Tip #36
Gluing Up (continued)
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Joint Reinforcement

A joint that’s been properly glued-up will be stronger than the wood itself when dry. Still, glue joints should be reinforced whenever possible. Reinforcement adds to the gluing surface and strengthens the glue bond.

This reinforcement can be done in various ways by using biscuits, dowels, splines or glue blocks. Joints can also be made stronger by choosing specific types of joints such as dovetails, tongue-and-groove, mortise-and-tenon, finger-laps, half-laps and others are stronger than a standard butt joint for one reason -- they increase the amount of gluing surface in the joint substantially. Nails and screws help some, but they make better clamping devices than joint-strengtheners.

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