Box joint and how to make wood connections with a dado set or wobble blade.

How to make a box joint for furniture.

All corners of the box are connected with a box joint.
Assembly of a wooden box with box joints.

A requisite for this joinery method is absolute perfection in your cuts.
Both pieces of wood have to fit very tight together.
In fact so close together that you can not even get a piece of paper in between the parts.
This could still be achieved with a handsaw and chisel, but a box joint is hardly ever made by hand.
You will need a special tool to make a good box joint, there is no escape from that.

The box joint is similar to the dovetail method for furniture assembly.
It is slighly weaker then dovetails but nevertheless still a very strong method for joinery. Continue reading “Box joint and how to make wood connections with a dado set or wobble blade.”

Rabbet joint or rebate, shoulder groove cut for wood joining.

The rabbet joint consists of a shoulder on one or two panels.

Rabbet shoulder and double rabbets.
Double shoulder rabbet.

For this joinery method the connecting panels we attach the panels in a ninety degrees angle.
It is a simple woodworking technique to make, with many different tools.

You do not have to be a carpentry expert to make these wood joints.
A joint of this type stays usually out of sight.
Its use is mainly for the backside of cabinets, where it makes the joint between back and side panels.

The single shouldered joint only has a groove in one of the panels.
The shoulder is what supports the corresponding piece, it is also called the bearer.
On this picture you see the difference between a single and the double shoulder version for this woodjoint. Continue reading “Rabbet joint or rebate, shoulder groove cut for wood joining.”

Bisquit joints for wood edge to edge, mitered and T – joint biscuits.

Bisquit joinery system for chipboard and planks.

You will need a special tool for these connections.
These tools are called a bisquit joiner or bisquit saw.
You could rent one if you are only goin to use it sporadically.
It is nevertheless worthwile to buy a biscuit joiner if you will use it a lot.
A bisquit saw is not cheap but it will save you a lot of work when making your own furniture. Continue reading “Bisquit joints for wood edge to edge, mitered and T – joint biscuits.”

Halved joint – cross lap woodworking joinery technique.

Connection of intersecting boards and planks with a halved joint.

Most methods for joinery of wooden boards are designed to connect wood at the ends.
Not so with the halved joint, this method for joinery connects the planks somewehere halfway.
This halved joint method is equal to the divisions in cardboard boxes for wine bottles.
All parts can be taken apart when you take the grid out of the box.
Each panel, in this case with several slots, fits in its corresponding counterparts. Continue reading “Halved joint – cross lap woodworking joinery technique.”

Scarf joints, interlocking and plain reinforced scarfs.

Twelve different scarf joints.

Joinery for boats and woodworking in construction of buildings.
The scarf joint consists of twelve different applications based on the same priciple.

Here are the main types to make and reinforce this joinery method with scarves.
Its main application is for large timber.
Lumber is often not large enough when you have to make a big construction.

Barns and sheds need very large pieces of wood that can only be obtained by elongating the lumber.
A connection of those wooden beams can be done in several manners.
The scarf joints are among the most used methods for this purpose. Continue reading “Scarf joints, interlocking and plain reinforced scarfs.”

Tongue and groove joinery method.

Floorboards and wall panel assembly with tongue and groove joints.

Tongue and groove profile for joining boards.
Fitting boards with a tongue and groove.

One part of the board has a slot, the other side features a ridge which fits into the slot.
This joinery method is ideal to make large panels from planks.
The planks stay joined, even when the wood shrinks.
Tongue and groove joints are widely used in the flooring industry.
Another application for this joinery method are large panels to construct of wooden houses. Continue reading “Tongue and groove joinery method.”

Finger joint – comb and box joints for woodworking.

Comb joints – Finger Joint – Box joint.

Three expressions for the same type of woodjoint.
The finger joint is, among other purposes, used to make planks longer and for construction of box shapes.
You will need special tools to make these connections for wood.
Fitting is very precise, if there is a slight fault then your parts will not fit together.
For that reason it is a wood joining method which is very strong but only suitable if you have the right machinery. Continue reading “Finger joint – comb and box joints for woodworking.”

Reclaimed wood and recycled scraps for homemade furniture.

DIY examples to make your own furniture.

Scrapped metal rubbish and reclaimed pallets that were thrown away.

What can you make out of discarded materials?
More and more examples of scrap converted into furniture appear on the web.
We selected some of the best ideas for home made furniture from reclaimed wood.
See how you can make chairs from repurposed oil drums or worn car tires.
Amazing designs for furniture made out of old bicycles.

One of the most obvious materials to repurpose are pallets.
Websites such as Etsy and Pinterest provide many ideas to repurpose a pallet.
Some of those furniture designs are ready within an hour.
Garden chairs can be easily made by cutting a euro pallet in two pieces. Continue reading “Reclaimed wood and recycled scraps for homemade furniture.”

Mitered lap and half lap scarf connection for wood joinery.

How to make a mitered lapjoint / scarf joint for construction with timber.

Mitered joints and miter half lap joints for woodworking.
The mitered lap joint is a visually attractive method to join two or more pieces of timber.
This wood joinery method is great for homemade furniture.

On the other hand, the scarf joint is not the strongest method to connect wood.
If you do not have the special powertools then you will have to make this joinery in the classic way.
A sharp woodsaw and perfect chisels are essential to make a good mitered wood joint.
The half lap mitered lapjoint version is even more prone to defects and errors during the assembly. Continue reading “Mitered lap and half lap scarf connection for wood joinery.”

Farmhouse furniture made of logs and branches.

How to make tables chairs and benches from branches and spruce.

Coffee table made from a halved tree trunk and branches for the legs.
Halved tree trunk as coffee table.

Farmhouse furniture, made from reclaimed firewood.
Superb looking furnishings for house and garden, all made from materials found in the woods.

How to make the woodjoints is explained on the page about spoke pointers and pointed dowels.
Another page that comes in handy while woodworking with spruce is about mitered wood joints.
Most of these designs and woodworking examples are a translation of our Dutch woodworking instructions. Continue reading “Farmhouse furniture made of logs and branches.”

Dowel pointer wood joint for branches in rustic furniture.

Chamfer large diameter dowels with a spoke pointer tool.

Pointed dowel made with a spoke cutter tool.
How to make farmhouse furniture with a spoke cutter tool.

A spoke pointer has been used for centuries to fit spokes for cartwheels.
As a result of that they are still commonly known as spoke pointers.
The dowels that are made with this tool form an integer part of the construction material, usually round wood.

These pointed ends are made either with the branch in a lathe or with the dowel pointer fitted to a drill.
Furniture made with these wood joints is very rustic.
These large dowel connections for wood are especially suited to make farmhouse furniture from thick branches.

Glue the spokes in the auger, use nails or screws to fixate the parts together.
Continue reading “Dowel pointer wood joint for branches in rustic furniture.”

Bridle joint woodworking examples.

A bridle joint is often used to make frames for furniture.

Open corner bridle joint.
Corner of a frame made with a bridle joint.

These woodjoints look very neat and they provide reasonable strength to the structure.
You will probably need a bit less wood when you use the bridle joint for your woodworking project.
This method for connecting wood is especially suitable when the combined pieces have to be shaped afterwards.

Since the woodjoint spans a large surface there will be less loss of integrity when material gets removed.
This is especially handy when you make furniture that requires rounded shapes and bends.

Table legs are often connected with these woodjoints.
Another application is the support frame under tabletops.
Combine the frame with a mitred tabletop. Continue reading “Bridle joint woodworking examples.”

Wood clamp joinery method to make beams longer.

Is your beam not long enough? Make a wood clamp from two planks.

Wood clamp to make beams and planks longer.
How touse a wood clamp to make long wooden beams.

This is a very basic method to make beams with a large span.
For use in construction of barns and sheds, and in emergency for use in any type of building.
The main disadvantage of this wood clamp are the estetics.
Apart from that it is not a very strong method for joinery.

Nobody can say that these wooden clamps are visually attractive.
But on the other hand they serve their purpose, make long beams to span a large width.
Therefore a wood clamp for elongating beams is mainly used in case that there is no other material or time available. Continue reading “Wood clamp joinery method to make beams longer.”

Mitre joint for wood connections in an angle.

How to make a mitre joint in woodworking.

The mitre joint for wood is very common in many differents types of construction.
It make a nice clean angle at the corner, inside as well as outside.
This joinery can be used for both beams as well as for planks.
The typical way how most tabletops are made.
Mitred woodjoints do not leave the faceside of the cut visible.
Those short ends are always more rough and more prone to damage.
Therefore these mitred joints  protect the short ends, hence prolonging the lifespan. Continue reading “Mitre joint for wood connections in an angle.”

Lap joint for connecting and elongating timber.

Connection of beams and planks with a lap joint.

Overlap wood joinery with dowels.
Tabletop corner overlap with dowels.

The lapjoint is mainly used when your planks and timber is not long enough.
This woodjoint is not the strongest method, but nevertheless it is widely used.
Large beams are often made by connecting two or more pieces with a lap joint.

Extra strengthening will be needed if this woodjoint forms part of a construction under heavy load.
See more methods to make woodjoints.
The most used joining fasteners for homemade furniture are dowels.
These dowels can also be used to make a lapjoint stronger. Continue reading “Lap joint for connecting and elongating timber.”

Dowel method for wood joints and joinery in homemade furniture.

Dowels for wood joinery.

The dowel and hole method is simple and effective for joining timber.
The end result is invisible.
Apart from that it is a strong way for connecting two pieces of wood together.
There are not a lot of special tools needed, you can even make this woodjoint if you only have a power drill.
In the case that you want to make hidden woodjoints with dowels then you will at least need an alignment plug. Continue reading “Dowel method for wood joints and joinery in homemade furniture.”

Homemade furniture examples and free plans for woodworking.

Free instructions and plans for homemade furniture.

Picnictable and benches made from branches with use of a pointed dowel spoke cutter.
Farmhouse picnic table and wooden benches.

Woodworking plans and do it yourself instructions for homemade furniture.
Most drawings were derived from a popular Dutch do it yourself site.

Please have a look at the original building plans for scaffolding furniture.
On that website is a lot more content.
Meanwhile we will translate all manuals to English.

Creative ways to repurpose scaffolding planks and pallets.
We have compiled many construction plans for the recycling of wood and metal.

Continue reading “Homemade furniture examples and free plans for woodworking.”