Here is a small sampling of the many forms these joints can take. In deciding what to include, I started with the combinations that I put to use most often. They have gotten me out of a few jams over the years, and there isn’t a single one that I’d want to do without.
CORNER JOINTS
Provides a simple way to register parts while concealing the edge of one part.
A second rabbet reduces the width of each rabbet and offers a second reference edge.
Adding a dado provides better registration and increases the glue surface.
SHELF JOINTS
Requires precise shelf thickness and doesn’t offer a lot of glue strength.
Shelf can be of any thickness, which makes it easier to fit.
Allows both sides of the shelf to be surfaced without changing the fit.
The dado and tongue are concealed on the edges of the case side.
CORNER JOINTS
Offers better registration than a butt joint but still creates a weak glue joint.
Provides increased glue surface and better registration; good for plywood.
PANEL JOINTS
Mating rabbets allow for seasonal movement and conceal gaps.
Better registration than a shiplap but more effort to cut.
Spline replaces tongue, making the joint easier to construct.
FLAT JOINTS
Provides some registration; broad glue surface makes it a strong joint.
Cross-member must be sized to fit dado; strong glue joint.
Requires careful fitting of both parts; strong glue joint.
VERTICAL JOINTS
Can create weak short grain if near the end of a board.
Stronger than half-lap and eliminates short-grain issues.
Better registration and double the glue surfaces of a half-lap.
Excerpted from Foundations of Woodworking (The Taunton Press, 2021) by Michael Pekovich. Available in the Taunton Store and at Amazon.com.
Fine Woodworking Recommended Products
Leigh Super 18 Jig
This jig is a value-oriented alternative to the Leigh D4R, but its template system is just as excellent.
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Dec 05, 2023
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