When we looked closely at how joints tended to fail, we found a clear correlation with our test results. The stronger joints forced their component pieces to fail by fracture across the grain or right at the glue joint (miter), while with the intermediate-strength and weakest joints, failure occurred by the splitting of one piece along the grain. But the numbers don't tell the entire story. A lot of consider-ations go into the choice of a specific joint: How it will look (ex-posed joinery vs. the clean appearance of a hidden joint); how it will be affected by seasonal wood movement (is there mechanical resistance to keep the joint together over time?); ease of assembly (fast sometimes is best); and how it will be used (picture frame vs. apron-to-leg joint). So take all those issues to heart when making your joinery choice.
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