Joinery

Joinery is the craft of connecting pieces of timber to form structures and objects, emphasizing the strength and longevity of connections. It covers the design and fabrication of joints, the shaping of parts, and the use of adhesives and fasteners as needed.

Historically, joinery developed with carpentry and cabinetry, from ancient mortise and tenon assemblies to complex dovetail drawers in the 18th century. In timber framing, large robust joints enabled load-bearing structures. The term covers both traditional hand-cut methods and modern techniques.

Common joints: mortise and tenon provides strong frame connections; dovetail joints resist pulling apart in drawers; scarf joints extend timber length; half-lap and bridle joints for frames; box joints for corners; dowel joints; tongue-and-groove and biscuit/dowel loose-tenon for paneling and alignment. Each joint has tradeoffs in strength, assembly time, and wood movement.

Techniques and considerations: precision cutting, proper fit, and use of adhesives suitable for wood and climate. Glue choice ranges from animal hide to PVA and epoxy. Clamping is essential to ensure joints set correctly while glue cures. Wood movement along grain is a key design factor; floating panels and breadboard ends accommodate expansion and contraction.

Applications and tools: Joinery is central to furniture making, cabinetry, doors, and timber-framed structures. It relies on tools such as chisels, saws, mortisers, routers, dovetail jigs, marking gauges, and clamps, with high-quality tools enabling accurate joints.