Biscuit Joints

For certain types of woodworking joints such as edge-to-edge joints, miter joints, T-joints and corner joints, there is hardly a better choice than biscuit joints. Properly-cut biscuit joints are strong and accurate, particularly when cutting slots with a woodworking tool called a biscuit joiner (or plate joiner).The most common type of biscuit joints are edge-to-edge joints. This is often used for gluing up table tops of various width boards of the same thickness, where biscuits are used along the planed long edges of the boards.

To glue up a table top of various boards, lay out the boards side-by-side with each board's end grain turned in the opposite direction of that of the previous board. This will help keep the table-top stable when the boards expand or shrink.

Once the boards are in the proper positions, use a pencil to make marks across the joints every 4-6". These will be the centerlines for the biscuit slots.

Next, separate the boards and adjust your biscuit joiner for the appropriate size of biscuit. In the case of edge-to-edge joints, you'll most likely use the large #20 size.

Placing the guide fence on top of the stock (perpendicular to the edge), align the cutting guide with the pencil mark. Hold the fence in place, start up the saw and once the motor is at full speed, smoothly plunge the blade into the stock until you can't push any farther. Then, retract the blade fully and repeat at the next mark.

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Mitered Butt Joints

The butt joint is the most basic woodworking joint, where two pieces of wood are butted together (most often at a right angle to one another), but it isn't the most prettiest of joints, since the end grain of one of the two boards will be visible. When you want a more attractive option, try a mitered butt joint. It won't be any stronger than a standard butt joint, but you won't see the end grain.As in a basic butt joint, the glue is the means for holding the joint. However, because both sides of the glue joint will be on porous end grain, you will likely need to use more woodworking glue than when gluing on side grain.

TIP: Be sure to dry-fit your pieces before applying glue, to ensure a proper fit. For instance, if you're making a picture frame, cut all lengths and angles and cross-check the frame for squareness and make sure that the joints have no gaps before applying glue.

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