June 2020 - www.woodhappiness.com

Wood is a very sensitive material and for sure during your woodworking projects , you'll need to connect - join your wood pieces in order to make your creations a reality . But as you can imagine connecting - joining a material as wood which is "alive" , isn't a "job" you should take it "light" . Wood isn't something you get and buy from the local store , act with it for a couple of minutes or hours and make a wood plan with easiness as you drink a glass of water . I suppose you have cut it by yourself , or with the help of a cutting machine and the pieces and boards are ready and waiting you , to make your woodworking project . If you are new in woodworking and you don't have the tools to make other wood joinery there are 4 very common ways to connect your wood . What is the Best method to join wood together ? The best method to join wood is the one you need for the specific woodworking project you're creating and it can be a very strong dovetail , a miter joint if you want a 45o wood joining , maybe a mortise and tenon or the simple but very effective use of nails , screws and wood glue combined as you desire . A very popular method - mentality many woodworkers follow is the combination of the characteristics of many types of joints , in order to achieve their goals very precise . What is the best wood joining System ? The best joining system is the one that will give you the strength and charactristics you want from your specific joint and it can be the very popular mortise and tenon or the dovetail with some adjustments and improvements , to maximize their effectiveness . What is the Strongest joining method for wood ? The strongest woodwokring joining is traditionaly the dovetail and the mortise and tenon along with the overlap method( the one surface overlaps the other ) and if you use some dowels in several angles to these joints , you'll have super strong mechanical results . Have you noticed the professionals who built gigantic log houses from entire trunks , that for their wall joints they use gigantic dowels of 2"- 5" , for more securance and strength ? They don't do that randomly . The use of dowels in several angles can maximize the strength of the joint to withstand big forces from all directions , in a very high level . What is the Strongest way to join 2 pieces of wood together . The dovetail and the mortise and tenon are the most strong joints you can use to connect 2 wood pieces together and if you use a little wood glue , you can have amazing strong results . Remember how many times you've seen wooden boxes to carry very heavy loads , having the dovetail method for their joints . The army's wooden boxes for their heavy guns , missiles , etc , have dovetails and they can last for many decades with zero failures . What is the Weakest joint in woodworking ? The weakest joint in woodroking is the connection of two or more wood pieces using only glue or nails and no other securance , to provide more strength and resistance to time and the continuous pressure of heavy loads and bad treatment . Yes , the titebond glue , the super glue or whatever else you use when it dries it becomes as strong as the wood but in time , if you have only glue in your joint , you'll face "fatigue" to your joint especially if this joint has heavy loads , "missions" . Combine glue with many other joint techniques( nails , screws , dowels , ) and you'll get a super strong joint , to last way more than before . What Part of the wood should Not be jointed ? Usually we don't joint wood in the very end and finishing of its edge , because it's more weak and we don't have enough wood mass - "flesh" to create a strong joint with enough wood surface and perform we desire . These 4 ways can be used from anyone even if he is an advanced woodworker , because you don't want to connect your wood with the "hard way" always . 1) Connect with pins . 2) Connect with screws . 3) Connect with wood glue . 4) All the above mixed . These are the most common ways to connect 2 wood surfaces together , if you don't have any other way to do it . Later you can do more advanced joinery . You'll use dowel joints , dovetails , et.c . I've made many wooden projects and they are "alive" and in best "shape" for many years . You don't need to be the best woodworker outhere to have fun and make very good wood projects . Have some basic tools , a couple of hours , your favorite coffee and music and you are ok . Old wood is a "tough" wood . I don't know your personal preferences , but i like many of my wood plans to be big and very comfortable for my weight and size . So as you can imagine to have many pins and screws is a must . Have you ever tried to penetrate the 150 years old wood by screwing, using only your bare hands ? It is like you try to screw in cement . After some screwing moves , your palm's skin will peel and the pain will be big . So it's a "wise" thing to have a screw gun , to do the tough "missions" . Wood Glue isn't so "Bad" . The wood glue is a very good "assistant" for you and especially in your first days as a woodworker , will make your life easier . You can combine the screwing and nailing with a very good quality's glue you can find in the market and secure the stability of your plans , for many years . Yes even if you let your wood parts outdoor . If you use a nice wood protecting oil often to your projects and you fix any possible "issues" to your wood , you'll keep it in a very good "shape" . Here are some wood glue tips : 1) Match the two surfaces , perfectly . The 2 wooden surfaces should be as smooth and highly matched to each other , as you can . The 2 wood surfares you want to connect with wood glue , must be as smooth as you can and the most important , they should match to each other in the higher possible grade . So no matter if you have cutted your wood pieces with a handsaw or by using a machine , you should rub the 2 surfaces with a sandpaper , to make it smooth . Bring the 2 pieces together and make the rubbing adjustments it needed , to make them match perfect . If the 2 surfaces have big gaps between them , the glue connection won't be good . I have some wood fillers-wax sticks and more products to buy for your preparation , in HERE . 2) Let the surfaces to suck the glue . The two surfaces must "suck" as more glue they can before you bring them together .This is also very importand . The 2 wood pieces must be allowed to suck as much glue quantity they can , before you tighten them together and let them stick . The glue must enter as deeper as you can to the 2 surfaces , it must enter inside the wood molecules as much as it can . And after that , you'll bring the surfaces together using your clamps and let them to stick for quite a time . When the glue will penetrate the surfaces in a deep depth your loinery will be very resistance to time and the external circumstances . Let the glue to penetrate deep to the wood surface you want to connect . As you can imagine the "soft" woods have better glue properties than the "hard" woods , because the glue can penetrate deeper in them . After that you can stick together your wood with as many clamps as it needed and let it connect without touching it for sometime . Usually a couple of hours or maybe a day if you want to be 100% certain for the result , is enough . Using glue during the winter . If you want to connect using pins , screws and glue to secure your wood project's stability to the maximum , during the winter months which the wood is colder than usual , do this : Try to warm a little the surface you are about to glue , so it can have bigger ability to "suck" more glue . A cold wood piece has its molecules more stiff and its ability to suck big amounts of glue is lower than the summer months of the year . The old days they , they warm their wood near their fireplace and then they glue it . I hope the above will help you making very nice and stable wood plans . You can make magnificent projects and with colossal strength , by using pins , screws and a good quality's glue to secure your connections . You should always improvise a little and have an "open mind" in order to accomplish a wooden "mission" . Keep up the woodworking hobby and give your soul "tons" of happiness .