Joinery

One of the most critical aspects of heirloom quality furniture is the joints. Whether it be 2 boards joined side to side to form a raised panel in a door, a rail meeting a stile on a face frame or an apron on a dining table, the joints are what will determine the life expanse of the furniture.
A coffee table will function with a scratch. A hall tree will hold a coat with a poorly sanded surface. But when the joint expires, so does the life of the furniture. The best case scenario when this happens is that the joint is broken and will only weaken further and cause other joints to give way because the broken joint is no longer functioning to support the weight, movement and other stresses on your furniture, and it is just the beginning of the demise rather than the final breath.
When a joint fails, your options are limited to


A) ignore it and let it deteriorate


B) Throw more money after your investment and pay for repair


C) Repair it yourself


D)replace it



The Knotty Woodworker combats a bad joint in many ways. For starters, at conception, the furniture is designed with only the best joinery available in my shop for each application. Let me start with what you WILL NOT find with furniture made by hand in the The Knotty Studio. You won't find construction nails or screws in any visible portion of my furniture. These are only used when they are permanently concealed.
You won't find a plastic wood grained circle sticker covering a screw head. Nor will you find cardboard backs barely stapled on. You won't find sticky drawers, poorly sanded surfaces, or loose pieces.
And, in the event that something misses my scrutiny, either in material or craftsmanship, all of my furniture comes with a 5 year warranty against defects in material or less than optimum craftsmanship - at no extra cost. Since I build furniture in such a way that it will be here in 50 years, 5 years is nothing to worry about.
Even if you buy a brand new home that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, you get a one year warranty!
I believe in my furniture. I have been trained by masters that had decades of experience and I listened well. Quality is 75% craftsmanship and 25% material selection.
The only complaints I have had in 3 years of business is that it takes too long. That is it! And sometimes it takes too long because quality is something that is sought after, it doesn't just happen. And, to be honest, I would really rather apologize for a completion delay than having to apologize for quality. Quite simply, the sting of poor quality will last much longer than the joy you will receive for a cheap purchase.




These are decorative in appearance, but are strengthening in function. See how the ends are smaller than the actual piece? That is the tenon section of a mortise and tenon joint. It is formed by cutting the work piece longer than what will be visible on the furniture. The outer area of the extra material is stripped away and a corresponding hole, or mortise, is made in the pieces which these will span. The result is an extremely strong joint with several glue surfaces. This is the most common joint used in table making. It can be used in many other areas, but different applications call for different types of joints. You can know that when you commission The Knotty Woodworker to build one of tomorrow's antiques for you, that much thought will be given to what will make the strongest connection between two pieces of wood. And that is what will be used, even in the event that I didn't charge for it. I have a long list of satisfied customers that would be glad to share with you their experience of dealing with The Knotty Woodworker and let you know how they received more than what they thought they were getting.





Here is what those pieces became. The tenons were 1" long and they extend into the adjoining rails a full inch. Quality. My furniture does cost more than what you can find in a manufactured furniture store. Except mine is handmade. Each piece of wood is specifically chosen for character and strength. And once I build a piece of furniture for you, it will never be replicated. It is and it remains one of a kind! You will never buy another one, whatever it is, unless you want two of them!
You can spend 500 bucks for a dresser that is one of thousands identically made and has no warranty once you take it home. In that choice, you may have a few colors to choose from, maybe it will be in your wood of preference, maybe not. It will be the size it is with no choice of modifying the dimensions. And, after a few short years, you will need to buy another dresser to replace it.
Or, you can spend $1200 bucks with The Knotty Woodworker, receive the highest quality available, along with a five year warranty, choose your wood species, finish and dictate the dimensions. And your grandkids will be able to enjoy it as well. You will spend money on furniture, but shouldn't it be the last time and shouldn't that hard earned money extend years into the future?