Dan Antion

Joints or Connecting Points – CFFC

This week (yes, I’ve waited ‘til the last day again) Cee setup a Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge that works very well for me. Joints and connecting points are an essential component of woodworking. Here’s what Cee said about the challenge:

“This week our topic is celebrating Joints or Connecting Points. Just make sure your joint, connecting point, corner, etc. are clearly visible in your photo. Have fun.”

Most of the photos in the gallery are from my workshop, and I was having fun at the time they were taken. There are a few more images than usual, but I covered box joints, mortise and tenon joints, tongue & groove joints and a couple others. I made all but the scarf joint. Many of the pictures were used a long time ago in a post describing how I made a wooden tote. If you want to read more woodworking, click here.

If you click on the little (i) in the circle, you can read the full captions (some of which are long).

Happy Monday!

In order to test a box-joint jig, I made a couple of small boxes. Fortunately, my wife and daughter like them.
AdvanTech subflooring has a tongue and groove joint along the long edge. Since the short edge is above the plate between the two rooms, I decided to add “biscuits” to help keep the panels aligned.
Each joint is dry-fit, adjusted if necessary and numbered. I use tape, because the marks I’ve made on the wood will be sanded away prior to assembly.
More than a decorative detail, the drawer dividers are cut with dovetail ends for a mechanical joint.
Once assembled, the threaded joints had to be welded so they don’t rotate under stress.
This is a Scarf Joint. When I contemplated doing the April A-to-Z challenge, I was going to do woodworking as a theme – this would have been “S”
Anatomy of a pocket hole joint. The screw whose head you see is where we start. The screw whose threads you see is where it will finish. When all the surface area shown is covered in glue, this joint is amazingly strong.
Tongue and groove joint. The joint provides mechanical strength and lots of glue surface.
The upper interior section (3 rails, 3 stiles and five panels) have had time to set up. the bottom panel and rail is dry fit in place and I’m ready to glue the four mortise and tenon joints. 5-8 minutes.
Every joint is dry-fit before any glues is added. Once these go together with glue on them, they aren’t coming apart, so they have to fit.
In order to test a box-joint jig, I made a couple of small boxes. Fortunately, my wife and daughter like them.
This illustrates how a mortise and tenon joint is mechanically strong and provides a lot of glue surface.
When building this little box, I also took the opportunity to practice making a sliding lid.
This little box was a way to learn how to use a new inlay cutting jig and to make a mitered box to wrap the inlay around the corners.
The back side of my box joint jig. Lots of connections here.
Green and Green style cabinet with shiplap cedar strips for the back.
Testing the to see if my jig cuts nice Green and Green joints.
This overlay joint is a ‘shiplap’ from the way the joined boards on ships.

54 comments

  5. Dan, so many “joints” and none serve Corona!

    No wonder your finished projects are so perfect! “Do it right or don’t do it at all” my dad used to say. You definitely do it right!
    Ginger

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    • Thanks Ginger. My father used to say, “If you don’t have time to do it right, you better make time to do it over.”

      Woodworking is something that can be done efficiently, but not quickly.

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  6. Gorgeous, Dan. I’m a fan of wood and woodwork, although I’ve never tried my hand at it (I’m pretty clumsy and terribly at measuring, so probably not the best for me). I love antique programmes as well, and how they can work out the date of wood furniture and artifacts by looking at how they are built. A wonderful craft that should never get lost. Have a great week.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks Olga. I’ve done my best to pass this craft along to our daughter. It’s a wonderful hobby. It’s relaxing and it feels so good to see actual progress.

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  8. I am awed, just as I am by Judy’s quilts. If my dad could see this post, he would salivate; you and he would speak the same language of precision. Something tells me your dad spoke the same language. I would be left in the dust, or, rather, the sawdust.

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    • As I mentioned to Ginger, My dad used to say: “If you don’t have time to do it right, you better make time to do it over.” “Close enough” isn’t good enough in woodworking – you dad knew that.

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  10. Oh, Dan–if you are taking order for boxes with sliding lids, sign me up! They are beautiful. And the scarf joint is interesting. I’ve seen it before but didn’t know it had a name. Of course, I named it zig-zag cutting. 😆
    Totally off subject, but is it just me or do you see that little camera thing in the top Right of your photos? When you click on it, it shows similar photos on the internet. I noticed it when I posted my photo of White Paws this morning, and now I see it on your photos. Is WP doing this or is it something new. Luckily, the photos are just random online, but still….strange.

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  16. I like woodwork even though I only made a very simple two-tier bookshelf when I was very young. I appreciate good workmanship. I don’t have the tools and practice though. I like to read hubby’s Handyman magazine and follow the step-by-step instructions. That said, I appreciate your perfection in your woodworking, Dan!

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  18. You joined a great collection of images together to meet this challenge nicely, Dan. I loved the last one with plane and all the curled up wood shavings. I can almost smell the fresh cut wood. Someone should bottle that scent. 😀😂

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  22. HI DAn, I have always found woodwork very interesting and have watched my dad make joints for chairs. I’ll tell you a secret, because of my dad, I use some woodwork tools to construct my cakes like a spirit level and wire cutters. My dad also sometimes helps me with constructions issues and gives me tips on how to reinforce walls for houses and ensure figures don’t fall down and that sort of thing.

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