Manual of Purpose-Made Woodworking Joinery

End joints 51

the shape of the F would have to be modified to cut
out the slopes (which would destroy the design feature
that facilitates easy assembly).

END JOINTS

There are two main reasons for end- jointing timber.
The first obvious one being to make it longer, beyond
its commercially- available length for a particular job.
The second reason is to join certain joinery compo-
nents together with end- to- end joints. Such joints
are used on shaped heads of doors and doorframes,
windows and window frames, etc, and on so- called
continuous handrailing used on geometrical stairs. All
of these items listed under the second reason will be
covered here separately in the relevant chapters. End
joints for the first reason are given below.

Finger- jointed laminae

Figure 3.53: Manufactured gluelam or ‘engineered

wood’, which uses a number of side- and end- butted

(or finger- jointed) narrow strips (laminae) of softwood

or hardwood, is not only useful for widening boards –

as mentioned under Edge- Jointing above – but is also

very useful for lengthening boards. Any lengths of

laminae can be finger- jointed, as illustrated above, and

built up with the joints randomly staggered to produce

whatever widths and lengths of board required. This

technique of end- jointing is the only modern means

of producing lengthened boards that do not rely on

other means of support.

Supported end joints

Figures 3.54(a)(b)(c): Other relatively modern, end-

lengthening joints, such as for counters, bar tops

and kitchen worktops, which need the support of

the substructure, are usually bonded together with a

waterproof adhesive or silicone sealant, brought to

flushness with two or three biscuit joints and pulled

together with two or more panel- bolt connectors on

the underside.

Figure 3.52 Machined ‘F’ joint.

Figure 3.53 End- grain finger- jointed lamina.

Figure 3.54 (a) Separated, routered end- joint of a right- angled kitchen worktop, showing four biscuit slots and two
panel- bolt slots; (b) Joined- up underside of the worktop, showing the ‘T’ or bone- shaped recesses routered out to take the
panel- bolt connectors – one of which is shown at (c).

(a) (b)

(c)