Box Joint

The box joint is a versatile woodworking technique used to join boards together at right angles. It is commonly employed in the construction of small wooden boxes, picture frames, and other rectangular objects that require edge-joining of their sides. To form the joint, the end grain of each board slated for joining is cut with a series of evenly spaced slots or "fingers." These can be cut cleanly and precisely using a table saw or router. The corresponding board that will mate with it has an equal number of protruding "fingers" cut to fit neatly within the slots.

When assembled, this configuration produces a joint line comprised of a series of interlocking tab surfaces. Unlike dovetails, the wood grain runs across the width rather than along the length of each board. But like dovetails, individual finger joints create ample wood-to-wood bonding surface area without requiring glue applied continuously along the whole joint interface. For beginning woodworkers, box joints are an accessible finger-jointing technique that yields strong, right-angled edges when boards are joined. Experienced craftsmen can also achieve intricate, closely-fitted tabbing that renders the box joint approach incredibly rigid. Overall, the box joint permits the straightforward assembly of rectangular wooden objects through a time-tested edge-joining method.