Wood Frame Corner Joint

Timber joints frame.

Wood frame corner joint.

Woodworkers use this joint to join two boards together to create a flush surface. Where frames are used they are often clad with plywood or other man man boards. For the wood joint torture test in wood magazine issue 173 they created and then destroyed more than 100 joints. I ve found that with a well fitted joint pva glue titebond elmer s etc applied and clamped correctly results in a strong frame.

The tenon is one third of the board s thickness and it slips into the mortise made at the end of a second board to form the rigid corner of a frame. Gluing miters means joining end grain not the best glue joint. A mechanical fastener or pin is required you use corner bridles to join frame pieces when the frame is shaped. A bridle joint can be considered a cousin to mortise and tenon and is a strong and attractive wood corner joint for frames.

You can remove material from the joined pieces after assembly without sacrificing joint integrity. A miter joint occurs when two end pieces are cut on angles and fitted together commonly found in the corners of picture frames and the upper corners of some styles of doorway. It is often required to build timber frames and there are a number of simple joints which can be used to make them. Depending on the purpose you may need to strengthen the miter joint by adding nails.