Finger joint
a wedge-shaped connection in wood
A finger joint, also known as a comb joint, is a woodworking joint made by cutting a set of complementary, interlocking profiles in two pieces of wood, which are then glued. The cross-section of the joint resembles the interlocking of fingers between two hands, hence the name "finger joint". The sides of each profile increases the surface area for gluing, resulting in a strong bond, stronger than a butt joint but not very visually appealing. Finger joints are regularly confused with box joints, which are used for corners of boxes or box-like constructions.
Creation
Finger joints are generally created by using identical profiles for both pieces. They are made complementary by rotation or translation of the tool with respect to the workpiece. Typically a finger router bit is used, but spindle moulders can also be used. Manual cutting of finger joints is time-consuming and error prone hence rarely done except in craft pieces.
Applications
A tapered or scarfed finger joint is the most common joint used to form long pieces of lumber from solid boards; the result is finger-jointed lumber.
The finger joint can also be valuable when creating baseboards, moulding or trim, and can be used in such things as floor boards, and door construction.
“Finger joint” enters the record as a wedge-shaped connection in wood. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Finger, joint and wedge-shaped can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Finger joint” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Finger, joint and wedge-shaped provides the most credible route into that argument.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Oct 1, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1208242. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Finger joint”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Finger joint primary sources, Finger joint archive and Finger research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Finger joint”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Finger joint” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.