Getting to Know a Little About Wood Joinery

A Better Way to Join Wooden Parts Together
An object can be made up of several pieces of wood or lumber. These wooden parts are joined together using adhesive or glue and metal or steel nails, rivets or screws. But a homogeneous construction – that is, when all parts are made of the same material – is much sturdier and longer-lasting. The reason is that steel or metal parts eventually rust, damaging the finish and strength of the wood. That’s the reason the art and technology of wood joinery and woodworking are still very much around, and are still being practiced by wood craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, and builders. Expensive wood furniture like an accent chair made of an expensive type of wood is built using only wood joinery.
The following series of short animations will show you some of the simple as well as complicated types of wood joint. Each has a particular use, which can make the joint simple or intricate. It may seem unnecessarily complicated at first, but there are reasons for that — to achieve a tighter fit and to resist all possible forces coming from all directions that a wood member or the entire finished object may be subjected to. Another reason is that the greater the surface contact between the members, the sturdier, stronger and more resistant to forces the whole object becomes. Now take a good look at the short animated graphics below – all nine of them – then tell us what you think on our Facebook Page!
平印籠継ぎ Hira-inro-tsugi pic.twitter.com/ikJuHnhAxq
— The Joinery (@TheJoinery_jp) September 22, 2016
腰掛け蟻落し継ぎ Koshikake-ari-otoshi-tsugi pic.twitter.com/uOPpNbXMth
— The Joinery (@TheJoinery_jp) October 17, 2016
重ね枘仕口 Kasane-hozo-shikuchi pic.twitter.com/X0Tx4tg2eV
— The Joinery (@TheJoinery_jp) October 18, 2016
天秤の逆組み継ぎ Tenbin-no-gyaku-kumi-tsugi pic.twitter.com/hWI0wvG8to
— The Joinery (@TheJoinery_jp) September 19, 2016
貝の口継ぎ Kai-no-kuchi-tsugi pic.twitter.com/dj9N8ZftqS
— The Joinery (@TheJoinery_jp) September 13, 2016
土台隅目地入れ仕口 Dodai-sumi-meji-ire-shikuchi pic.twitter.com/4xHJXXk4ef
— The Joinery (@TheJoinery_jp) October 19, 2016
通し違い枘差し枘鼻栓仕口 Toshi-chigai-hozo-sashi-hanasen-shikuchi pic.twitter.com/1ToumLNXMM
— The Joinery (@TheJoinery_jp) September 30, 2016
渡り顎二重枘仕口 Watari-ago-niju-hozo-shikuchi pic.twitter.com/4U3hrvFMGt
— The Joinery (@TheJoinery_jp) September 1, 2016
四枚鎌継ぎ Yonmai-kama-tsugi pic.twitter.com/1LApi4GlQu
— The Joinery (@TheJoinery_jp) October 1, 2016
Now tell us what you think by joining the discussion on our Facebook Page!
Next Up: The Handcrafted Treehouse