Tips For Woodworking Joinery
Avoid working with freshly cut lumber, as it will shrink after the joint is assembled. Use wood that has dried to a moisture content approximating the level of the environment in which the finished piece will be used.Visit woodworking joinery basics for more info about woodwork joinery...
When designing a piece of furniture that will bear a heavy load, use larger joints or joints with larger structural members, such as twin mortise-and-tenons. This will distribute the load over a wider area and reduce stress on the joint. If the design of a piece prohibits the use of large joints, use a number of smaller joints to spread the load and reduce stress.
Make sure the elements of a joint are properly proportioned. If a tenon in a mortise-and-tenon joint is too thick, the mortise member will be weakened.
When arranging the mating boards of a joint, always take into account the grain direction of the elements, and orient the pieces to compensate for wood movement.
Cut the elements of a joint parallel to the grain. A tenon cut across the grain, for example, will not withstand shear and racking stress.
For some joints, such as dovetails, use the completed part of the joint (the pins) to lay out the mating part (the tails) to reduce inaccuracies.
If a joint requires reinforcement, use glue along with fasteners, dowels, biscuits, or splines.Visit woodworking joinery basics for more info about woodwork joinery...