A lap joint is a popular joining method that is done on wood, metal, or plastic. But in woodworking, lap joint maybe a full lap or half lap. In full lap, there is no material removed from either of the pieces to be joined. while in a half-lap joint which is also called halving joint, material is removed from both of the members in order to obtain the joint thickness of the thickest piece. in order word.
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How to make a lap joint?
A lap joint can be produced on two long-grain where the faces are joined with glue. The joint is among the strongest joints in woodworking, having the ability to resist shear forces. The video below will give you more understanding on how to make a half-lap joint:
Application of lap joints:
Below are the applications of lap joints:
- Temporary framing
- Tabling
- Frame assembly in cabinet making
- Used in timber frame construction. Etc.
Types of lap joints:
The following stated below represent the different types of lap joint perform in woodworking:
Halving lap joint:
The halving types of lap joints used extensively in cabinetry for framing. It is easy and fastest lap joint to make and it provides high strength through the good long grain to long grain glueing surface. The shoulders also provide some resistance to racking. Halving lap joint may be reinforced with dowels or mechanical fasteners to avoid twisting of the wood.
Read: Everything you need to know about woodworking joints
Cross Lap:
The cross types of lap joint are used for internal cabinet frames and simple framing and bracing. The cross lap is much similar to the basic half lap but the main difference between them is that the joint occurs in the middle of both pieces. The pieces are at right angles to each other and one member may terminate at the joint but can be extended. When one of the members terminates at the shin which is referred to as tee lap or middle lap. In the situation where both pieces extend beyond the joint, each of the pieces contains two shoulders and one cheek.
Dovetail lap:
The dovetail lap is used on framing applications where tension forces could pull the joint apart. The joint contains a housing that is cut at an angle to resists withdrawal of the stem from the cross-piece
End lap:
The end lap joint is also known as pull lap and also called a corner lap when the joint forms a corner, that’s in a rectangular frame. It is the basic form of the lap joint which is used to join pieces end to end either parallel or at right angles. The corner lap is the most common form of end lap and is used in framing. In half lap which the pieces are parallel, the joint is known as half-lap splice. It is a splice joint which an alternative to scarfing when joining shorter pieces end to end. Well, both pieces in an end lap have one shoulder and one cheek each.
This joint is used for internal cabinet frames and visible frames when the frame pieces are to be shaped.
Mitred half-lap:
The mitred half-lap joint is used for visible framing applications where a mitred corner is needed. The joint appears as one of the weakest as the glueing surface is less.
That’s for this article, “Understanding lap joint”. I hope the knowledge is attained, if so, kindly comment, share and recommend this site to other technical students. Thanks!