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Rabbets, dadoes, and grooves are essential joints, used in most furniture and cabinet projects. They also rank among the easiest joints to make provided you have the right tools. So, if you’re fairly new to woodworking, or you need to brush up on your skills, here’s your chance to master these three “building block” joints and achieve cleaner,  more accurate cuts every time.

Because biscuit joints are easy to mark out and quick to cut, using one almost seems like cheating. In truth, biscuits may not be as strong as some traditional types of joinery and may not be suitable for heavy-duty loads, but they’re perfect for plenty of projects.

Master the details of this simple, strong joint and sidestep clamping time...and the need for a helper. TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO, Egyptian woodworkers figured out how to clamp two boards together, drill an angled hole through both, and insert a dowel to make a powerful joint. Two decades ago, when Iowa tool and die maker Craig Sommerfeld sought an effective way to attach face frames to cabinets while hiding the screw heads, he used his engineering skills to revisit the joinery method, creating his now famous pocket-hole jig.

Dwell on this ... a contemplation bench project that will challenge you to learn power-sculpting techniques using a wide variety of tools. What an inspiration!