If you found this video useful, don't forget to press the *LIKE* button. It really helps me out! Like the look of the workbench? Watch me make it here: ruclips.net/video/FXKYwM0f5WU/видео.html&t
This was awesome. Do you have a video to recommend on leading us through building a desk for computer? I feel like multiple joinery types are needed. Since it will be picked up, and moved side to side? thanks!
Thank you. As an engineer I think your understanding is excellent. I did my final degree paper on the joining of continuous fibre composites, wood is a lignin fibre in a cellulose matrix, so I did many experiments breaking wood joints and measuring loads and deflections. Three things I learned that aren’t immediately obvious. 1. Modern glues are much more relevant to the joint than the simple geometry, the glue line can fail by fatigue but total surface area is the most important aspect of glued joints and a simple, multiple combe joint can out perform a dovetail with less pins. (Also beware that dovetailing your lap joints reduces the cross sectional area of the wood at the critical point and will probably decrease strength in a key direction) 2. Compared to a continuous horizontal bit of timber, the same cross section joined into an upright and loaded vertically will fail at a fraction of the force. A standard shouldered mortise at a little over 10%! , not actually surprising as more than 2/3 of the wood has been cut away. Wood is much stronger than most people think but the joints are usually much weaker than the wood. I got the same basic arrangement up to about 80% by design and internal steel reinforcement (beware, most people overestimate the strength of steel compared to wood as I and my lecturers continually did, expecting the wood to fail first and the steel actually did). This later proved very useful when I designed and made clarsachs (Scottish small harps) which have a combined string tension equivalent to asking 7 people to stand on your recently made product. The head joint had two 200mm x 12mm stainless steel dowels epoxy glued with a simple but joint. Other makers used a lap joint which in that situation is much stronger than a mortice. 3. Joints can fail by the crushing of grain on one piece when the load causes the end grain of the other piece to push in. This became a common failure mode of the joint in my experiments above 25% of the wood’s full strength. Any way of bracing a corner or triangulating a structure can dramatically increase the strength or allow for a much lighter structure as it reduces the point load on the vertical component of a cantilevered joint. Joints are seldom loaded so heavily but on items like chairs the crushing of fibres around joints can often be part of the ‘loose joints’ failure mode. I’ve not experimented but I suspect “wood hardener” would help in such situations. I hope that is some useful understanding to add to your video. Much appreciated, thanks.
i second, thanks for this comment, very interesting!! (Although I found it hard to understand/imagine point 3, maybe also cuz english also isnt my first language. I really hope you will make a video or a visualization of this!)
From what I've learned the glue is almost always stronger than the wood so a well cut miter allows for excellent adhesion where as fitting joints don't always have as good of adhesion because glue is pushed out as they're assembled.
@@Solid_Jackson Even more videos out now with woodworkers testing joints. And all of them were surprised that the miter was coming out above dovetails and box joints. A rabbet actually ranks very high too. The trick is to also test the joint itself and not just rotating it. Because the forces applied are different when it's assembled compared to just two pieces of wood.
Surprisingly, miter joints are extremely strong when you add glue. You would think that the end grain on a miter joint is weak, however just by simply cutting the wood at a 45 degree angle makes the glue bond almost, if not, as strong as if it were glued long to long grain. There are many videos on RUclips of woodworkers testing miter joint strength with surprising results.
I am a mechanical engineer. You have trained me in basic wood working and given me a love for the whole idea of the strength that wood can supply. I thank you very much,
What a great explanation! Finally I fully understand the meaning behind every choice. Amazing. Thanks a lot for this tutorial, very well edited and explained. 👍👍👍
I watch many woodworking videos from many "woodworkers" who are not the best "teachers". This video about Joints and when/where to use them - is EXCEPTIONAL! Thanks for the simple explanations and for your quick but effective teaching method! Well done!
Dude, your explanation is so spot on. Using physics to explain the strength of a joint just made my day. I am just starting woodwork but am an engineer so just want to say thank you so much for making this. Now the woodworking world makes sense to me hahahhaha
You leave a question open ended enough to allow creativity and yet informative enough to teach us a lesson before we have to learn it the hard way. Thank you for that, it takes some real finesse to dance between that kind of line, some experienced teachers haven't even attempted to dance that line let alone become adept at it.
Another video tested the joints with weights and the miter joint was the second strongest behind the splined miter. Have you tested the strength of these joints?
I find you to be the most comprehensively bound woodworkers. So much information from techniques for tool use to kinethestetics. SO much useful information with the how and why. Invaluable. For such a young man, you have the knowledge of much older workers. Your videos have been so technically and aesthetically valuable to me. What a brilliant woodworker! I can't imagine the beautiful things you make.
OMG! I should have watched further before my last post. I absolutely LOVE that you take a break to say there are no rules in woodworking. As an "also" artist, that's the mantra by which I teach art. I stopped taking official art classes in the 9th grade when I was told that how I was doing something was "wrong". Woodworking is very much the same as long as you take into consideration what you want to make and how much pressure/usage/weight it will take. So many options. Mix and match as necessary. I'm so glad to hear you say there are no hard and fast rules. It warms my heart as a multimedia artist.
This is a great video and not just because of the well-crafted joints, but also because of your patient, logical, step-by-step instruction on the subject of strength vs. decorative, when and where to use each. You look young which gives me hope that you will continue creating these wonderful videos for years to come.
That was one of the better explanation videos i have seen viewing RUclips, congratulations young man. Your education shines through on this one. Thank you
That little frame made out of 4 joints is a great idea! I'm fairly new to woodworking, might make that my next project to get practice on each of those..
His videos are great! I’ve been doing this as a hobby for 10 years and I still learn things from Matt’s videos. Very knowledgeable and also a great teacher.
I waited almost 17 minutes to hear you say "biscuit joiner". There is artistry and there is practicality. Before I retired one of my main jobs in the woodworking shop was picture frames and cabinets. As you accurately stated, the miter joint is not that strong. However, I had a high quality biscuit jointer. Once you placed that compressed beech biscuit in that miter joint and glued it up it was extremely strong. The other thing missing from your video was end use. I made a lot of cabinets. The lap joint is not that strong, however, once it was fastened to a cabinet carcass with dowels, nails and glue, biscuits or whatever, the strength of the joint is now multiplied. I made a seven foot tall corner cabinet for tool storage. I mitered the framework at a 45 degree angle and used the biscuit jointer to glue up the frame along the miter and then joined it to the carcass. The doors held all manner of tools and cutters for years with no failure. You would have to break the wood itself to cause it to fail. I use dovetails in my beehives exclusively. However, I drill holes in the tails and install dowels through to the pin side. That joint will not come apart unless you destroy the hive. In fact, when a bear wrecked my hives, he broke the wood but the joints held. Your video was good and contained some good information. Although the information you left out was very important also. I did press the like button.
I’m brand new to woodworking and just stumbled across your channel. Based on this video, it clearly appears you are an excellent teacher, so I’m going to go and review your past videos which will hopefully give me some good guidance into woodworking. I’ve purchased most of the basic machines and tools I’ll need, so now I’m ready to learn. Thanks for this video…very informative.
Good video with lots of good ideas. The only thing I wonder is about how you figure out how strong a joint is. What you are doing is thinking through how different forces apply to the wood of the joint. But glue is a necessary part of a joint. Before deciding the strength of a joint, consider looking up empirical testing of different joints with glue under controlled conditions. The results are surprising.
thumbrule is the areas who are glued to vector of forces and grain. tests can be deceiving given wood is not uniform as an material so you over engineer anyways. so usual it goes like mechanical joint in the direction of highest stress, glue takes care of the left over vectors
Matt, been into wood working for about 2 years now and my subscription list is quite large but I found your explainations very well spoken and kept on point. Thank you for your efforts and I look forward to viewing more of your videos!
You should really watch Mathias' video on testing joints. You'll find you were mistaken in the first 5 minutes several times. Even Mathias we surprised by the weakness of a dovetail and the strength of a box joint.
Yeah the thing with those joints is when Dovetails were needed they didn't have access to wood glue. now we do have access to wood glue the mechanical strength of a dovetail is kinda moot because its not stronger than woodglue.
Surely, dovetails are pretty; fun for showing off - if it is hand made. But a slight space between boards renders it "not pretty, and for sure "faulty". But, Matt, I think you've given them unnecessary oversell. A previous comment told the truth, "Glues nowadays are so superior they are seldom the cause of failure and perhaps the TIME doing complicated joinery, over that of easier, equally-as-good more-conventional joinery, would be a valuable constraint to include in their description, I contend that dovetail joinery evolved out of the hide-glue era where it, or some other complicated wedge, link-pin, driven end-grain wedge were about the best one could do. I prefer a tight, perfectly-fitting clamped spline in any case. We know that End-grain to end-grain is week joinery, but with a spline (of a harder wood) sandwiched in, it is easily stronger than a cute dovie tail. Check this out: Look at any dovetail joint closely - it is ALL end grain to end grain, albeit at a low angle. It's through-tensile-strength is only as strong as the narrowest parts of the tails. Superior glues render the "wedge advantage" of dovetails insignificant. Consider this, too, if you're choosing joinery to avoid chances of glue or wood failure, your design is your problem: - you need to start over.
The lap joint does have a significant strength advantage over just glueing endgrain together though, so while it has no strength on its own it drastically increases strength when glued. Because the glue doesn't get soaked up like it would with endgrain.
Great presentation. You did a great job explaining why certain joints are commonly used - it's not arbitrary that doors use blind mortise and tenon joints. That lap dovetail joint is beautiful - the contrast of two different species - whether pronounced or subtle is just pure art.
Great Matt! Thanks for sharing. Not sure if you have a different video about which joint to choose according to the use. For example for cabinet doors, table legs, chairs, table top, cabinet frame....
Thank you for the video. There is a non-glued joint especially designed for the wooden frame onto which artists (picture painters) stretch their canvases. It is very difficult to explain in a few words, but people into wood joints might find it interesting. It is a hybrid between a four-layer bridal joint and a miter joint. Part of its purpose is that it can be enlarged later, when the canvas sags. To see one, look in the artists paint (oil colors, acrylic colors, canvas and stretchers) area of a craft store. They are called stretchers. They are so difficult this is the only application in which I have seen them.
I usually glue butt joints directly and follow up with dowels for reinforcement. It is fast, easy, strong, and I like the dowel pins showing on the outside. But I have to say that dovetails are quite pretty and a nice way to up my woodworking game.
Love that you brought up that there's no rules in woodworking. I once had a guy tell me that my carving technique was wrong. I then asked him if a nine year girl walked in and carved a perfect replica of David with a dull spoon, was her technique wrong? Did she use the wrong tools? Shut him up really quick. I tell people the exact same thing...if in the end, you're happy with the results, you did everything exactly right.
finally someone who explains this... i have been asking this question for year... even to my woodworking instructor who would only say it is a balance of strength and appearance... thank you very much...
giving me flashbacks to my nvq years and years ago. although saying that its useful to know that a well glued and tightly fitting joint is often stronger than the wood its made from.
Holy cow! That's a lot of talking. Just that point was impressive because you clearly weren't reading a script, but pulling it all out as you went. So for that, cheers, mate. (Sorry for the American a cent there) I have subscribed and will be watching more of your videos because they don't just show what is done, but how and why and tips, tricks and pitfalls. Sure, watching a guy build furniture without glue, screws or nails is impressive, I actually learn from you. My only negative comment is as someone else mentioned, you talk very fast.
you're so right about there being 'no rules' (as long as it actually works and stays together). we should be prepared to break with tradition when it works (but biscuits and dominoes are IMO a step too far) as for dovetails: I like them but I'm increasingly using a Greene & Greene style pegged finger joint as it saves a lot of time - and is still decorative
Hey. Great video, learnt a lot about dovetails that i didn't before With door construction and the use of tenons. Mortice and tenon joints are unique in that you can cut into the tenon and hammer a wedge into it, locking it into place. So on most doors and windows, that's primarily what keeps it together. Bridal joints are actually much less strong for a couple of reasons. Because the tenon goes all the way to the edge, the joint and the glue is much more open to any temperature changes or water damage that the joint will face. So if it is exposed to any changes in temperature or any water damage it'll quickly warp and fall apart. Plus, if the joint is twisted at all, the timber is much more likely to split.
In the next couple of years I'm planning on making an 8 seat round dining table and this video gave me some new insight into joints. I was going to use mortise and tenon on the chairs and still am but I never considered the decorative use of a joint. Didn't even think of the downward force of the table legs when you lift it.
I'm a complete heathen and have become much enamoured with the neat spots of through dowel joint made with sawn flush insert dowels. My joint of choice arm, especially on birch ply
I’m interest about wood working lately , then i saw your video i feel blessed. Was wondering if you could make video about various kind of wood . How do we conditioned them, usage , characteristics , pleaseee
Thanks mate. This video is right on point. No bullshit, just the facts. I don't have a lot of knowledge about woodworking, but you go through the basics so that I can understand. And also make me feel confident to make my own decisions based on many other variables like what materials or tools I already have. Or if I'd like to experiment to learn. Knowing all these details gives me a lot faith on my ability to carry on.
There's another axis besides looks strength, and that's difficulty to craft. If you can take a full working day to make a single joint, you can choose from some really intricate 3d japanese joinery shapes that are both beautiful and strong but take dozens of precise chiseling to craft. If you're needing to make dozens of joints, you need ones requiring fewer cuts and/or that can be done using jigs/machines.
Hi Matt, one the subject of the half lap joint, it would be one of the anti sag joints for a fence gate carcass as long as it is glued and screwed together. and has an diagonal member built into it. If the joint is assembled all by itself, I agree with you.
Check out the video by Bourbon Moth Woodworking. He actually tested a bunch of joints and the miter was one of the strongest so I watched another video by DIY Builds and while it varied by wood type, the miter was often the strongest. I watched a third video, forgot who did it, and again the miter was the second or third strongest. Whenever someone does a video and tells us which joints are strong, they say a miter is weak and when someone does a video and tests these joints, the miter is one of the strongest.
I've just started watching your videos, Matt, and have to say, they are superb. Thanks for taking the time and effort for making them and sharing them with us. So I'm about to build a guitar speaker cabinet using some hundred-year-old oak planks I have lying around. Basically it's a box with no front or back (in the initial construction), 51cmx46cmx30cm with 19mm wood thickness. The most common quality joints are finger/box joints. So if I understand you correctly, as there are no load-bearing sides as such, this would work, but dovetails would be both more attractive and more secure? On a 30cm joint edge, how would you calculate how many dovetails or fingers you need, and if it's dovetails, how do you determine the size of the pin and tail? Keep up the fantastic work, mate, and most importantly right now, stay safe and healthy!
@@MattEstlea no problem matt at all you come across as a very grounded person who also has a brilliant back for teaching well, hope your channel grows so more ppl get the brilliant knowledge you have so kindly put up for all to see.
One Last point, I don't want to nitpick at everything, but when deciding between a mortise and tenon, or bridle joint in the middle of a workpiece, there is an important factor and that is which one is load bearing or subjected to stresses. I'll call the load bearing piece the standing piece, and say that if you remove 2/3 of the material from this one to form a bridle over it, you substantially reduce its ability to resist bending or twisting, which could open up the joint or cause failure of the piece at the edge of the joint. If, for example, you use this on a bed frame, and the standing piece is along the full length of a side without support legs under the middle, cutting away a significant portion of it to accommodate a bridle joint would certainly cause failure, and not necessarily only after many years of use. Though I have no idea why you would have a vertical piece adjoining the middle of a side rail, except as the required support as a result of weakening it there.
this is the first explanation I've seen as to why you would ever bother with dove tails.(other then it's pretty showy) it's more broken wood fibers then a finger join, so a good glued finger joint is gonna be stronger in more circumstances...but for specific situations a dove tail makes sense. I don't make fine furniture...or really any fine woodwork, so I doubt i'll add it to my skill set anytime soon, but still very good info
Thanks ! As a newbie woodworker, i stumbled on your chanel an man i'm not disapointed ^^ I've watched like 1/4th of your video and i learned so much, i'll to practice before the next set of videos ^^
Hi matt, love your videos. You mentioned the bridge joint for doors and commentet on how the forced affect the door and its joints. Infact a lot of stress is on the joints. It is for instance very common to se a door having gone crooked, the diagonal has shiftet. This is because of the stress of having all the weight being hung in one side of the doors e.g the hinges.
I'm not sure about this (maybe Matt can confirm), but older doors sometimes use mortice and tenon joints with wedged tenons to help counter any racking. He's got some on Bertha.
Very informative, and you explain it in a way that makes sense. Especially for those of us who woodwork on the weekends, and learn by doing or watching videos. Well done.
I watch a lot woodworking videos. Most of them sounds like 'pocket hole joinery' is best and strongest joinery in the 'world'. Nobody has even touched the cons of the same but soon I realise that Kreg is the sponser of a lot woodworking channnels🤪. Thanks for this detailed video. Loved it bro.
There are additional drawbacks to a bridle joint in a door, because the door is hanging only from the hinges. The weight of the door will have a tendency to make it drop on the side away from the door, and the mortise/tenon has some resistance to this racking, whereas the bridle does not.
The best explanation I've seen, really great video. I just found the erratic hand movements quite distracting, I'm trying to study the joints that are in your hands but the wood is being shaken around a fair bit. Give slower, more deliberate movements a go. PS the explanations and camera work really are top notch
Matt, so glad I found your channel, this is my second video from you tonight and I like your style and explanation of things, which for me just make sense. I have no training in woodwork but my mates who are trained are telling me I’m doing a great job with things I make, they just laugh because I don’t know or use the correct names of things. I have a project coming up, a new dinning table, big piece, centre piece for our home but I am confused with what joints to use for the legs and the connection of the table top to the frame, I will be using mortise and tenon for the cross supports on the frame, I know that much but I’m interested in your thoughts? If you can reply with your thoughts or names of joints I will have a look at them further. Thanks again, excellent content and I have been taught something again tonight. Keep up the great work mate!
I couldn't remember what a finger joint was called so I was describing it by lacing my fingers together haha, it's literally a finger joint. Thanks Matt.
I am making a coffee table and I think a lap joint would be safe for legs and supports. What do you think? How do you cut a mort and tenon or a bridal joint? I don't own any fancy power tools just a jig saw, drill, and chisel. Thanks!
It would be amazing if you explained the different variations of some of these joints and where they're useful, such as mitered dovetails to hide rebates or grooves. Something like useful cabinetry joints/tips and tricks
I didn`t intend to make use of this woodworking book, *TopFineWoodworking. Com* but rather curious about it. I had been truly amazed right after trying it. It never disappointed me in my wish to acquire more information about the art of wood working. Many topics were covered, including everything from wood types to developing your workshop.?
finger joints vs. dovetails vs. time, huh. Who would know? Maybe an antique restoration person. Fascinating. Mech. advantage seems bullet proof ta me. ALSO, I have found my own mentality guided way more by my personal skill level than I'd care to admit, ie: I barely know how to execute a mortice joint, so I find "weaknesses" mortices, or conversely, I am an "olympic master" at miter joints, so it's the best most beautiful and strongest joint known to man... ok, my thinking is not that twisted, but you get the point. Many craftsmen permit a degree of this thinking because... it's hard to get good at ALL of it, really. POINT 2: Matt may be a trifle too forgiving. The objective truths mentioned above about strength vs. aesthetics are meaningful, so look out for lazy thinking, my fellow woodworkers! Just a thought.
I enjoy the look of dowels so for like a mirror frames I tend to like to do half lap joints. Since the mirror is heavy and the mirror is hanging on the wall so all the forces are pulling down. So if I put a dowel through the half lap, the forces are now resting on the dowel and the half lap will now stay together under the forces of the mirror pushing down
"Secret mitred dovetail.... Incredibly difficult.... Might wanna go back to regular dovetails..." Yikes, I've got a long way to go before attempting any of that. Thanks for this great video, informative and helpful, as always. Particularly helpful when thinking about applied force across joints :)
Thanks for this video Matt. I held off on a project when I saw you mention this upcoming video on instagram, and I'm glad I did. Plenty of food for thought here! Great stuff.
Right now I need ideas with a joint, I made a split top workbench with green wood for the top (the only good wood I had arround), naturally the piece at the end of the top (where you would put a tail vise) gets loosened over time. Do you hace a sugestion of a joint that could work properly with one side of green wood and the other of properly dryed wood, would a dovetail work?, The green wood is coigüe (nothofagus dombeyi) and the end piece would be made of Chilean Oak (coyán, nothofagus obliqua)
I forget who did it, but I recently watched a video showing the strength of glue joints in three different orientations. Side to side, end to side, and end to end. The end to end was twice as strong as a side to side, probably because of the wood absorbing the glue
If you found this video useful, don't forget to press the *LIKE* button. It really helps me out!
Like the look of the workbench? Watch me make it here: ruclips.net/video/FXKYwM0f5WU/видео.html&t
great vid mate , i learned a lot , many thanks.
This was awesome. Do you have a video to recommend on leading us through building a desk for computer? I feel like multiple joinery types are needed. Since it will be picked up, and moved side to side? thanks!
What about a halflap mitered joint? Cool tutorial btw😊
Mitered bridal scarf joint with splines. Got it.
Mmm
Thank you. As an engineer I think your understanding is excellent. I did my final degree paper on the joining of continuous fibre composites, wood is a lignin fibre in a cellulose matrix, so I did many experiments breaking wood joints and measuring loads and deflections. Three things I learned that aren’t immediately obvious.
1. Modern glues are much more relevant to the joint than the simple geometry, the glue line can fail by fatigue but total surface area is the most important aspect of glued joints and a simple, multiple combe joint can out perform a dovetail with less pins.
(Also beware that dovetailing your lap joints reduces the cross sectional area of the wood at the critical point and will probably decrease strength in a key direction)
2. Compared to a continuous horizontal bit of timber, the same cross section joined into an upright and loaded vertically will fail at a fraction of the force. A standard shouldered mortise at a little over 10%! , not actually surprising as more than 2/3 of the wood has been cut away. Wood is much stronger than most people think but the joints are usually much weaker than the wood. I got the same basic arrangement up to about 80% by design and internal steel reinforcement (beware, most people overestimate the strength of steel compared to wood as I and my lecturers continually did, expecting the wood to fail first and the steel actually did). This later proved very useful when I designed and made clarsachs (Scottish small harps) which have a combined string tension equivalent to asking 7 people to stand on your recently made product. The head joint had two 200mm x 12mm stainless steel dowels epoxy glued with a simple but joint. Other makers used a lap joint which in that situation is much stronger than a mortice.
3. Joints can fail by the crushing of grain on one piece when the load causes the end grain of the other piece to push in. This became a common failure mode of the joint in my experiments above 25% of the wood’s full strength. Any way of bracing a corner or triangulating a structure can dramatically increase the strength or allow for a much lighter structure as it reduces the point load on the vertical component of a cantilevered joint. Joints are seldom loaded so heavily but on items like chairs the crushing of fibres around joints can often be part of the ‘loose joints’ failure mode. I’ve not experimented but I suspect “wood hardener” would help in such situations.
I hope that is some useful understanding to add to your video.
Much appreciated, thanks.
You should start making videos explaining this in detail! I’d sub!
@@noelceballos8684 I'll second that!
When you're done with your paper, please do make a video or two. Very interested; would sub in a heartbeat!
i second, thanks for this comment, very interesting!!
(Although I found it hard to understand/imagine point 3, maybe also cuz english also isnt my first language. I really hope you will make a video or a visualization of this!)
Agree on all fronts here. Particularly the kudos to Matt on another grate video.
I've seen a couple of videos testing the strength of different joints and surprisingly a miter joint happens to be one of the strongest one every time
Agree, seen this more then once. I guess having a miter joint, and just slit in another contrasting wood strip would combine the strengh with looks.
From what I've learned the glue is almost always stronger than the wood so a well cut miter allows for excellent adhesion where as fitting joints don't always have as good of adhesion because glue is pushed out as they're assembled.
“I’ve seen a couple of videos” vs person with years of experience
🤮
@@Solid_Jackson Even more videos out now with woodworkers testing joints. And all of them were surprised that the miter was coming out above dovetails and box joints. A rabbet actually ranks very high too. The trick is to also test the joint itself and not just rotating it. Because the forces applied are different when it's assembled compared to just two pieces of wood.
@@EvLSpectre I don’t disagree
It’s just coming at it from the pov “I’ve seen some videos” is 🤮
It's mental how good of a teacher he is especially considering he is quite young
Once you get the hang of it and have the right kind of intuitive mind, you can imagine all the different stressors and think about the best joints
This is the most comprehensive yet concise joinery guide Ive ever seen.
Surprisingly, miter joints are extremely strong when you add glue. You would think that the end grain on a miter joint is weak, however just by simply cutting the wood at a 45 degree angle makes the glue bond almost, if not, as strong as if it were glued long to long grain. There are many videos on RUclips of woodworkers testing miter joint strength with surprising results.
I am a mechanical engineer. You have trained me in basic wood working and given me a love for the whole idea of the strength that wood can supply. I thank you very much,
What a great explanation! Finally I fully understand the meaning behind every choice. Amazing.
Thanks a lot for this tutorial, very well edited and explained. 👍👍👍
I watch many woodworking videos from many "woodworkers" who are not the best "teachers". This video about Joints and when/where to use them - is EXCEPTIONAL! Thanks for the simple explanations and for your quick but effective teaching method! Well done!
Dude, your explanation is so spot on. Using physics to explain the strength of a joint just made my day. I am just starting woodwork but am an engineer so just want to say thank you so much for making this. Now the woodworking world makes sense to me hahahhaha
You leave a question open ended enough to allow creativity and yet informative enough to teach us a lesson before we have to learn it the hard way. Thank you for that, it takes some real finesse to dance between that kind of line, some experienced teachers haven't even attempted to dance that line let alone become adept at it.
Another video tested the joints with weights and the miter joint was the second strongest behind the splined miter. Have you tested the strength of these joints?
I truly appreciate that the "Side Note" was shot from a SIDE camera angle! :) Keep up the great work!
I find you to be the most comprehensively bound woodworkers. So much information from techniques for tool use to kinethestetics. SO much useful information with the how and why. Invaluable.
For such a young man, you have the knowledge of much older workers. Your videos have been so technically and aesthetically valuable to me. What a brilliant woodworker! I can't imagine the beautiful things you make.
2022 and the miter joint is actually one of the strongest joints there is
OMG! I should have watched further before my last post. I absolutely LOVE that you take a break to say there are no rules in woodworking. As an "also" artist, that's the mantra by which I teach art. I stopped taking official art classes in the 9th grade when I was told that how I was doing something was "wrong". Woodworking is very much the same as long as you take into consideration what you want to make and how much pressure/usage/weight it will take. So many options. Mix and match as necessary.
I'm so glad to hear you say there are no hard and fast rules. It warms my heart as a multimedia artist.
This is a great video and not just because of the well-crafted joints, but also because of your patient, logical, step-by-step instruction on the subject of strength vs. decorative, when and where to use each. You look young which gives me hope that you will continue creating these wonderful videos for years to come.
I've worked with wood all my life. I'm 58 and like your woodworking style. Keep up the great video
That was one of the better explanation videos i have seen viewing RUclips, congratulations young man. Your education shines through on this one. Thank you
That little frame made out of 4 joints is a great idea! I'm fairly new to woodworking, might make that my next project to get practice on each of those..
As a new woodworker this is one of the best videos I’ve seen!
His videos are great! I’ve been doing this as a hobby for 10 years and I still learn things from Matt’s videos. Very knowledgeable and also a great teacher.
I waited almost 17 minutes to hear you say "biscuit joiner". There is artistry and there is practicality. Before I retired one of my main jobs in the woodworking shop was picture frames and cabinets. As you accurately stated, the miter joint is not that strong. However, I had a high quality biscuit jointer. Once you placed that compressed beech biscuit in that miter joint and glued it up it was extremely strong.
The other thing missing from your video was end use. I made a lot of cabinets. The lap joint is not that strong, however, once it was fastened to a cabinet carcass with dowels, nails and glue, biscuits or whatever, the strength of the joint is now multiplied.
I made a seven foot tall corner cabinet for tool storage. I mitered the framework at a 45 degree angle and used the biscuit jointer to glue up the frame along the miter and then joined it to the carcass. The doors held all manner of tools and cutters for years with no failure. You would have to break the wood itself to cause it to fail.
I use dovetails in my beehives exclusively. However, I drill holes in the tails and install dowels through to the pin side. That joint will not come apart unless you destroy the hive. In fact, when a bear wrecked my hives, he broke the wood but the joints held.
Your video was good and contained some good information. Although the information you left out was very important also. I did press the like button.
I’m brand new to woodworking and just stumbled across your channel. Based on this video, it clearly appears you are an excellent teacher, so I’m going to go and review your past videos which will hopefully give me some good guidance into woodworking. I’ve purchased most of the basic machines and tools I’ll need, so now I’m ready to learn. Thanks for this video…very informative.
Good video with lots of good ideas. The only thing I wonder is about how you figure out how strong a joint is. What you are doing is thinking through how different forces apply to the wood of the joint. But glue is a necessary part of a joint. Before deciding the strength of a joint, consider looking up empirical testing of different joints with glue under controlled conditions. The results are surprising.
thumbrule is the areas who are glued to vector of forces and grain.
tests can be deceiving given wood is not uniform as an material so you over engineer anyways.
so usual it goes like mechanical joint in the direction of highest stress, glue takes care of the left over vectors
Matt, been into wood working for about 2 years now and my subscription list is quite large but I found your explainations very well spoken and kept on point. Thank you for your efforts and I look forward to viewing more of your videos!
You should really watch Mathias' video on testing joints.
You'll find you were mistaken in the first 5 minutes several times. Even Mathias we surprised by the weakness of a dovetail and the strength of a box joint.
Yeah the thing with those joints is when Dovetails were needed they didn't have access to wood glue.
now we do have access to wood glue the mechanical strength of a dovetail is kinda moot because its not stronger than woodglue.
Ur lecture gave us a better understanding about the strength of joints. Excellent
A good communicator with knowledge is a good teacher. Thank you.
Surely, dovetails are pretty; fun for showing off - if it is hand made. But a slight space between boards renders it "not pretty, and for sure "faulty". But, Matt, I think you've given them unnecessary oversell. A previous comment told the truth, "Glues nowadays are so superior they are seldom the cause of failure and perhaps the TIME doing complicated joinery, over that of easier, equally-as-good more-conventional joinery, would be a valuable constraint to include in their description, I contend that dovetail joinery evolved out of the hide-glue era where it, or some other complicated wedge, link-pin, driven end-grain wedge were about the best one could do. I prefer a tight, perfectly-fitting clamped spline in any case. We know that End-grain to end-grain is week joinery, but with a spline (of a harder wood) sandwiched in, it is easily stronger than a cute dovie tail. Check this out: Look at any dovetail joint closely - it is ALL end grain to end grain, albeit at a low angle. It's through-tensile-strength is only as strong as the narrowest parts of the tails. Superior glues render the "wedge advantage" of dovetails insignificant. Consider this, too, if you're choosing joinery to avoid chances of glue or wood failure, your design is your problem: - you need to start over.
The lap joint does have a significant strength advantage over just glueing endgrain together though, so while it has no strength on its own it drastically increases strength when glued. Because the glue doesn't get soaked up like it would with endgrain.
This is the best informative video I have watched as a beginner. Now I can use wood joint properly, Thank you !
Great presentation. You did a great job explaining why certain joints are commonly used - it's not arbitrary that doors use blind mortise and tenon joints. That lap dovetail joint is beautiful - the contrast of two different species - whether pronounced or subtle is just pure art.
Great Matt! Thanks for sharing. Not sure if you have a different video about which joint to choose according to the use. For example for cabinet doors, table legs, chairs, table top, cabinet frame....
Thank you for the video. There is a non-glued joint especially designed for the wooden frame onto which artists (picture painters) stretch their canvases. It is very difficult to explain in a few words, but people into wood joints might find it interesting. It is a hybrid between a four-layer bridal joint and a miter joint. Part of its purpose is that it can be enlarged later, when the canvas sags. To see one, look in the artists paint (oil colors, acrylic colors, canvas and stretchers) area of a craft store. They are called stretchers. They are so difficult this is the only application in which I have seen them.
I usually glue butt joints directly and follow up with dowels for reinforcement. It is fast, easy, strong, and I like the dowel pins showing on the outside. But I have to say that dovetails are quite pretty and a nice way to up my woodworking game.
Love that you brought up that there's no rules in woodworking. I once had a guy tell me that my carving technique was wrong. I then asked him if a nine year girl walked in and carved a perfect replica of David with a dull spoon, was her technique wrong? Did she use the wrong tools? Shut him up really quick. I tell people the exact same thing...if in the end, you're happy with the results, you did everything exactly right.
Haha I might have to steal that one for next time! Thank you Brian! :)
@@MattEstlea All yours my friend. Steal away!
This wasn't the first video i saw about joinery, but it is by far the best. You have my subscription Matt.
A very useful video! I'm surprised nobody is talking about cross-drilling some of these joints, and driving through some dowels and glue.
finally someone who explains this... i have been asking this question for year... even to my woodworking instructor who would only say it is a balance of strength and appearance... thank you very much...
Best tutorials on RUclips! Thank you!
giving me flashbacks to my nvq years and years ago.
although saying that its useful to know that a well glued and tightly fitting joint is often stronger than the wood its made from.
Holy cow! That's a lot of talking. Just that point was impressive because you clearly weren't reading a script, but pulling it all out as you went. So for that, cheers, mate. (Sorry for the American a cent there)
I have subscribed and will be watching more of your videos because they don't just show what is done, but how and why and tips, tricks and pitfalls. Sure, watching a guy build furniture without glue, screws or nails is impressive, I actually learn from you. My only negative comment is as someone else mentioned, you talk very fast.
The best video I have seen on the differences in joints. Thank you!
you're so right about there being 'no rules' (as long as it actually works and stays together). we should be prepared to break with tradition when it works (but biscuits and dominoes are IMO a step too far)
as for dovetails: I like them but I'm increasingly using a Greene & Greene style pegged finger joint as it saves a lot of time - and is still decorative
Hey. Great video, learnt a lot about dovetails that i didn't before
With door construction and the use of tenons. Mortice and tenon joints are unique in that you can cut into the tenon and hammer a wedge into it, locking it into place. So on most doors and windows, that's primarily what keeps it together.
Bridal joints are actually much less strong for a couple of reasons. Because the tenon goes all the way to the edge, the joint and the glue is much more open to any temperature changes or water damage that the joint will face. So if it is exposed to any changes in temperature or any water damage it'll quickly warp and fall apart. Plus, if the joint is twisted at all, the timber is much more likely to split.
In the next couple of years I'm planning on making an 8 seat round dining table and this video gave me some new insight into joints. I was going to use mortise and tenon on the chairs and still am but I never considered the decorative use of a joint. Didn't even think of the downward force of the table legs when you lift it.
I'm a complete heathen and have become much enamoured with the neat spots of through dowel joint made with sawn flush insert dowels. My joint of choice arm, especially on birch ply
I’m interest about wood working lately , then i saw your video i feel blessed. Was wondering if you could make video about various kind of wood . How do we conditioned them, usage , characteristics , pleaseee
How can someone so young have such experience?? Superb. Have you shown a three way joint? I need to do one but need guidance.
I would like to see you venture into Japanese/Chinese joinery.
You have become one of my main sources of fundamental woodworking knowledge, techniques, etc.. well done. Love your videos and your personality.
Thanks mate. This video is right on point. No bullshit, just the facts.
I don't have a lot of knowledge about woodworking, but you go through the basics so that I can understand. And also make me feel confident to make my own decisions based on many other variables like what materials or tools I already have. Or if I'd like to experiment to learn. Knowing all these details gives me a lot faith on my ability to carry on.
There's another axis besides looks strength, and that's difficulty to craft. If you can take a full working day to make a single joint, you can choose from some really intricate 3d japanese joinery shapes that are both beautiful and strong but take dozens of precise chiseling to craft. If you're needing to make dozens of joints, you need ones requiring fewer cuts and/or that can be done using jigs/machines.
Well said. Ironically, traditional Japanese carpentry puts equal emphasis on speed and accuracy.
Then add drawboring to mortise and tenons to make them even stronger! Brilliant video Matt!
Been a carpenter for 35 years and this was very informative, thanks !
Actually, bourbon moth did a test on the 45 degree miter, and it's actually quite strong.
I'm not even a woodworker and found this excellent, thank you.
Hi Matt, one the subject of the half lap joint, it would be one of the anti sag joints for a fence gate carcass as long as it is glued and screwed together. and has an diagonal member built into it. If the joint is assembled all by itself, I agree with you.
Another option for a mitered corner of a box is a spline running lengthwise to the joint, which would be completely hidden from the sides.
Check out the video by Bourbon Moth Woodworking. He actually tested a bunch of joints and the miter was one of the strongest so I watched another video by DIY Builds and while it varied by wood type, the miter was often the strongest. I watched a third video, forgot who did it, and again the miter was the second or third strongest. Whenever someone does a video and tells us which joints are strong, they say a miter is weak and when someone does a video and tests these joints, the miter is one of the strongest.
I've just started watching your videos, Matt, and have to say, they are superb. Thanks for taking the time and effort for making them and sharing them with us.
So I'm about to build a guitar speaker cabinet using some hundred-year-old oak planks I have lying around. Basically it's a box with no front or back (in the initial construction), 51cmx46cmx30cm with 19mm wood thickness. The most common quality joints are finger/box joints. So if I understand you correctly, as there are no load-bearing sides as such, this would work, but dovetails would be both more attractive and more secure? On a 30cm joint edge, how would you calculate how many dovetails or fingers you need, and if it's dovetails, how do you determine the size of the pin and tail? Keep up the fantastic work, mate, and most importantly right now, stay safe and healthy!
Bloody brilliant info, brilliant channel as well 👌👌
Cheers Alan! Appreciate it mate. I have a lot more coming in the next few months including another project for my Free Online Woodworking School :)
@@MattEstlea no problem matt at all you come across as a very grounded person who also has a brilliant back for teaching well, hope your channel grows so more ppl get the brilliant knowledge you have so kindly put up for all to see.
You had me at "There are no rules in woodworking", SUBSCRIBED!
Always very in depth teaching, love your advice.
One Last point, I don't want to nitpick at everything, but when deciding between a mortise and tenon, or bridle joint in the middle of a workpiece, there is an important factor and that is which one is load bearing or subjected to stresses.
I'll call the load bearing piece the standing piece, and say that if you remove 2/3 of the material from this one to form a bridle over it, you substantially reduce its ability to resist bending or twisting, which could open up the joint or cause failure of the piece at the edge of the joint.
If, for example, you use this on a bed frame, and the standing piece is along the full length of a side without support legs under the middle, cutting away a significant portion of it to accommodate a bridle joint would certainly cause failure, and not necessarily only after many years of use. Though I have no idea why you would have a vertical piece adjoining the middle of a side rail, except as the required support as a result of weakening it there.
this is the first explanation I've seen as to why you would ever bother with dove tails.(other then it's pretty showy) it's more broken wood fibers then a finger join, so a good glued finger joint is gonna be stronger in more circumstances...but for specific situations a dove tail makes sense. I don't make fine furniture...or really any fine woodwork, so I doubt i'll add it to my skill set anytime soon, but still very good info
Thanks ! As a newbie woodworker, i stumbled on your chanel an man i'm not disapointed ^^ I've watched like 1/4th of your video and i learned so much, i'll to practice before the next set of videos ^^
Hi matt, love your videos.
You mentioned the bridge joint for doors and commentet on how the forced affect the door and its joints.
Infact a lot of stress is on the joints.
It is for instance very common to se a door having gone crooked, the diagonal has shiftet.
This is because of the stress of having all the weight being hung in one side of the doors e.g the hinges.
I'm not sure about this (maybe Matt can confirm), but older doors sometimes use mortice and tenon joints with wedged tenons to help counter any racking. He's got some on Bertha.
That is a very good point! Cheers mate
You are a very good teacher.
Fantastic presentation of the important parts of the craft. Thank you!
Very informative, and you explain it in a way that makes sense. Especially for those of us who woodwork on the weekends, and learn by doing or watching videos. Well done.
I’m having a marathon of your videos. I learning much! Thank you!
I watch a lot woodworking videos.
Most of them sounds like 'pocket hole joinery' is best and strongest joinery in the 'world'. Nobody has even touched the cons of the same but soon I realise that Kreg is the sponser of a lot woodworking channnels🤪.
Thanks for this detailed video. Loved it bro.
There are additional drawbacks to a bridle joint in a door, because the door is hanging only from the hinges.
The weight of the door will have a tendency to make it drop on the side away from the door, and the mortise/tenon has some resistance to this racking, whereas the bridle does not.
Also, if it is an exterior door, the exposed horizontal wood grains are a place where water can penetrate and pool if the joint ever opens up.
Nice job Matt; you are a gifted speaker. I enjoy your videos.
The best explanation I've seen, really great video. I just found the erratic hand movements quite distracting, I'm trying to study the joints that are in your hands but the wood is being shaken around a fair bit. Give slower, more deliberate movements a go. PS the explanations and camera work really are top notch
I found one of the best explanation and looking forward to see more technics..thanks
I have no business around tools, but this was entertaining and informative.
Thank you for a comprehensive coverage of different joinery
As someone very new to woodworking, I have been looking for answers on why you would use one joint over another.
Matt, so glad I found your channel, this is my second video from you tonight and I like your style and explanation of things, which for me just make sense. I have no training in woodwork but my mates who are trained are telling me I’m doing a great job with things I make, they just laugh because I don’t know or use the correct names of things.
I have a project coming up, a new dinning table, big piece, centre piece for our home but I am confused with what joints to use for the legs and the connection of the table top to the frame, I will be using mortise and tenon for the cross supports on the frame, I know that much but I’m interested in your thoughts? If you can reply with your thoughts or names of joints I will have a look at them further.
Thanks again, excellent content and I have been taught something again tonight.
Keep up the great work mate!
I couldn't remember what a finger joint was called so I was describing it by lacing my fingers together haha, it's literally a finger joint. Thanks Matt.
Great work. Very informative. Best on wood joinery. Thanks Matt.
Which joint would work best for a prying force. For example a garden bed. The soil in the bed would over time be exerting a force outward.
EXCELLENT!!!
WELL EXPLAINED CRASH COURSE!!
THANK YOU, BROTHER!
Hey Matt, maybe you could do a tutorial video on a draw-bore mortise and tenon joint? Just an idea ;) keep up the good work!
One of my favorite joints. Especially when the pin is made of a contrasting wood.
I am making a coffee table and I think a lap joint would be safe for legs and supports. What do you think? How do you cut a mort and tenon or a bridal joint? I don't own any fancy power tools just a jig saw, drill, and chisel. Thanks!
What a fantastic presentation. Great knowledge, presentation, attitude and props. I'm sharing with my friends.
Thank you, a very informative that explain wood joinery in such detail.
It would be amazing if you explained the different variations of some of these joints and where they're useful, such as mitered dovetails to hide rebates or grooves. Something like useful cabinetry joints/tips and tricks
I didn`t intend to make use of this woodworking book, *TopFineWoodworking. Com* but rather curious about it. I had been truly amazed right after trying it. It never disappointed me in my wish to acquire more information about the art of wood working. Many topics were covered, including everything from wood types to developing your workshop.?
finger joints vs. dovetails vs. time, huh. Who would know? Maybe an antique restoration person. Fascinating. Mech. advantage seems bullet proof ta me. ALSO, I have found my own mentality guided way more by my personal skill level than I'd care to admit, ie: I barely know how to execute a mortice joint, so I find "weaknesses" mortices, or conversely, I am an "olympic master" at miter joints, so it's the best most beautiful and strongest joint known to man... ok, my thinking is not that twisted, but you get the point. Many craftsmen permit a degree of this thinking because... it's hard to get good at ALL of it, really. POINT 2: Matt may be a trifle too forgiving. The objective truths mentioned above about strength vs. aesthetics are meaningful, so look out for lazy thinking, my fellow woodworkers! Just a thought.
I thought you might mention pins, and dowles they can also add strength or decoration to lap, and even butt joints.
I was going to make this same comment. The only stronger joint than a mortise and tenon joint is a mortise and tenon joint which is pinned.
Packed a of great info in 18 min. Nice video
great explanations and great workmanship on all those joints Thanks
2:30 magazine rack and toilet roll holder... brilliant! Always need a supply of reading material in the bog.
I enjoy the look of dowels so for like a mirror frames I tend to like to do half lap joints. Since the mirror is heavy and the mirror is hanging on the wall so all the forces are pulling down. So if I put a dowel through the half lap, the forces are now resting on the dowel and the half lap will now stay together under the forces of the mirror pushing down
"Secret mitred dovetail.... Incredibly difficult.... Might wanna go back to regular dovetails..." Yikes, I've got a long way to go before attempting any of that. Thanks for this great video, informative and helpful, as always. Particularly helpful when thinking about applied force across joints :)
Thanks for this video Matt. I held off on a project when I saw you mention this upcoming video on instagram, and I'm glad I did. Plenty of food for thought here! Great stuff.
Amazing! Hope it goes well for you!
Right now I need ideas with a joint, I made a split top workbench with green wood for the top (the only good wood I had arround), naturally the piece at the end of the top (where you would put a tail vise) gets loosened over time. Do you hace a sugestion of a joint that could work properly with one side of green wood and the other of properly dryed wood, would a dovetail work?, The green wood is coigüe (nothofagus dombeyi) and the end piece would be made of Chilean Oak (coyán, nothofagus obliqua)
Love you bro ! thanks for reinforcing my confidence, yes there are no rules , depends on application and common sense
I forget who did it, but I recently watched a video showing the strength of glue joints in three different orientations. Side to side, end to side, and end to end. The end to end was twice as strong as a side to side, probably because of the wood absorbing the glue