[Wood Joints , 1960s]

The simplest joint to make is the end joint. The two pieces must be cut to size. And to get a good fit, the ends of each must be square or at right angles to the edge and side. The strength and appearance of the joint depends on an accurate fit. The two pieces should fit flush against each other and be perfectly square so that they form a right angle. They must be fastened together in such a way that they will hold securely. Screws or nails can be used keeping in mind that they should be small enough not to split the work. Position them to give the best holding power. Clean the surfaces and apply a coating of glue to the mating parts. This will give added strength to the joint. Position the pieces making sure that they line up perfectly. With the pieces in position, the nails may be driven to complete the joint. On the finished job, the two parts should be square or at right angles to each other. When making the longer edge butt joint, a plane should be used to level the edges. They must be straight and square to form a good joint. On a butt joint, always use glue. Screws have greater holding power than nails. The strength of the joint depends on a flush and accurate fit and the method of fastening. Any excess glue should be wiped off, leaving a strong, tight fitting butt joint. When making a rabbit joint, the pieces to be joined must be cut to size. The end should be square or at right angles to the edge and side so that the pieces will fit together accurately. With an end rabbit joint, a recess is cut in one piece into which the end of the other piece fits. Mark the width exactly and draw a guideline for the saw. Use a marking gauge to mark the depth of the rabbit. The depth should be 2/3 of the wood thickness. Both the width and the depth cuts can be made with a back saw using a bench hook. Make the cut just on the waist side of the guideline. When the waist is removed, the rabbit or recess is formed. If necessary, use a chisel to clean and smooth the rabbit. The end of the other part should fit snugly and the edges should be even. If the fit is accurate, the pieces may be joined together with screws or nails. Remove excess glue with a cloth. A final check with a tri square will show if the joint is formed properly. It should be perfectly square and flush around the edges. A rabbit plane is designed for making the longer edge rabbit joint. Set it and use it accurately for a good fit. The depth should be 2/3 of the wood thickness. When the time is taken to asssure that the depth and width is exact, the fit will be accurate every time. Mark the location for the nails or screws, positioning them evenly along the length of the joint. Be sure that they are placed in the center to avoid splitting the work. A dado joint is made by cutting a slot in the wood which runs across the grain. The width of the slot should be exactly the width of the piece that is to fit in. Use a tri square when drawing the guidelines to asssure that they are perfectly straight. Mark the depth with a marking gauge. It should be 1/2 the thickness of the work. The sides of the dado can be cut to the proper depth with a back saw. Cut just on the waist side of the guidelines. The waste material is easily removed with a chisel. When chiseling across the grain, start at one side and work towards the center at a slight upwards angle. Chiseling straight across could chip the wood on the opposite side. The waste in the center is removed last. When the dado is smooth and clean and at the desired depth, the mating piece may be inserted to test the fit. It should fit snugly and squarely into the dado. Choose the proper size nails to fasten the two pieces together. A tight fitting dado joint is the result of accurate work. A groove joint is made in the same manner. The width can be accurately set with a marking gauge. A groove joint always runs with the grain of the wood. Saw the guidelines to the proper depth. Be careful not to saw too deeply. Work just on the waist side so that the groove is not too wide. Remove the waist with a chisel. Use the chisel to smooth and finish the groove. If the fit is too tight, a fine chisel cut will improve it. If the joint is good, it can then be fastened with nails or screws. When joining two larger pieces together, extra strength can be given to the joint by using dowels. Dowels are short round pieces of wood that fit into holes drilled in the parts to be joined. The dowels strengthen the joint. When joining the edges, it is important that they be square. When they come together, they should form a right angle. The positioning of the holes for the dowels is important. They should be centered in the edge of the parts to give maximum strength. Clamp the pieces together so that the edges to be joined face the same way. They must be clamped together perfectly square. Then mark the center lines for the drill holes. Drill the hole the same diameter as the dowel. Set the depth gauge slightly more than 1/2 the length of the dowel. Dowel lengths and diameters vary to suit the job. Coat the dowels with glue so that they will hold securely in place. Give added strength to the joint by coating both edges with glue. Put them together until they fit flush against each other. The joint must be clamped securely and left until the glue is dry. Any excess glue should be wiped from the joint. And before leaving it to set, check that it is square. Dowels help to make a good strong reinforced joint. There are many kinds of lap joints, but each is common in that an equal amount of wood is cut from the two parts to be joined. The width of the cut is the same as the width of the piece to be joined. Draw the guideline straight by using a tri square. Both pieces are marked the same. The depth of the cut can be marked with a marking gauge and should be equal on both pieces. Next, cut to the desired depth with a backsaw. Remove waste material with a chisel. Be cautious when using a chisel. Always keep both hands behind the cutting edge. For the first or roughing cuts, keep the bevel or slope facing down. Smoothing cuts are made with the bevel facing up. The flat side of the chisel on the work allows a smooth finish. Always work from edge to center. Working straight across could chip the wood on the other edge. Both pieces to be joined are cut and the waist removed in the same way. If both pieces are cut accurately, the joint should be tight and perfectly square. A number of combinations of lap joints are possible. In each case, an equal amount of wood is cut from both pieces to be joined. Accuracy is of prime importance when making any joint. The width and depth must be measured and laid out carefully to asssure that the proper cut is made. Cuts should be made carefully so that they are not too wide or too deep. By taking time and working with care, a neat, tight-fitting, strong joint can be made every time.