Essential Joinery. Marc Spagnuolo
Text © 2019, 2020 by Marc Spagnuolo
Photographs © 2019, 2020 by Marc Spagnuolo
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electric or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written
permission from the Publisher.
The opinions expressed in this book are the author’s own and do not
necessarily reflect the views of Blue Hills Press.
Publisher: Matthew Teague
Copy Editor: Kerri Grzybicki
Designer: Lindsay Hess
Layout Designer: Jodie Delohery
Illustrator: Lindsay Hess
Photographer: Marc Spagnuolo
Indexer: Jay Kreider
Blue Hills Press
P.O. Box 239
Whites Creek, TN 37189
ISBN: 978-1-951217-05-1
e-book ISBN: 978-1-951217-16-7
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020934993
Printed in The United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book was previously published by Spring House Press. This is the first
edition by Blue Hills Press.
Note: The following list contains names that may be used in Essential Joinery
and may be registered with the United States Copyright Office: Association of
Woodworking & Furnishing Suppliers; Festool (DOMINO); Fine Woodworking;
Fine Woodworking Live; Hybrid Woodworking; International Woodworking
Fair; Leigh (D4R); Marc Adams Woodworking School; Popular Woodworking
Magazine; The Wood Whisperer; The Wood Whisperer Guild; William Ng School
of Fine Woodworking; WOOD Magazine; Woodcraft Magazine; YouTube.
The information in this book is given in good faith; however, no warranty is
given, nor are results guaranteed. Woodworking is inherently dangerous. Your
safety is your responsibility. Neither Blue Hills Press nor the authors assume
any responsibility for any injuries or accidents.
To learn more about Blue Hills Press books, or to find a retailer near you, email
[email protected] or visit us at www.bluehillspress.com.
CONTENTS
6
ESSENTIAL JOINERY
INTRODUCTION
Mastering joinery really isn’t about slogging
through hundreds of obscure joints and
mastering them all. It’s more about building a
strong knowledge of basic principles that can
be applied to just about any joint design you
can come up with. In this book I’ll show you the
five categories of joinery I consider essential
for fine woodworking: butt joints; rabbets,
dadoes, and grooves; mortises and tenons;
half-laps and bridles; and dovetails. With this
foundation under your belt you’ll be able to
apply that knowledge to build almost any
piece of furniture. Even the most complicated
joinery has its roots in the core techniques
presented in this book. We’ll look at the most
common joints within those five essential
categories and learn how to make them. We’ll
even repair a few mistakes along the way.
Before we dive into the cornucopia of
delectable wood joinery, let’s take a step back
and talk about our motivations for building
furniture. Is it because you’re tired of crappy
big box store furniture and think you can build
something better? Is it because