Rabbet Joint use

 

 

I'm going to make a quickie box to illustrate the use of rabbet joinery to improve the alignment and strength of simple structures.  I'm starting with a poplar bottom which is not my favorite wood but its lighter color will help show where the bottom stops and the sides begin in the later photos. 

 

Note that I've just created a rabbet on all four sides of the bottom.  These rabbets can be any depth you desire but what's important is that the dimension from the exterior border and the interior border be the same dimension as the wood thickness that you'll use for the sides.   

 

Any straight-sided cutting bit can be used in a Dremel router table to create this joint.  I used a #199 cutter and did multiple passes to get the depth I wanted.  The dimension discussed in the preceding paragraph  is gained by adjusting the fence . 

 

 

 

 

Now it's just a simple matter of cutting the sides to length and gluing them in place.  Though it pays to use a square to ensure they are at right angles, notice that the rabbet joint itself helps to hold the sides square. 

 

Just glue the four sides in place one at a time.  If I were taking more time with this box I could use rabbet joints on the corners (where the sides come together) as well.  Dovetail and box joints are other popular joints for bringing sides together.

 

 

 

Not much more work to show as we're done.  Rabbeting the bottom really makes box assembly very quick and easy.  If I'd thought about it I would have cut and rabbeted a second piece just like the bottom and I would have a top for my box.