Essential Joinery. Marc Spagnuolo
to the shop and make some joinery.
Chapter 1
BUTT JOINTS
In its simplest form, joinery is nothing more than a method
for attaching one piece of wood to another. There’s no more
fundamental example of that than the humble 90° butt joint.
My very first woodworking projects featured butt joints; I still
use them today when the project calls for it. As you progress in
your woodworking journey, you will likely move on to some of
the more involved joints covered later in this book, but this is
where it all begins.
It’s important to note that a simple glued 90° butt joint is
inherently weak. The end grain of one of your boards will soak
up most of the glue, rendering the joint ineffective. This is why
much of this chapter focuses on reinforcement methods for
each joint.
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ESSENTIAL JOINERY
SCREW-REINFORCED 90° BUTT JOINT
One of the most accessible ways to reinforce a basic 90° butt joint is to add screws.
The screws not only hold the pieces tightly together but also add reinforcement
because the screw penetrates both workpieces.
1. Cut parts to desired size. It is
critical that the ends are nice and
square.
2. Though there are many other
options for squaring stock, a
tablesaw outfitted with a miter
gauge or cross-cut sled makes it
quick work.
1
2
TOOLS
Square
Tablesaw
Miter gauge or cross-cut sled
Clamp
Drill with countersink bit
Bandsaw or plug cutter
Mallet
Flush trim saw
Plane or sanding block
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ESSENTIAL JOINERY
Butt Joints | SCREW-REINFORCED 90° BUTT JOINT
3
4
5
6
3. Apply glue to the end grain
and the face or edge of the
adjoining piece. While the glue
won’t add a tremendous amount
of strength, I never let my joints
go naked.
4. Confirm the workpieces are
square and adjust the clamp if
needed.
5. Use an adjustable
countersink bit to pilot-drill the
screw hole while also creating a
nice deep recess for a wood plug.
6. Drill at least two holes per
joint. Since these will be visible
in the final product, take care to
arrange the holes so they are
visually pleasing.
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ESSENTIAL JOINERY
SCREW-REINFORCED 90° BUTT JOINT | Butt Joints
7. Drive a screw into each
hole and remove the clamp.
8. To cap off the screws, you can
use a short length of dowel rod
(typically ⅜").
9. For end-grain plugs (like
those cut from a dowel), apply
glue to the holes and the plugs
and tap them into place.
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8
9
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ESSENTIAL JOINERY
Butt Joints | SCREW-REINFORCED 90° BUTT JOINT
10
11
12
10. A better alternative is
to use a tapered plug cutter. Drill
into a piece of solid stock and pop
out the plug with a screwdriver.
11. For a tapered plug (from the
plug cutter), be sure to align the
grain of the plug with the grain of
the workpiece. Then comes the
most exciting portion of any joint
assembly: wait for the glue to dry.
12. Once the glue is dry, saw off
the excess using a flush trim saw
and either plane or sand smooth.
In the last photo, you can see the
visual difference between an end-
grain dowel (darker, on the left)
and the face-grain piece from the
plug cutter (almost invisible, on
the right).
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ESSENTIAL JOINERY
FRAME BUTT JOINT USING POCKET SCREWS
Pocket screws can make frame assembly quick and easy. Just cut your parts to
length, drill the holes, and drive the screws. It’s very common to see cabinet doors
assembled with pocket screws.
3
1
2
TOOLS
Drill
Drill bit and driver
Pocket hole jig
Clamps
1. Arrange the parts to be
jointed and