How To Join Wood Corners

Wood joinery is an important element of every woodwork project. A beginner or professional, it is important to know how to join wood corners.
In this article, we will tackle the top corner joints in woodwork today, to increase your understanding and knowledge for the best final outcomes of your wood project.
So, how do you join wood corners?
What are the types of joints and their uses?
Let’s get started now!
What You Will Need to Follow This Tutorial
The important things you need to prepare to join wood corners are a miter saw, glue, screws, clamp, measuring tool, and the wood or board you need to join. Preparing these tools and materials before you start your project will definitely save your time and effort.
How to Join Wood Corners with a Dovetail
Dovetail is the hallmark of strength and craftsmanship. A dovetail joint can be cut by machine, by hand, or a combination of both. A dovetail corner joint has different types, but the most common include half-blind and through. It has a superior tensile strength or resistance from being pulled apart.
Read More: How To's & Woodworking Techniques [List 1]

Image Source: http://www.startwoodworking.com/sites/default/files/uploads/1/1051/dovetails%201.jpg
The dovetail joint connects the sides of a wood drawer to the front using a series of pins that are cut to extend from the board’s one end interlocking with a series of tails that are cut into the end of another board forming a trapezoidal shape.
Read More: How To's, Techniques and Tips [List 1]
- How To Stop Sap Coming Out Of Wood
- How To Seal Wood Without Changing Color
- How to Make Cardboard Hard Like Wood
- How To Round Wood Edges Without Router
- How to Bend Wood Without Steam
- How to Transition Between Two Different Wood Floors
- How To Make Wood Drawers Slide Easier
- How To Stencil On Wood Without Bleeding
- How to Flatten a Workbench
- How To Make a Wood Table Top Smooth
- How To Age Wood With Baking Soda
- How to Whitewash Dark Wood Furniture
- How To Make Slime With Wood Glue
- How to Burn Wood with Electricity
- How To Apply Water Based Polyurethane To Wood Floors
Read More: How To's On Joints, Inlaying and Connecting [List 1]
- How to Glue Boards Together For a Table Top
- How to Connect 2 x 4 Side by Side
- How To Attach Wood To Brick
- How to Wrap a Beam with Wood
- How to Make a Perfect Dovetail Every time
- How to Do Wood Inlay
- How to Glue Felt to Wood
- How To Attach Bottle Caps To Wood
- How To Attach Wood To Metal
- How to Inlay Metal Into Wood
- How To Inlay Turquoise In Wood
- How to Join Two Pieces of Wood At 90 Degrees
- How to Join 2x4 at Corner

Image Source: https://homeimprovementwarehouse.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/dovetaildrawerdetail.jpg
The joint is permanent once glued, requiring no mechanical fasteners. Because of its tensile strength, some people are using the dovetailed dado.

Image Source: https://previews.123rf.com/images/paitoonpati/paitoonpati1608/paitoonpati160800015/60680387-type-of-wood-joint-set-dovetail-dado-style-perspective-3d-with-top-front-side-and-back-view-isolated.jpg
How to Join Wood Corners with a Dowel or Butt Joint
This joint is a simple, yet a very strong joint that can be created to hide or expose the dowels. You can strengthen a basic butt joint with hidden fluted dowels that are drilled, inserted, and cut flush. A butt joint is a relatively easy woodworking joint that joins two wood pieces by just butting them together.

Image Source: https://homemade-furniture.com/wp-content/uploads/butt-joint-reinforcements.jpg
It’s the weakest wood joint, so you may want to use reinforcement. Glue doesn’t provide a tough lateral strength and this woodworking joint is easily broken with bare hands.
Read More: How To's & Woodworking Techniques [List 2]

Image Source: http://www.craftsmanspace.com/sites/default/files/free-knowledge-articles/edge_to_face_dowel_joint.gif

MUST SEE: Make 16,000 Projects With Step By Step Plans
Ted's Woodworking Plans contains complete instructions from start to finish, leaving absolutely no guesswork. Here is what you get:
- Step-By-Step Instructions
- Cutting & Materials List
- Detailed Schematics
- Views From All Angles
- Suitable For Beginners & Professionals
Read More: How To's, Techniques and Tips [List 2]
- How to Remove Nails From Wood
- How to Resharpen a Japanese Ryoba’s Rip Teeth
- How to Sharpen Woodworking Tools
- How to Whitewash Pine Wood
- How To Modge Podge Pictures To Wood
- How To Apply Shellac To Wood
- How To Take Apart A Wood Pallet
- How To Install A Wood Accent Wall
- How to Do String Art on Wood
- How to Remove a Stripped Screw from Wood
- How To Upgrade Wood Frame
- How to Get Nails Out of Wood
- How to Refinish a Wood Table
- How To Make Vinyl Letters Stick To Wood
- How To Measure A Cord Of Wood
Read More: How To's On Joints, Inlaying and Connecting [List 2]
- How to Join Two Boards Lengthwise
- How To Join Two Wood Pieces With Screws
- How to Join Two Boards Side By Side
- How to Make a Dovetail Joint
- How to Make a Mortise and Tenon Joint the Easy Way
- How To Join Two Pieces of Wood at Right Angles
- How To Edge Join Boards With Kreg Jig
- How To Join Wood Corners
- How To Join Two Wood Pieces End To End
- How To Make Wood Joints
- How To Join Two Pieces of Wood at a 45 Degree Angle
- How To Join Wood Planks for Table Top
How to Join Wood Corners with a Miter Joint
Miter joints include simple miter, miter with a spline, miter with hand-cut keys, and miter with machine keys.

Image Source: http://www.craftsmanspace.com/knowledge/construction-of-a-miter-woodworking-joint.html
A simple miter is recommended for joints that are not requiring too much strength. This is easy to cut and assembled using a masking tape. It is uncluttered and looks simple. A miter with spline adds extra strength with a groove cut close to the inside of the joint as close as possible, so that the ends of the spline do not weaken the joint’s outer edge.

Image Source: http://www.startwoodworking.com/sites/default/files/uploads/1/1616/miter-joint-lead.jpg
With a miter having machined keys, adding a dovetail or straight keys into the edge is done after machining and assembling a basic miter joint. The recesses created are the areas where the keys are glued. The look is powerful if the keys will be made of contrasting materials.

Image Source: https://cdn8.bigcommerce.com/s-butomjmq7q/images/stencil/500×659/products/30/113/hoffmann-dovetail-key-w4-pillar-facade-joints__15271.1511635237.jpg?c=2
A miter with hand-cut keys is flexible. After cutting, you can glue and insert the strips of veneer.

Image Source: https://www.familyhandyman.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FH10APR_TIGMIT_06.jpg
Read More: How To's, Techniques and Tips [List 3]
- How To Start A Fire With Wet Wood
- How To Stencil On Wood
- How to Finish Wood With Polyurethane
- How to Refinish Wood Dresser
- How To Age Wood Grey
- How To Apply Gold Leaf To Wood
- How To Apply Polyurethane To Wood
- How To Bend Wood With Water
- How to Burn Designs Into Wood
- How to Carve a Face In Wood
- How to Carve Wood By Hand
- How To Replace Wood Siding
- How To Split Wood With A Wedge
- How To Transfer Pictures To Wood
- How To Treat Pallet Wood For Indoor Use
Read More: How To's & Woodworking Techniques [List 3]
- How To Sand Wood
- How To Season Wood
- How To Spray Paint Wood
- How To Stack Wood
- How To Stain And Seal Wood
- How To Stain Wood
- How to Carve Wood
- How to Hand Plane Wood
- How to Paint Wood
- How to Cure Wood
- How to Petrify Wood
- How to Pickle Wood
- How to Preserve Wood
- How To Screw Into Wood
- How To Split Wood
- How to Find Wood Studs
How to Join Wood Corners with a Rabbet and Dado
The rabbet and dado are simple and reasonably strong joints that are usually created on a table saw. Cut across one side is a groove that is no bigger than 1/3 of the width and depth of the thickness of the wood with the thinnest piece.

Image Source: https://iiklo.info/wp-content/uploads/rabbet-vs-dado-d-blades-versus-router-bit-joint-26-f-1-key-startling-share-this-post.jpg
Machined on the end is a mating tenon by cutting a dado at the end. When a rabbet is viewed in a cross-section, it is open and two-sided to the end of the surface. A good example of using rabbet is the back edge of a cabinet. The back is fit flush with the wood sides.

Image Source: https://www.canadianwoodworking.com/sites/default/files/assets/images/rabbetsdadosgrooves_illustration3.jpg
How to Join Wood Corners with a Biscuit Joint
A biscuit joint is a reinforced butt joint, with an oval-shaped piece. It’s made of compressed and dried wood, like beech. You can install a biscuit joint in matching mortises. Majority of woodworkers use a biscuit joiner for making mortises. Designing the biscuit joint is done to allow a greater flexibility in gluing up.
Image Source: https://www.canadianwoodworking.com/sites/default/files/assets/images/biscuitjoinersplinejig_1_0.jpg
Conclusion
Now, you are more knowledgeable in joining wood corners to complete your wood projects. There are different ways to join wood corners with these joint techniques discussed above, with varying strength and purposes. Of course, it is important to know the requirements of your project to ensure success. Do you find this post helpful? Great! You can like and share this post with your family and friends. You may also leave a comment below. Happy woodworking!