There are many types of wood joints to choose from when building furniture. However, you want the strongest joint possible to insure a tight fit between the pieces of wood. The biscuit wood joint makes a tight and strong joint. Naturally some are easier than others and which one you decide to use depends on the following:

•What tools you have available

•Your experience level

•Your comfort level with your tools

•Application of the joinery technique

Biscuit joints are a common method of woodworking joinery. The biscuit joint is easy to make and is extremely strong. A biscuit joinery is when you cut a slot in a piece of wood with a biscuit joiner or router tool and insert a biscuit into the slot along with some glue and clamp the two pieces of wood together. When the biscuit soaks up the glue, it swells up and makes an incredibly strong joint. You will need a biscuit joiner or a router tool to make biscuit joints.

Biscuit joints are used in all kinds of case or box making and are great for reinforcing miter joints. They are the most common used for attaching face frames to cabinets. They work great and there are no fasteners to be seen which is the sign of a real craftsman.

There are three sizes of biscuits:

•# 0 (small)

•# 10 (medium)

•#20 (large)

The # 20 biscuit is the most common one used. The smaller two are used when the wood is very small or thin. The slot size that is cut is the same for all three sizes. Only the depth of the slot is changed.

See related articles:

Dadoes and Groove Joints

How to Make Dovetail Joints

Making Accurate Mortise and Tenon Joints