Joints

This table comes from the joint table in the app. The assistant reads the same table.

Each joint has its UK name first, and other names (US names first) under Also called. Strength in its family is low, medium or high against the other joints in the same family, with the reason. It is not a measured strength.

Looks tells you if the joint is shown, partly shown or hidden, and on which faces. KerfCraft draws it tells you if Add joint… can add the joint. See Add joints. The proportions are typical starting points: check them against your own design before cutting. To learn how to choose between joints, read Choosing a joint.

Frame joints

Corner half lap

Also called	end lap, corner halving
Use	Frame corners: simple frames, carcass back frames, workshop jigs.
Loads it resists	shear, twist
Strength in its family	medium: A large long-grain glue face, but each part is cut to half its thickness.
Difficulty	beginner
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	The grain of the two parts crosses. Keep glued cross-grain joints narrow, or the wood can split as it moves.
Typical proportions	Each part cut to ½ of its thickness, the width of the other part long.
Looks	shown, on the side, end
Decorative options	none
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Half lap

Tee half lap

Also called	T-lap, tee halving
Use	A rail meeting the middle of another rail in a frame.
Loads it resists	shear, twist
Strength in its family	medium: A large long-grain glue face, but each part is cut to half its thickness.
Difficulty	beginner
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	The grain of the two parts crosses. Keep glued cross-grain joints narrow, or the wood can split as it moves.
Typical proportions	Each part cut to ½ of its thickness.
Looks	shown, on the side
Decorative options	none
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Half lap

Cross half lap

Also called	cross lap, cross halving
Use	Two rails that cross: stretchers, lattices, grids.
Loads it resists	shear, twist
Strength in its family	medium: Long-grain glue faces, and each part holds the other on four shoulders.
Difficulty	beginner
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	The grain of the two parts crosses. Keep glued cross-grain joints narrow, or the wood can split as it moves.
Typical proportions	Each part cut to ½ of its thickness, the width of the other part wide.
Looks	shown, on the top
Decorative options	none
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Half lap

Corner bridle

Also called	open mortise and tenon, slot mortise
Use	Frame corners, door frames, table bases where a leg meets a top rail.
Loads it resists	racking, shear
Strength in its family	medium: Three long-grain glue faces, but the slot is open on two sides, so it resists racking less than a mortise and tenon.
Difficulty	intermediate
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	The grain of the two parts crosses. Keep glued cross-grain joints narrow, or the wood can split as it moves.
Typical proportions	Tenon and slot each about ⅓ of the stock thickness.
Looks	shown, on the side, end
Decorative options	a peg through the cheeks
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Bridle

Tee bridle

Also called	T-bridle
Use	A leg or upright meeting the middle of a rail.
Loads it resists	racking, shear
Strength in its family	medium: Three long-grain glue faces, and the rail is held on both sides.
Difficulty	intermediate
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	The grain of the two parts crosses. Keep glued cross-grain joints narrow, or the wood can split as it moves.
Typical proportions	Slot about ⅓ of the stock thickness; the housing in the rail is the full width of the slotted part.
Looks	shown, on the side, end
Decorative options	none
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Bridle

Blind mortise and tenon

Also called	stopped mortise and tenon, stopped tenon
Use	The standard frame joint: rails into legs, doors, chairs, tables.
Loads it resists	racking, shear, twist
Strength in its family	high: Long-grain glue faces on the cheeks, and the shoulders resist racking.
Difficulty	intermediate
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	The grain of the two parts crosses. Keep glued cross-grain joints narrow, or the wood can split as it moves.
Typical proportions	Tenon about ⅓ of the stock thickness; length about ⅔ of the width of the mortised part.
Looks	hidden
Decorative options	none
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Mortise and tenon

Through mortise and tenon

Also called	through tenon
Use	Frames where the tenon end can show, or must be wedged.
Loads it resists	racking, shear, twist
Strength in its family	high: The full length of the cheeks gives long-grain glue face.
Difficulty	intermediate
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	The grain of the two parts crosses. Keep glued cross-grain joints narrow, or the wood can split as it moves.
Typical proportions	Tenon about ⅓ of the stock thickness, through the mortised part.
Looks	shown, on the side
Decorative options	the tenon end left a little proud and chamfered
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Through mortise and tenon

Haunched mortise and tenon

Also called	haunched tenon
Use	Frame-and-panel doors and frames with a groove: the haunch fills the groove at the corner.
Loads it resists	racking, shear, twist
Strength in its family	high: The haunch adds glue face and resists twist in a wide rail.
Difficulty	advanced
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	Glue the frame only; leave a solid panel loose in its groove so it can move.
Typical proportions	Tenon about ⅓ of the stock thickness; haunch as long as the groove is deep.
Looks	hidden
Decorative options	none
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Haunched mortise and tenon

Through wedged tenon

Also called	wedged mortise and tenon, wedged through tenon
Use	Frames that must not pull apart (chairs, benches, trestles), and where the wedges are a feature.
Loads it resists	pull-out, racking, shear
Strength in its family	high: The wedges spread the tenon into a flared mortise: a mechanical lock against pull-out.
Difficulty	advanced
Tools	hand
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	Drive the wedges so they spread the tenon towards the mortise ends, not its long sides, or the mortised part can split.
Typical proportions	Tenon about ⅓ of the stock thickness; flare the mortise on the outside face for the wedges.
Looks	shown, on the side
Decorative options	contrasting wood for the wedges
KerfCraft draws it	not yet

Drawbored mortise and tenon

Also called	pegged tenon, pegged mortise and tenon
Use	Frames, doors and timber framing that must stay tight, with or without glue.
Loads it resists	pull-out, racking, shear
Strength in its family	high: The offset peg pulls the shoulders tight and holds the tenon in against pull-out.
Difficulty	advanced
Tools	hand
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	The grain of the two parts crosses. Keep glued cross-grain joints narrow, or the wood can split as it moves.
Typical proportions	Peg hole in the tenon offset about 1–2 mm towards the shoulder.
Looks	shown, on the side
Decorative options	contrasting or square pegs, pegs left proud and rounded
KerfCraft draws it	not yet

Twin mortise and tenon

Also called	double tenon, twin tenon
Use	Thick or wide rails, for example a drawer rail into a leg or a deep door rail.
Loads it resists	racking, shear, twist
Strength in its family	high: Two tenons give more long-grain glue face than one, without one wide tenon that shrinks.
Difficulty	advanced
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	Two narrow tenons move less across their width than one wide tenon.
Typical proportions	Each tenon about ⅓ of its own stock; the space between equals a tenon.
Looks	hidden
Decorative options	none
KerfCraft draws it	not yet

Scarf joint

Also called	scarf
Use	Joining two lengths end to end to make a longer member.
Loads it resists	shear, pull-out
Strength in its family	low: A plain glued scarf depends on its slope: a long, shallow slope gives more glue face.
Difficulty	advanced
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	Parts meet with their grain in the same direction, so they move together.
Typical proportions	A long, shallow slope (about 1:8 or flatter) for a plain glued scarf.
Looks	shown, on the side, top
Decorative options	keyed or pegged scarfs in traditional framing
KerfCraft draws it	not yet

Carcass and box joints

Glued butt joint

Also called	butt joint
Use	The simplest corner or tee: one part glued against the face or edge of another.
Loads it resists	shear
Strength in its family	low: End grain glues poorly and nothing locks the parts.
Difficulty	beginner
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	end grain
Wood movement	Weak where wide parts cross grain; the glue line can fail as they move.
Typical proportions	Cut the ends square and flat; no joint to mark out.
Looks	shown, on the side
Decorative options	none
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Glued butt

Rebate joint

Also called	rabbet joint
Use	Box and carcass corners, and backs let into a carcass.
Loads it resists	shear, racking
Strength in its family	low: The shoulder locates the part and adds some long-grain glue face, but the main glue face is end grain.
Difficulty	beginner
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	mixed
Wood movement	A back in a rebate can be screwed, not glued, so a solid-wood back can move.
Typical proportions	Rebate about ½ of the thickness of the part it is cut in.
Looks	partly shown, on the side
Decorative options	none
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Housing

Through housing

Also called	dado, through dado, trench
Use	Fixed shelves and dividers into carcass sides.
Loads it resists	shear
Strength in its family	medium: The shelf sits on the housing shoulder, so the load does not hang on the glue.
Difficulty	beginner
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	end grain
Wood movement	Shelf and side grain run the same way in a carcass, so they move together.
Typical proportions	Housing about ⅓ of the side thickness deep, the full width of the shelf.
Looks	partly shown, on the front
Decorative options	none
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Housing

Stopped housing

Also called	stopped dado, blind dado
Use	Shelves into sides where the front edge must look clean.
Loads it resists	shear
Strength in its family	medium: The same shoulder as a through housing, with a little less glue face.
Difficulty	intermediate
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	end grain
Wood movement	Shelf and side grain run the same way in a carcass, so they move together.
Typical proportions	Housing about ⅓ of the side thickness deep; stop it short of the front edge and notch the shelf to suit.
Looks	hidden
Decorative options	none
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Stopped housing

Mitre joint

Also called	miter joint, plain mitre
Use	Corners where no end grain must show: picture frames, boxes, mouldings.
Loads it resists	shear
Strength in its family	low: Both glue faces are end grain and nothing locks the parts.
Difficulty	intermediate
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	end grain
Wood movement	On wide parts the mitre opens or closes as the wood moves across its width.
Typical proportions	Two cuts at half the corner angle (45° for a square corner).
Looks	hidden
Decorative options	none
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Mitre

Splined mitre

Also called	spline miter, loose-tongue mitre
Use	Long mitred corners in carcasses and boxes that need more strength than a plain mitre.
Loads it resists	shear, pull-out
Strength in its family	medium: The spline adds long-grain glue face and keeps the faces level.
Difficulty	intermediate
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	mixed
Wood movement	Cut a solid-wood spline with its grain across the joint, or use plywood, so it does not split.
Typical proportions	Spline about ⅓ of the stock thickness, nearer the inside corner.
Looks	partly shown, on the end
Decorative options	a contrasting spline that shows at the ends, stopped grooves to hide it
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Splined mitre

Keyed mitre

Also called	key miter, feathered mitre
Use	Box and frame corners: keys across the corner add strength and are often a feature.
Loads it resists	shear, pull-out
Strength in its family	medium: The keys cross the joint with long-grain glue faces.
Difficulty	intermediate
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	mixed
Wood movement	Small parts only; keys have their grain across the joint line.
Typical proportions	Keys in saw kerfs across the outside corner, spaced evenly.
Looks	shown, on the front, side
Decorative options	contrasting wood for the keys, even or graduated key spacing
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Keyed mitre

Box joint

Also called	finger joint, comb joint
Use	Box and drawer corners; a strong corner made with a jig.
Loads it resists	shear, racking
Strength in its family	high: Many long-grain glue faces on the finger cheeks.
Difficulty	intermediate
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	Parts meet with their grain in the same direction, so they move together.
Typical proportions	Fingers of equal width; finger length equals the thickness of the mating part.
Looks	shown, on the front, side
Decorative options	contrasting woods for the two parts, finger width to suit the piece
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Box joint

Edge joints

Tongue and groove

Also called	T&G, tongue-and-groove
Use	Boards edge to edge: cladding, floors, boarded backs and panels.
Loads it resists	shear
Strength in its family	medium: Keeps the faces level and the boards in line; glued, it is long grain to long grain.
Difficulty	beginner
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	For a boarded back or cladding, fit the boards dry so each board can move.
Typical proportions	Tongue about ⅓ of the board thickness.
Looks	hidden
Decorative options	a V-groove or bead on the joint line
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Tongue and groove

Loose tongue

Also called	spline joint, loose spline
Use	Edge joints and panels where both parts get a groove and a separate tongue goes between.
Loads it resists	shear
Strength in its family	medium: Long-grain glue faces on both sides of the tongue.
Difficulty	beginner
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	Use plywood or a cross-grain solid tongue so it does not split.
Typical proportions	Tongue about ⅓ of the board thickness, centred.
Looks	hidden
Decorative options	none
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Loose tongue

Butterfly key

Also called	bowtie, dovetail key, butterfly
Use	Holds a crack or an edge joint closed in a slab or table top; often a feature.
Loads it resists	pull-out
Strength in its family	low: It stops a crack opening further; it is not a main joint.
Difficulty	intermediate
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	mixed
Wood movement	Set the key grain across the crack; the slab can still move around it.
Typical proportions	Key about ⅓ to ½ of the slab thickness deep.
Looks	shown, on the top
Decorative options	contrasting wood for the key, keys on both faces
KerfCraft draws it	not yet

Dovetails

Through dovetail

Also called	through dovetails
Use	Box and carcass corners and drawer backs; often shown as a mark of hand work.
Loads it resists	pull-out, racking
Strength in its family	high: The tails lock against pull-out in one direction, with long-grain glue faces.
Difficulty	advanced
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	Parts meet with their grain in the same direction, so they move together.
Typical proportions	Slope 1:6 (9.5°) in softwood, 1:8 (7.1°) in hardwood; cut with a router, the slope of the bit (through-dovetail jigs 7° to 10°). Tails as long as the pin board is thick.
Looks	shown, on the front, side
Decorative options	fine pins with wide tails ("London pattern"), even machine spacing, contrasting woods for the two parts
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Through dovetail

Half-blind dovetail

Also called	lapped dovetail, half-lap dovetail
Use	Drawer fronts: the joint shows on the drawer sides, not the front.
Loads it resists	pull-out, racking
Strength in its family	high: The tails lock against the pull on the drawer front.
Difficulty	advanced
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	Parts meet with their grain in the same direction, so they move together.
Typical proportions	Slope 1:6 (9.5°) in softwood, 1:8 (7.1°) in hardwood; cut with a router, the slope of the bit (half-blind jigs mostly 14°, 1:4). Leave a lap of about ¼ to ⅓ of the front thickness.
Looks	partly shown, on the side
Decorative options	fine pins with wide tails ("London pattern"), even machine spacing
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Half-blind dovetail

Sliding dovetail

Also called	dovetail housing, French dovetail
Use	Shelves and dividers into sides, rails into legs, battens under a top.
Loads it resists	pull-out, shear
Strength in its family	medium: Locks the parts across the joint, but it can slide out along its length if not glued or stopped.
Difficulty	advanced
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	mixed
Wood movement	The grain of the two parts crosses. On a batten across a top, glue only the middle so the top can move.
Typical proportions	Socket about ⅓ of the host thickness deep; taper it for a tight fit at the end of the slide.
Looks	hidden
Decorative options	none
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Sliding dovetail

Secret mitred dovetail

Also called	mitred dovetail, full-blind dovetail
Use	Fine boxes and carcasses that must look like a plain mitre but hold like a dovetail.
Loads it resists	pull-out, racking
Strength in its family	high: Dovetails inside the mitre lock it against pull-out.
Difficulty	advanced
Tools	hand
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	Parts meet with their grain in the same direction, so they move together.
Typical proportions	Both parts the same thickness; a thin mitred lap covers the dovetails on both faces.
Looks	hidden
Decorative options	none
KerfCraft draws it	not yet

Inserts and fixings

Screwed butt joint

Also called	screwed butt
Use	Quick carcass and workshop joints, sheet material, painted work.
Loads it resists	shear, pull-out
Strength in its family	medium: Screws pull the parts together, but a screw holds less well in end grain or in the edge of a board.
Difficulty	beginner
Tools	hand, power
Glue surface	mechanical
Wood movement	Screws let the parts move a little; slot the holes where a wide solid part crosses grain.
Typical proportions	Pilot and clearance holes; screws long enough to go well into the second part.
Looks	shown, on the side
Decorative options	screw heads under wood plugs
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Screwed butt

Pinned butt joint

Also called	nailed butt joint, brad-nailed butt
Use	Light boxes, backs and mouldings; pins hold glued parts while the glue sets.
Loads it resists	shear
Strength in its family	low: Pins hold little against pull-out.
Difficulty	beginner
Tools	hand, power
Glue surface	mechanical
Wood movement	Pins bend a little as the wood moves.
Typical proportions	Drive pins at opposite angles (dovetail nailing) so they hold better.
Looks	shown, on the side
Decorative options	pin holes filled to match
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Pinned butt

Pocket screw joint

Also called	pocket hole, pocket-hole joint
Use	Face frames, carcass rails and quick frames, with the pockets on a hidden face.
Loads it resists	shear, pull-out
Strength in its family	medium: The screw clamps the joint and goes into the other part at an angle; the glue face is small.
Difficulty	beginner
Tools	power
Glue surface	mechanical
Wood movement	The same as a screwed butt: keep them on narrow parts or where the grain runs the same way.
Typical proportions	The jig drills at a shallow angle (about 15°); use the screw the jig maker gives for the thickness.
Looks	hidden
Decorative options	plugs in the pockets if a face shows
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Pocket screw

Cam fitting

Also called	cam lock, knock-down fitting, cam and bolt
Use	Flat-pack and knock-down carcasses: tops, bottoms and fixed shelves that come apart for a move.
Loads it resists	shear, pull-out
Strength in its family	medium: The cam pulls the bolt tight, but the bolt holds only by its thread in the side, and the joint has no glue.
Difficulty	beginner
Tools	power, CNC
Glue surface	mechanical
Wood movement	No glue, so the parts can move; tighten the cams again after a move.
Typical proportions	Cam bore on the hidden face, its centre a set distance from the end; use the drilling sheet for your fitting.
Looks	hidden
Decorative options	cam caps over the bores
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Cam fitting

Biscuit joint

Also called	plate joint
Use	Aligning edge joints and carcass panels; light corner joints.
Loads it resists	shear
Strength in its family	low: Biscuits mostly align the parts; the glue face is small.
Difficulty	beginner
Tools	power
Glue surface	mixed
Wood movement	Parts meet with their grain in the same direction, so they move together.
Typical proportions	Slot on the centre of the thickness; use the largest biscuit the part width takes.
Looks	hidden
Decorative options	none
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Biscuit

Dowel joint

Also called	dowelled joint, doweled joint
Use	Carcass panels, frames and edge joints, with round pegs in matching holes.
Loads it resists	shear, racking
Strength in its family	medium: Long-grain glue face on the dowels, but the holes must line up exactly.
Difficulty	beginner
Tools	hand, power, CNC
Glue surface	mixed
Wood movement	A row of dowels across wide solid parts restrains movement; keep it to narrow parts.
Typical proportions	Dowel diameter about ⅓ to ½ of the part thickness.
Looks	hidden
Decorative options	through dowels in a contrasting wood
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Dowel

Domino joint

Also called	loose tenon, floating tenon
Use	Carcass panels and frames: a loose flat tenon in two matching mortises.
Loads it resists	shear, racking, twist
Strength in its family	high: A flat tenon has more long-grain glue face than a dowel and resists twist.
Difficulty	beginner
Tools	power, CNC
Glue surface	long grain
Wood movement	The same as a mortise and tenon: keep wide cross-grain parts free to move.
Typical proportions	Tenon about ⅓ of the part thickness.
Looks	hidden
Decorative options	none
KerfCraft draws it	yes, with Add joint… ▸ Domino