A splice joint is a method of joining two members end to end in

woodworking Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinetry, furniture making, wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked b ...

. The splice joint is used when the material being joined is not available in the length required. It is an alternative to other joints such as the

butt joint A butt joint is a joinery, wood joint in which the end of a piece of material is simply placed (or “butted”) against another piece. The butt joint is the simplest joint. An unreinforced butt joint is also the weakest joint, as it provides a ...

and the scarf joint. Splice joints are stronger than unreinenforced butt joints and have the potential to be stronger than a scarf joint. Splices are therefore most often used when structural elements are required in longer lengths than the available material. The most common form of the splice joint is the half lap splice, which is common in building

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

, where it is used to join shorter lengths of timber into longer beams.

Applications

* Joining structural members end to end

Types of splice joints

There are four main types of splice joints: half lap, bevel lap, tabled, and tapered finger.

Half lap splice joint

The half lap splice joint is the simplest form of the splice joint and is commonly used to join structural members where either great strength is not required or reinforcement, such as mechanical

fastener A fastener (US English) or fastening (UK English) is a hardware device that mechanically joins or affixes two or more objects together. In general, fasteners are used to create non-permanent joints; that is, joints that can be removed or disman ...

s, are to be used. The joint is cut as for a half lap.

Bevel lap splice joint

The bevel lap is a variation of the half-lap in which the cheeks of the opposing members are cut at an angle of 5 to 10 degrees, sloping back away from the end of the member, so that some resistance to tension is introduced. This helps to prevent the members from being pulled apart.

Tabled splice joint

The tabled splice joint is another variation of the half lap. The cheeks are cut with interlocking surfaces so that when brought together the joint resists being pulled apart.

Tapered finger splice joint

The tapered finger splice joint requires a series of matching 'fingers' or interlocking prominences to be cut on the ends of opposing members. The joint is brought together and glued, with the fingers providing substantial glue surface. This joint is commonly used in the production of building materials from smaller offcuts of timber. It is commonly found in skirting,

architrave In classical architecture, an architrave (; , also called an epistyle; ) is the lintel or beam, typically made of wood or stone, that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can also apply to all sides, including the vertical members, ...

, and

fascia A fascia (; : fasciae or fascias; adjective fascial; ) is a generic term for macroscopic membranous bodily structures. Fasciae are classified as superficial, visceral or deep, and further designated according to their anatomical location. ...

. The joint is usually made by machine.

References

{{Woodworking Joinery Woodworking