Routed Edge Joints
A router can greatly speed up the process of preparing edges for joining, however
much effort can also be wasted unnecessarily. As has been stated, a simple glued
joint is very strong, and is sufficient in most situations.
Where a router excels, though, is for creating interlocking joints which also increase
the wood surface to be glued.
Glue Joints
These router bits give a simple tongue-and-groove style interlocking edge that increases
the gluing surface and when the boards are mated together, positively align the
boards to be glued. These bits are only applicable when the edges to be joined are
exactly the same thickness. With the router bit adjusted to the correct height,
first rout one of the edges face up, then rout the second panel with the face down.
The pieces can now be joined edge-to-edge with both faces in the same direction.
Finger Joints
These router bits produce a joint that is similar to the glue joint, however it
has many more projections. It is produced in the same way as glue joints are. The
advantages of finger joints is that the surface area in the joint is increased,
increasing the gluing surface.
Lock Miter Joints
A variety of router bits are available that produce with one (sometimes two) passes
through the router, a joint that locks together with another edge, giving a more
mechanical connection that a simple glued joint could provide. These joints are
often used for edge-to-face joints or edge-to-edge joints. The edge-to-edge joints
are produced in the same manner as glue joints above, however the edge-to-face joint
has the second piece routed in a vertical position, with the profile being produced
on the board's face instead of the edge. Care should be taken to correctly orient
the boards before routing. |