Carcase Joints

Video Transcript

"Hi I'm Steve Anthony, I'm a handyman here in New York City. Carcase joints, various types of carcase joints that you can use are dovetails. This is the most difficult but probably the most attractive form of carcase joint. We're talking about what a carcase is for those of you who don't know. We're not talking about a dead animal. It's the box of a dresser or an armoire or something of that nature that the actual box of the unit is known as a carcase and you probably knew that if you looked up this particular type. Anyway your options are as limited by your imagination really. Dovetail joint makes a really nice carcase joint if you want to have an exposed joint. The simplest way to do a carcase joint that's going to be hidden is a 45 degree miter joint where you literally cut the edges of each board at 45 degrees, join them together. That's not the strongest joint unless you're using a spline system which you can do. If you want to spline that 45, that's going to make it plenty strong. But dovetail or a finger joint also known as a box joint is a good way to put a carcase together. You can also use a cleat behind one of the panels and attach both panels to that cleat to give it a little bit more strength. Most important thing to consider is how the appearance of the carcase is going to be involved in the overall look of the piece. Once you've determined that, you may want to do some sketches and try some of your various options before you actually start building."