3.2 Wood working joints

• Classification of woodwork joints: lengthening, widening, framing
• Common joints (butt, halving, mortise-and-tenon, dowel, housing, dovetail, mitre)
• Preparing and assembling joints
• Fasteners for strengthening joints (nails, screws, dowels, glue)

• identify different types of joints in woodwork
• classify types of joints in woodwork
• prepare joints used in woodwork
• identify fasteners used in strengthening woodworking joints
• appreciate the role of woodworking joints in making a wood product

“Why are joints important in making wooden products?”

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1. What woodwork joints are and why they matter
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   What a joint is, and why joints are central to making wooden products.
2. Classifying joints: lengthening, widening, framing
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   The three main classes of woodwork joint, grouped by what they do to the wood.
3. Lengthening joints
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Joints that make wood longer - the scarf joint and lapped joint - and where they are used.
4. Widening joints
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Joints that make wood wider - edge (rubbed), dowelled and tongue-and-groove joints - for wide boards.
5. Framing joints
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   The framing class - joints that connect pieces at an angle or corner to build frames and structures.
6. The butt joint
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   The simplest framing joint - the butt joint: how it is made, its weakness, and its uses.
7. The halving joint
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   The halving (half-lap) joint - cutting each piece halfway so they overlap flush.
8. Types of halving joint
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   The main kinds of halving joint - corner, tee, cross and dovetail halving - and where each is used.
9. The mortise-and-tenon joint
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   The strongest and most important framing joint - the mortise-and-tenon: what it is and why it is strong.
10. Marking out a mortise-and-tenon joint
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Setting out a mortise-and-tenon accurately - marking the tenon and the mortise to fit.
11. Cutting the tenon
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Cutting the tenon - sawing the cheeks and shoulders accurately to the marked lines.
12. Cutting the mortise
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Cutting the mortise - chopping the rectangular hole to match the tenon, and fitting the joint.
13. The dowel joint
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    The dowel joint - joining pieces with round wooden pegs (dowels) - a simpler alternative to the mortise-and-tenon.
14. The housing joint
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    The housing joint - one piece set into a channel (housing) across another, e.g. a shelf in a bookcase.
15. The dovetail joint
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    The dovetail joint - interlocking fan-shaped pins and tails - the strongest corner joint for boxes and drawers.
16. The mitre joint
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    The mitre joint - two 45-degree ends meeting at a neat corner, and how it is strengthened.
17. Comparing and choosing joints
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Comparing the common joints by strength and difficulty, and choosing the right joint for a job.
18. Sketching woodworking joints
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    A practical: sketching common joints to understand and communicate how they go together.
19. Preparing and assembling joints: the procedure
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    The general procedure for preparing and assembling any joint - from marking to gluing and cramping.
20. Preparing and assembling a halving joint
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    A practical: preparing and assembling a halving joint from marking to gluing and checking square.
21. Preparing and assembling a mortise-and-tenon
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    A practical: bringing together marking, cutting the tenon and mortise, fitting and gluing the joint.
22. Fasteners: nails
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Nails as fasteners for joints - types of nail and how they strengthen or make a joint.
23. Fasteners: screws
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Screws as fasteners - how they grip, their advantages over nails, and using them well.
24. Fasteners: dowels and glue
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Dowels and glue as ways of joining and strengthening - and how fasteners combine with glue.
25. Choosing and using fasteners to strengthen joints
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    How to choose the right fastener and use fasteners to strengthen joints in a product.
26. Why joints matter in making products
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    The inquiry answered: why joints are important in making wooden products.