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    Video

    Basic Joinery for Woodworking

    Learn the variety of joinery techniques you can use, from screws to specialized woodworking joints.

    By Asa Christiana, Matt Berger Jul 08, 2019

    Joinery is one of the most essential elements of woodworking and furniture making. Almost everything you build from wood will require parts to be joined and in this episode of our series Getting Started in Woodworking we demonstrate the variety of techniques available to beginner woodworkers from screws to specialized woodworking joints.

    One of the simplest joinery techniques is the butt joint, in which the end of one board is glued to the face or edge of another board. This isn’t a very strong joint so we’ll show you several ways to reinforce an edge joint with screws or another kind of mechanical fastener known as a biscuit.

    One step up from edge joints are the variety of joinery techniques where sections of wood are cut away in one board to accept the end of a joining board. They include the rabbet joint, the dado joint, and the groove.

    We’ll also introduce you to some specialized router bits that can cut joinery, such as the cope-and-stick router bits used for building frame and panel doors. Finally, we review some of the more traditional woodworking joints including the dovetail and mortise and tenon, and walk through the many variations of these classic joinery techniques.

    If you have a question about this episode send us an email or post a question in our Q&A forum.

    Related links:
    Dovetail Joinery
    Mortise and Tenon Joinery
    The Miter Joint
    Dadoes and Rabbets
    Biscuit Joints and Dowels
    Edge Joints
    Box Joints

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    Videos in the Series

    • Start Woodworking: Basic Woodworking for Beginners

      July 1, 2019

      Welcome to the online series "Getting Started in Woodworking," a multi-step program designed to guide you through the basics of woodworking and furniture making. No matter what drew you to…

    • First Woodworking Shop

      Setting Up Your First Woodworking Shop

      July 1, 2019

      Learn what hand and power tools you need to get started.

    • make a cutting board

      Make a Cutting Board

      July 1, 2019

      A cutting board is a great beginner project because you can learn and practice with a number of basic woodworking tools and techniques.

    • Basic Joinery for Woodworking - Start Woodworking S1:Ep4

      Basic Joinery for Woodworking

      July 8, 2019

      Learn the variety of joinery techniques you can use, from screws to specialized woodworking joints.

    • Sharpening Woodworking Tools – Start Woodworking S1:Ep7

      July 15, 2019

      Woodworking hand tools, most notably hand planes and chisels, are some of the most useful tools in the woodshop. In the time it takes to set up many power tool…

    • block planes

      All about Block Planes

      July 15, 2019

      Watch Chris Gochnour explain how to tune up this indispensable hand plane.

    • How to Mill Rough Lumber – Start Woodworking S1:Ep9

      How to Mill Rough Lumber

      July 15, 2019

      Learn how to four-square a board, an essential skill in woodworking.

    • Oil-and-Wax Finish – Start Woodworking S1:Ep10

      July 15, 2019

      In episode 10 of our series, Getting Started in Woodworking, we complete our first season with a demonstration on how to apply an oil-and-wax wood finish. This finishing recipe is…

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