THO
RNS
JOINERY: GUIDE TO JOINTS AND JOINTS
WOODEN JOINTS
Tenon and mortise is the most famous joint, but the dovetail joint is also well known and appreciated. However, in the carpentry there are several joints and if you want to become a real carpenter you must know them all!
Different ways are usually used to join the wooden pieces.
CONNECTION TYPES
There are basically 5 ways in which pieces can be positioned and joined through different techniques.
- Coplanar tip connection: the two pieces join together on the short side, as if one were an extension of the other
- Coplanar on the side: the pieces are joined side by side on the longest side (Here is the article in which I talk about it)
- T connection: One of the two elements joins the other forming a T (for example in the case of shelves inside a shelf)
- Cross: The two pieces join together to form an X.
- Angled: the two pieces join together to form a 90 ° angle
MOST COMMON JOINTS AND JOINTS
Here are the most common types of joints and joints without the use of screws, nails or other metal accessories:
- Round pinning
- Lamello or flat pinning
- Tenon and mortise
- Half wood
- Dovetail
For any information or to make joints or joints: Fill in below
ROUND PINS
Round Pinning is probably the most common and easiest type of joint to make. In fact, without the need to make special cuts or painstaking carvings it is possible, thanks to the wooden pins, to create fairly solid connections. This methodology is mainly used for coplanar tip joints and T connections, but also for corner joints. Spinning consists in joining the pieces through wooden pins. The pins, in this case cylindrical and ribbed, are inserted into holes, blind or through, made on the two pieces.
Glue is poured into the hole to make the union more effective. Very important is the diameter of the pins, and therefore of the holes, which must be well sized to avoid weakening the piece (in the case of an excessively large diameter) or not being sufficiently solid (otherwise). It is usually recommended to drill holes equal to about 1/3 of the thickness of the wood. This also reduces the possibility of the wood splitting.
The plugs can be found ready on the market or can be obtained by cutting a wooden rod. The holes that the pins go into can be drilled with a simple drill after having marked the position, but the result may not be as precise. For this reason, there are different types of dowel guides that allow you to drill precise and perfectly perpendicular holes.
LAMEL OR PLAIN HINGED
The concept is identical to that of the Round Spinning, in fact the Lamello is also called Spina Piana. In this case the pieces are held together by oval or elliptical wooden plates 4 mm thick and of different formats. These plates are inserted into slots created on the edges to be joined, together with the glue, and guarantee a very strong union, also because the joining surface of a flat pin is greater than that of a round pin. However, the processing is slightly more complicated and you will need a special milling machine to make the carvings. Also in this case you have to choose the Lamello format based on the thickness of the wood to be joined.
TENONE AND MORTASA
Probably a great classic of wood joining techniques. It is mainly applied in the case of corner or T connections and there are several variants. The principle of all these variants, however, is that a tenon is made, that is, a male joint, which goes into a mortise, or a milling with the same shape. The mortise can be blind or through depending on the needs.
In the case of a blind mortise, however, the tenon must be slightly shorter than the depth it will be inserted into to make sure it fits fully and to prevent too much glue from coming out.
HALF WOOD
Another great classic of traditional carpentry is the half-timber joint. Very useful especially in the case of cross connections, but it can also be used in coplanar joints in width. When choosing this type of union, the thickness of the joint must be the same in both pieces that are joined. In fact, as you can see from the image, a dowel that is exactly half the thickness is removed on both pieces, so that, once the two boards are fitted, there are no steps.
This gives the impression of having a single clean and precise piece. The Half Wood is a fairly simple joint to make, but not too solid. This is why it is often reinforced with glue and screws.
DOVETAIL
Cross and delight of the carpenter! The dovetail one is perhaps the joint with the best aesthetic result among those listed. Especially when it is used for corner joints where the joint motif remains clearly visible. Unfortunately, like all beautiful things, it is quite complicated to make. However, it is also used for coplanar joints, both at the head and at the side.
In fact it takes patience, attention and precision.