The most common joint in woodworking is the joint between two pieces at a 90° angle. For example: the corner of a door frame or a table leg and apron. There are quite a few ways to do this joint. Here are a few methods to look for when you are purchasing a piece of furniture.

The pocket screw – This joint is simply two pieces butted together with a screw holding them together. The screw is at a slight angle to the surface of the wood so that it can be recessed into a pocket. The screw is installed on the back side of the piece. Machines and jigs are now available to make this joint very quickly. You might think that this is an acceptable joint, but tests have shown that it is surprisingly weak. The screw pulls out of the wood quite easily. I would recommend that you steer clear of a furniture maker who uses this shoddy construction method.

Dowels – This joint uses several small wood dowels. Holes are drilled into the end of one piece and into the edge of the other piece. The wood pieces are simply butted together. Again, fixtures are available to make this joint quite quickly. The problem is that the joint is weak and the joint will fail in a short time. The reason this fails is that the holes drilled into the edge to the vertical part, expose the wood's end grain. If you look at wood under a microscope, it is like a bunch of drinking straws bundled together. Glue can adhere to the sides of the straws, but it doesn't adhere to the ends because they are mostly air. Since the end grain cannot be glued, the joint fails. This is another quick but poor method. Avoid this one as well.

Biscuit joinery – This is a relatively new method, invented in Europe. A machine equipped with a small saw blade cuts a shallow semi circular groove in the end of one piece and the side of the other. A biscuit made of compressed wood and shaped like a football is glued into the grooves on both parts. This is also very quick and easy, but the biscuits must be quite small, if the piece being joined is narrow. The strength in tension is adequate, but the strength in a bending situation is weak. It’s better than dowels or pocket screws, but won't do in really high quality fine furniture.

Mortise and tenon - This joint has been around for centuries and so has the furniture built using mortise and tenon joinery. The tenon is a part of the horizontal piece of wood, but it requires a number of saw cuts and some chisel work to make. The mortise is basically a rectangular hole in the other piece that accepts the tenon. The takes time to make both the mortise and the tenon, as well as the time required fitting them together, but the result is a sound joint that will last a very long time and is very strong. The joint is usually pinned together as well, making it even more durable.

I use premium hardwoods in my furniture. I also try to use single boards for the large pieced (tops, sides, etc.) in my pieces. So, I have to pay premium prices for the materials I use. So, I'm not able to get discounts on lumber from my suppliers. But, you won't find glue-ups in my furniture as well. That is narrow boards glued together to make a wide panel. Another thing you won't find is some cheap inferior wood masquerading as cherry, walnut, curly maple or mahogany. You'll find that a lot of supposedly quality manufacturers use these cheap, soft woods and then finish them as cherry or whatever. So when they say its cherry finish, ask what wood was used to build the piece. The stuff looks good in the showroom, but it's usually as soft as butter, and will get dings and dents in a hurry. It’s not something that has a lasting value.

When I use veneer, it's also premium quality that glued to a premium base material. Veneer has gotten a bad reputation, but with the glues available today, it's a great way to build a piece with some of the most beautiful woods available to us. Most of these woods are not available in solid lumber, so veneer is the only way to get these gorgeous woods. The veneers available today are really spectacular, highly figured and must be seen to be believed. For the substrate or base material, I use solid wood, paint grade Birch plywood or MDF, medium density fiberboard. The MDF might surprise people, but it’s a great substrate, flat and strong.

Again, there are a number of great materials available to us today. So, the choice of finish really is governed by the use that the piece will see. For a table top, varnish is a great choice. It'll withstand spills and is tough enough to resist dings and dents. Its drawback is that it's difficult to repair. It is not resistant to organic solvents, so it may be damaged by chemicals like nail polish remover.

To get the real look of an antique, you can’t beat shellac. It comes in a number of grades or colors. I like orange or garnet grades on my furniture. Shellac is very durable and can be easily repaired if damage should occur. Its only drawback is that it can turn white when exposed to water and alcohol can damage it.