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Traditional wood joinery techniques address the distinctive material properties of wood, often without resorting to mechanical fasteners. There are different types of joinery for different structures. For example the joinery used to build a house is different from that used to make puzzle toys, although some concepts overlap.
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Wood is anisotropic: its material properties are different along different dimensions. It is strong when stressed along the grain (longitudinally), but weak across it (radially and tangentially). It expands and contracts in response to humidity. This change is very small longitudinally. It is considerable, but unequal, in the radial and tangential directions. The frame and panel constructions of doors and cabinets is not purely decorative. The panel would be fragile without the support of the rails, whose grain runs perpendicular to that of the panel. But, if the rails were directly fastened to the panel, the difference in the rate of expansion across and along the grain would rip the two apart. When properly constructed, the panel is free to expand, while still supported by the frame.
Some types of joints used include:
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Woodworking-joint-butt-dowel.gif
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Boxjoint.png
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Mitre joint square.png
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Mortise and tenon joint.svg
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Two of the most common traditions of joinery are Chinese and European. The Japanese and the Chinese in particular developed hundreds of types of joints and their furniture was often held together without glue or nails. The Chinese have been using this method for the last seven thousand years.Steinhardt, Nancy W. (2002). Chinese Architecture, English Ed., Yale University Press, p. 7. ISBN 0-300-09559-7.
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