Corner Connection Carpentry Tools

Corner Braces

• Simple and utilitarian, the corner brace or "L" brace is a piece of metal bent at a 90-degree angle. Nail or screw holes line both sides of the brace's angle. Corner braces generally vary according to three characteristics: thickness, length and width. The thickness, also called the "gauge" of the metal, greatly determines the strength of the brace. Framing carpenters use thick braces to attach structural posts and beams while finish carpenters use thin corner braces to attach the sides of decorative boxes. The length and width of a brace's sides determine its applications; carpenters use large braces to support structural loads and small braces to temporarily or lightly attach building components. Corner braces are available for both inside corners and outside corners.

Corner Post Cap

• For timber or post and beam framing, the corner post cap connects adjacent beams over a single post. The corner post cap is a preformed piece of metal, and each side features holes to accommodate bolts. The corner post cap consists of two basic parts: the legs and the saddle. The legs are essentially a set of flat, parallel bars, and the saddle is a C-shaped channel. A post rests between the post cap's legs, and adjacent beams sit within the connector's saddle. The corner post cap allows a carpenter to raise and connect corner beams without performing intricate joinery techniques between the adjacent beams; once set in the saddle, beams are simply drilled and bolted in place.

Dowels

• Many traditional corner joinery techniques rely on dowels to connect adjacent pieces of wood. The dowel is basically a wooden rod. Dowels vary according to length and diameter. To use a dowel, the carpenter cuts lumber to meet at a corner and drills a corresponding set of holes into the end of each piece of wood. The carpenter cuts dowels to fit snugly into the holes, applies glue to holes and dowels, inserts the dowels and clamps the lumber together. As the glue dries, the dowels connect and bond the adjacent pieces of lumber.