Matt Estlea
How to Cut Basic Joinery by Hand
Now your tools are setup and your material is planed straight and square, it’s time to strart cutting some joinery. To begin with, we are focusing on halving joints as they are great ways to practice accurate marking out, cutting, and refining of joints. But then we are going to jump straight into the deep end and create a dovetail joint!
How to Cut a Corner Halving Joint
One of the first joints you should learn in woodworking, the corner halving joint. This is an excellent introduction into hand cut joinery as it allows you to grasp the concepts of accurate marking out, cutting to lines, and chiselling for a precise fit.
How To Cut a Corner Halving Joint
You will learn:
- How to mark out the joint
- How to cut to a line
- How to refine the joint
- How to clamp the joint
How to Cut a Cross Halving Joint
Building on from the Corner Halving Joint, this one follows much the same premise but allows you to work towards achieving a snug fit. This requires accurate marking out and very careful chisel work by removing as little material as possible at a time.
How To Cut a Cross Halving Joint
You will learn:
- How to mark out the joint
- How to cut to a line
- How to refine the joint
- How to clamp the joint
How to Cut a Dovetail Joint
The pinnacle of hand cut joinery. The dovetail joint is an extremely versatile, decorate and strong joint that crasftman aspire to master. In this lesson, I show you how to get an accurate gap-free fit and share many tips and tricks to help you along the way.
How To Cut a Dovetail Joint
You will learn:
- How to mark out the joint
- How to cut to a line
- How to refine the joint
- How to clamp the joint