Whether you're an experienced craftsman or an aspiring artisan, you can use various joint types in woodworking to join two pieces of wood.
How can you determine which woodworking joint types are best for your project?
Each woodworking joint type has a unique purpose and was developed to solve a specific problem. Understanding how joints are created and what they are commonly used for will help you determine which one is best suited for your project.
4 Woodworking Joint Types
Although there are dozens more joint types in woodworking, these four are very common and can effectively be used to solve all but the most complicated joinery problems.
1. Butt Joint
A butt joint is one of the most common woodworking corner joint types.
As the most straightforward, least complicated, and least time-consuming method of ninety-degree joinery, the butt joint is favored for its quick assembly. Even tradespeople who don't typically consider themselves woodworkers, like framers, use butt joints on a regular basis because of their speed.
To create a butt joint, simply push one piece of wood into another at a ninety-degree angle and fasten. Easy.
What if you want to create a perfectly aligned butt joint with hidden fasteners? Simply nailing two pieces of wood together won’t work.
2. Mortise and Tenon
A mortise and tenon joint is one of the most traditional woodworking corner joint types.
Created during a time when mechanical fasteners like screws and nails were not commonly available, a mortise and tenon joint joins two pieces of wood using only quality craftsmanship, and the wood itself.
A mortise and tenon joint is great for interlocking two pieces of wood where structural strength is vital, and you don't want to rely on just the strength of a fastener.
To create a mortise and tenon joint, you create a cavity in one piece of wood (the mortise) and a tab of corresponding size and shape (the tenon) that securely slides into the cavity for a firm fit.
3. Dovetail
Widely considered the most beautiful and visually appealing of all the joint types in woodworking, the dovetail joint seamlessly blends aesthetics and structural stability.
Typically used for joining drawers and other wooden furniture, the dovetail is an interlocking joint that can hold firmly together without using glue or other fasteners.
A dovetail joint is created by crafting a series of interlocking tabs along the corresponding edges of the wood you need to connect. Once linked, a dovetail joint has superior resistance to being pulled apart.
4. Lap Joint
A lap joint is another typical joint seen framing houses and on fine finish work alike.
A lap joint is formed by removing half of the material from the ends of two pieces of wood. These two pieces of wood are then laid on top of each other to create a robust ninety-degree corner with a consistent, flat surface.
Lap joints are commonly used on tables and other furniture and should be used when a strong connection is needed in a corner.