Howe Lumber Company
555 Main Street
East Brookfield, MA 01515
(508)885-5396
(508)867-3232
Monday - Friday 7:00am-5:00pm
Saturday 7:30am - 3:00pm
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Fingerjoints
A fingerjoint is a method of joining two pieces of wood together that is often used in the millwork industry. The two pieces of wood are glued together using a series of grooves that interlace together in a way that resembles fingers (thus the name).

This method of joining allows millworkers to create longer pieces of timber that are of a higher quality. There are a few pieces of clear pine that are over 16 feet long growing in the world, but not enough to satisfy every builder. So, for many, fingerjoints are the answer. This also happens to be a very cost-effective item. Since the knots get cut out, grades of wood such as #2 pine can be used. This means the raw material is less costly, so the end product is not as expensive as a select grade of pine.

The fingerjoints themselves are actually a strong joint, stronger than simply glueing two flat end pieces together. The strength of a glue joint relies heavily upon the amount of surface area the glue is applied to. A finger joint has more surface area, so more glue is in the joint, and you have a stronger joint.

The downside to fingerjoints is that it is not difficult to spot the joint, since there are two different grains of wood coming together. There are also usually visible seams of some sort. This is why it is not uncommon to find fingerjointed products with a factory applied coat of primer.


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Howe Lumber Company
555 Main Street
East Brookfield MA 01515 
(508)885-5396  (508)867-3232
Monday - Friday 7:00am-5:00pm
Saturday 7:30am - 3:00pm