How to Make a Scarf Joint

11Comments

Nothing in the piece explained what appeared to be some type of hole just outside of the break, what is this? Also, your cuts would be off 2 saw withes the way you explained it and I would like to know what you used for glue as just clue would not seem to provide a solid connection.

sandy dunn

Feb 23, at 4:39pm

11Comments

I have not heard of a scarf joint in years, it's a good thing to remember and use, I guess the angle of the cut is what gives glue alone enough strength, I like the jap hand saw, I'm going to get one of those. good job.

ralph fuquay

Feb 20, at 9:09pm

11Comments

Dittos on concerns about the missing wood from the two saw kerfs, but in this case I doubt that it mattered much. However I am more concerned about the strength of the glue joint. End-grain to end-grain is very weak, but Ron didn't mention what type of glue he was using. (Epoxy would make me feel bettter.) If it were me, I would try to join the new and old wood with lap joints or splines. That way the glue would be joining on face-grain, which is very strong. You could also use dowels, but that would not look as good if the end-grain of the dowels were visible.

Chuck Decker

Feb 19, at 9:00pm

11Comments

Two things that have a great bearing on the strength of this joint are the ratio of the length of cut to the thickness of the material (ideally, it should be 8:1) and the quality of adhesive. Some quick-setting epoxies, for example, can be quite brittle and lack the ability to flex.

Ron Hazelton

Feb 19, at 12:18pm

11Comments

I am impressed that this is "as strong as original". I would think the joint would fail first time put into use. That's how we learn.

R B Hardly

Feb 19, at 12:00pm

11Comments

Oops, Sorry RUSS, just saw your post on the same thing. Anyway, we're on the same page.

Mark Stewart

Feb 19, at 11:23am

11Comments

I've been doing this for years and didn't even know that it was called a scarf joint! hehe. One more tip on this: if your cut needs to be "exact", then you need to cut down to the old wood, that's being replaced; make a line with a FINE pencil; then remove the new wood that's still clamped on each side, and cut the old wood on the OUTSIDE of your pencil mark (on each side). This will allow for the "lost" wood that's created by the saw blade.

Mark Stewart

Feb 19, at 11:17am

11Comments

Thanks Ron, for three very interesting and helpful tips. I eagerly look forward to all of your articles. I'm an "Old School Wood Butcher", who never tires of learning something new.

Grant Mitchell

Feb 19, at 10:06am

11Comments

The new oak piece will be two saw blade widths shorter than the original if one doesn't "stretch" the original. Still a great idea.

Russ

Feb 19, at 8:59am

11Comments

Genius! That's brilliant. I hope I have an occasion to use that tip. I need all the help I can get to look smart! Thanks, Ron.

Jerry

Feb 19, at 7:56am

11Comments

I can hear the old Irish carpenter, "Laddie, go fetch me a board stretcher,now!" When I was a Boy Scout at my first overnight, I was sent off to find a sky hook. That's a great fix. I guess that it is true, you can never have too many clamps. Thanks.

Michael Lindquist

Feb 19, at 7:29am

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How to Make a Scarf Joint