The method used for joining wood will depend on the function, strength and quality of the product.
Wood joints can be made with screws, nails, glues and knock-down components, or with frame joints, such as butt joints, halving joints, mortice-and-tenon, dovetail and box joints.
Screws
Two sizes of hole are needed. The clearance hole must be very slightly bigger than the shankof the screw so that the shank can move freely in the clearance hole. The pilot hole must be smaller than the core of the screw so that the core fits tightly into it.
Nails
Nails are cheaper and easier to use than screws and come in many shapes and sizes. Holes need to be drilled to prevent the wood from splitting, or when using hard woods.
Knock-down joints
Knock-down (KD) joints are commonly used in flat-pack furniture, which is assembled by the customer at home. Usually KD joints are made from a plastic, such as nylon.
Frame joints
Strong, permanent and neat-looking joints in wood are achieved using one of the many types of frame joint. Frame joints are right-angled, jointed frames common in furniture, boxes and many other types of assembly.
Simple frame joints
More complex frame joints
Edging
Lipping is a strip of wood used to reinforce a joint, or to make the edge of a piece of wood look neater.
With floorboards or timber cladding, the edge of a thin strip of wood fits into a slot in the next piece of wood. This is called a tongue-and-groove joint.
