slot or groove cut into the surface of the wood. Dado joints are common in bookcases, with shelves sliding into corresponding grooves on each side. You can also find rebate joints on bookcases and wall units, especially on the back. The butt joint is an indentation cut into the edge of a piece of wood, resembling an “L”. The thickness of the backrest, which will be glued and fitted into this joint, must be equal to the depth of the recess.
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