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Wood Joints
Wood joints are used in millwork construction.
The term millwork refers to custom; shop-built, wood components designed for interior finish construction. These are fixtures or furniture designed for residential or commercial projects.
Shop fabricated fixtures/ furniture are built in a cabinet or millwork shop. They are assembled, finished and shipped to the project location as one piece.
Some field-installed components are also considered millwork. Items such as base boards or crown moldings produced or finished in a shop are shipped to the job site in lengths. They are then cut to size, fitted and installed on site.
In either situation, joints where pieces lock into each other are stronger and reduce the chance of any future separation. Long lengths of wall applied bases or trims are cut to overlap at the joint.
The eight basic types of joints are: butt, dado, rabbet, lap, dovetail, mortis and tendon, miter, and tongue and groove.
Some will have several variations, such as middle, lap, half lap, and end lap.
A combination will fortify a connection. For example: multiple dovetails, a dado, tongue and rabbet, a dado and rabbet, a barefaced tongue and groove and so on.
The tongue and groove joint is also characteristic to solid wood flooring.
A well-built fixture or piece of furniture will not require any metal fasteners, such as screws or nails.
In many cases glue is added to hold the joint tight.
Birch or maple dowels strengthen butt joints, which are used for simple construction.
A spline (a thin strip of plywd. for example) is glued into a special groove to strengthen a miter joint.
A miter is cut at a 45-degree angle.
Triangular or flat corner braces add support to corners or provide a place for attaching leg hardware.
Intricate details such as dovetail joints are common on older pieces of furniture or antiques.
They are also found on high-end custom furniture or reproduction pieces.
This type of fabrication is time consuming, even for a shop set up with the proper machinery.
Cabinetry with intricate joints is mainly designed for residential projects.
Some commercial projects, such as offices, may also incorporate this type of cabinetry into the overall design.
Fixtures fabricated for many commercial installations will incorporate metal fasteners. These are often a corrugated, or four-pronged fastener or the clamp nail. Time factors and budgets often dictate this type of construction method.
As well, long units are often shipped in sections and require on site assembly. Screws are typically used to connect the sections together. They are applied to the inside of the units so that they do not detract from the overall appearance.
Joints, which link, have an exceptional durability.
A visible connection, such as dado, rabbet or dovetail, can add character and uniqueness to any piece of cabinetry.
The following are some examples of wood joints.
Dovetail
Box Joint
Tongue & Groove
Rabbet
For an explanation of millwork drawings, click on the heading below.
Wood Millwork
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