How strong is finger jointed lumber

I always wondered how strong various finger jointed lumber is that you can buy, so took a few samples and broke them on my joint strength tester to find out.

[@Mia-bz]

99.9% of KZbin videos aren’t presented this well…. .

[@mannurse7421]

He salvaged stuff to break it in a scientific fashion. The world needs more people like this.

[@cassis1018]

Is that what is happening to us. Cheers.

[@almarkowbender]

Not really

[@NormanRamsey]

There is only one Matthias.

[@Mrcaffinebean]

These tests are always interesting. This machine has been very useful. This videos make me think more about my glue joints.

[@EngineerMikeF]

For gluing end grain, I saw a vid by a long time cabinet maker who advised applying glue to end grain twice. He applied end grain glue to all end grain butt joint faces in a face frame first, then started at one corner of the face frame & applied glue to all joint surfaces hitting the end grain faces a 2nd time. Theory being it takes a few moments for glue to wick into end grain pores so 1st application won't do as well if that's all you have for the end grain face. Seems logical, but it needs to be tested to see if the theory matches practice.

[@mm9773]

It’s been tested in practice for hundreds of years, and nobody advises gluing end grain to anything. Maybe it helps, in addition to the long grain surfaces, but the general consensus is that it’s the long grain surfaces that count when you glue wood together. Was that guy perhaps talking about mitre joints? they’re surprisingly strong, and maybe that’s a technique that makes them even stronger.

[@P_RO_]

It also could be compensating for the glue being used. Different glues and different woods have different rates of absorption, and glue which gets absorbed by the wood too quickly leaves the joint dryer and weaker. You can prove this by gluing two pieces of MDF together as it rapidly absorbs glue. On one joint apply and wipe the glue on both sides, leaving it to sit a bit until it's beginning to tack up. Apply another light coat then clamp. On the other test joint slobber it with glue and clamp. Once both have cured fully, the latter joint will separate cleanly at the glue joint with little provocation, while the first joint will be tearing apart the MDF itself from both sides and will take more force to break it. Softer woods will act more like the MDF with harder woods not so much, so harder woods will join better with one coat of glue.

[@awldune]

When I was a kid I loved to take molding (finger jointed like this) and stomp on it to see the joint fail. My dad was not amused!

[@LeesChannel]

You must have gotten quite a whoopin'!

[@awldune]

@@LeesChannel They were mostly scraps, but yeah I think spanking was involved

[@ninomaiorano6697]

I wonder if you would replicate the same type of finger joint as the manufactured ones and then glue them together with with tight bond three ultimate glue, which is a quality glue. I would bet that they would show better bonding results equal to solid wood.

[@KeithOlson]

I've watched a number of videos on gluing endgrain and the important point that was made--and backed up here--was that end grain tends to soak up the glue into the fibres, which makes them much stronger, but tends to starve the joint, itself. I believe that you can see this in some of the samples, where there is barely any glue between the two pieces of wood. I suggest you first try adding a generous amount of thinned glue to the finger joints, leaving it for 5-10(?) minutes to soak in, then wipe away the excess and add the proper amount of glue, followed by clamping/etc. I suspect that you will find the joint to be *MUCH* stronger than just gluing the joint as you would with edge grain. Cheers!

[@leovanzantvoort]

In schip building there is a rule that a scarf joint 8:1 (length to thickness) in a kiel and 12:1 in spars, is as strong as the original wood.

[@P_RO_]

This is good to know. It was several decades ago when I learned, but IIRC in normal jointery I think the ratio called for a minimum or 6:1, preferably with a locking feature involved.

[@dutchhank]

Sorry, but that doesn't make sense. The joint doesn't know where it ends up. So if it's just as strong, then location would not matter. It's probably considered at least strong enough for the intended purpose.

[@RichardTapp1]

I had similar instructions in a wooden glider repair course. 8:1 generally, 16:1 on spars. We scarfed 1/64 plywood RC glider skins by chamfering their thickness over 1/4" (8:1) and never had a joint failure.

[@scottcates]

I believe airplane spar repairs use a similar ratio.

[@brianbarney1885]

The joints you were testing with the Radiatta pine and rubber wood samples were 1/4” or 6mm joint lengths, these joints were designed to ‘stretch’ board length i.e. get longer pieces out of short scraps. They are designed to be strong enough but not structural by any means. Having said that I’ve handled and used pine molding up to 16’ length made from 4” and longer blocks using 1/4” joints that was plenty strong for the job. 18 years in the finger jointing business taught me that it is THE most exacting and difficult job in a molding or lam beam plant. Thanks for showing a very creative test machine and very interesting video.

[@MatchaMakesThings]

Its a good day when Mathias uploads. I get an indepth video on something i was probably wondering about! Thank you for making!

[@bmich281]

It's apparent that the finger joints for this type of use is only for utilizing short scraps from other manufacturers. When being sold to other businesses to make longer boards. Its very apparent that these joints have no structural bearing other than the structure needed to make a flat board.

[@mm9773]

I’ve never seen them as single sticks of wood, I only know them as laminated boards, table tops and stuff like that. Those are more than strong enough - although I really don’t like the scrap wood look.

[@brothyr]

@@mm9773 I believe Lowe's hardware stores sell them as 2x4 but I don't recall if they're labeled as studs.

[@jameskelly1680]

@@brothyr It would be interesting to test these. I would also like to see a structural test of a regular wood beam vs. a Glu-lam beam (which is like a stack of finger jointed 2x4s or 2x6s stacked and glued together).

[@P_RO_]

@@jameskelly1680 Include a LVL beam in that testing and we'll be all set. Matthias will first need to upgrade to a much stronger test rig though!

[@PSUQDPICHQIEIWC]

They sell finger-jointed hollow posts. They ostensibly do support a load ... for a while. If there's any moisture, they start peeling open and splaying out like an upside-down banana. Very economical.

[@artswri]

Great presentation as always, thanks lots

[@cofa4011]

Very interesting tests and analysis. Thank you for sharing !

[@andrewgalbreath2101]

Good thing to keep in mind for dumpster diving woodworkers. About 70% of my projects have one of these finger joints somewhere in them just because the material I start with

[@chriswilliams8607]

very high quality content, thanks a lot!!

[@madtitan9639]

I suspect those joints suck up a lot of glue, and manufacturers don't want that kind of squeeze out. Very interesting the results you got from a V. I further suspect you're gluing technique is superior to the manufacturer, but maybe letting the glue soak in a bit longer would increase the strength of the joint. I'm looking forward to further testing with the finger joint router bit! And if you're taking suggestions, I'd be curious to see the difference in results from that V vs scarf joint with a similar glue area.

[@christopherleblanc9599]

love seeing you test joints \ glues ect,, i've read so many claims from books and magazines that suggest one is better then the other, and even though it published,,, i believe what i can see over a written claim trying too sell a publication or manufactures brand , thank you for these videos, seeing is believing, and i was always weary of these joints,even on trim work ,i seen them fail while handling during a install .

[@yoelai]

Maybe it's because it's closer to end-grain-to-end-grain rather than long-grain-to-long-grain? Would be interesting to see if the strength changes with the angle of the fingers.

[@AllenBrosowsky]

That's exactly what I was thinking.

[@generessler6282]

Same thought here. I wonder how a box joint would work laid out flat.

[@greenjom]

If you have a very long finger (small angle) you are basically gluing endgrain to endgrain. But you "waste" a longer piece of wood. Having more smaller steep fingers is probably harder to manufacture, so I guess the given pattern is the best compromise

[@johngaltline9933]

@@greenjom Seems the opposite to me. with longer fingers there is more edgegrain surface to glue, where as with shorter ones it is more end grain. Up to the point where you use squared off box joints and the amount of end grain stops changing and the finger length just affects the edgegrain surfaces.

[@P_RO_]

@@johngaltline9933 You are correct here. If we remember that wood's strength is in it's overlapping and intertwined lignins and fibers, then it's clear that having a longer glue joint parallel to them will bind them together better. This will also give a more gradual failure mode which is always desirable. The finger-joints we buy are mainly designed to maximize production and minimize waste of both wood and glue.

[@vlord47]

nicely demonstrated

[@weldabar]

My stair hand rail broke at the finger joint glue line. I re-glued it and it's noticeably weaker at the joint. I need to add a wall support at the joint before it breaks again. This was good information Matthias, to give relative strength % values to what we intuitively knew. Also great comparison info on hardwood vs softwood.

[@alberttreado3713]

Nice analysis…

[@owendodman3037]

To see a tool Mathias hasn’t mastered is not a once in a blue moon opportunity, it’s more like once in a life time. Good show🎉

[@sevenismy]

Glue is stonger then lignin, but glue is not stronger that the fibers. It would be interesting to see how strong end grain to grain is for the same wood. My Ikea replaces the broken slats without asking for a receipt, but I rather glue them and then add some long bamboo 6mm dowels from the side.

[@MRrwmac]

Matthias, interesting that your V joints did as well. Thanks for the demonstrations!

[@haydensmith3341]

It would be interesting to see a comparison of a section where the finger joints are in line with a solid piece Vs the two solid pieces glued together. As in the boards the finger joints are usually staggered.

[@eta.tauri32]

Yes !

[@JimmyKip]

I was thinking the same thing; most of the places I see finger jointed wood are in trim where strength isn't really a big factor compared to stability I suppose - and then in wider boards where the joins are staggered in strips so each join has solid wood on either side.

[@dansknettv5147]

I have been building boats, and we always said that a skarf had to be the thickness of the board times 12 - T x 12 - to be sure that it was strong enough. Both on the hulls and on masts.

[@MrDowntemp0]

The sound it makes is so satisfying! POP!

[@matthiaswandel]

yes, those all mostly went with a nice bang!

[@debluetailfly]

I have a bookcase my parents got at some finish it yourself furniture store c1960. The middle shelf is adjustable and rests on four metal pins that fit into holes in the sides. The shelf is made of boards joined lengthwise right in the middle of the shelf! I never realized that until I removed an entire set of old World Book Encyclopedias off the shelf. Those things are heavy, but the shelf is still straight as a board! No sign of failure.

[@stewanish]

Hi Matthias I look forward your next video making finger joints. Something I ponder upon a long time :)

[@KnowArt]

love it!

[@prototype3a]

Something I've seen quite a bit of IRL is that the finger jointed material uses an adhesive that is not outdoor rated and so old pieces will fall apart very easily right at the joints.

[@Convolutedtubules]

Recently had a finger joint break. I thought it was just poorly glued, so I prepared, glued, and clamped it. The joint still split with surprisingly little effort.

[@matthiaswandel]

Did you carve off any remains of the old glue? Need to do that for new glue to bond properly.

[@Convolutedtubules]

@@matthiaswandel Not exactly. Good point, thank you.

[@KeithOlson]

@@matthiaswandel I've watched a number of videos on gluing endgrain and the important point that was made--and backed up here--was that end grain tends to soak up the glue into the fibres, which makes them much stronger, but tends to starve the joint, itself. I believe that you can see this in some of the samples, where there is barely any glue between the two pieces of wood. I suggest you first try adding a generous amount of thinned glue to the finger joints, leaving it for 5-10(?) minutes to soak in, then wipe away the excess and add the proper amount of regular glue, followed by clamping/etc. I suspect that you will find the joint to be MUCH stronger than just gluing the joint as you would with edge grain. Cheers!

[@Fekillix]

We use fingerjointed construction lumber for rafters, floor joists etc. Same ratings as regular-non jointed timber. A bit strange to work with as usual wood has one bow direction but finger jointed can bend like a snake, so varying direction, but the bow is not as large as regular lumber though. Finger jointed can also be ordered in any length which is nice. We've ordered over 7 meter lengths.

[@hassleoffa]

You can check out the Canadian SPS 1, Fingerjointed Structural Lumber - interchangeable with standard lumber. There is also SPS 3 (Vertical Stud use only) and SPS 4 - Machine Graded

[@refsvik]

Surprising but interesting results. I was under the impression that modern glue was better than this. I wonder how different types of joints or glue would impact the results… Thank you for doing the test🙏🏻

[@paulkline515]

The mystery panel shown at 2:42 looks like rubberwood. Harvested from rubber plantations as trees age out of production. I pick up discarded tables just for the panels which make excellent project wood.

[@MazeFrame]

I remember years ago reading a paper where they did similar tests, except on I-Beams for steel-frame skyscraper construction.

[@steveggca]

A practical application for Mattias's experiment. I have several paint grade finger jointed interior doors in my house (french style with 15 glass panels which makes them quite heavy) so far i've had to repair 3 of them because the door handles fell almost prefectly on the finger joint glue line. in evey case the failure was in the glue. In fairness more than 50% of the joint was removed for the mounting holes and it took almost 20 years to fail. I would by the same door again but would only accept ones were the door handle set falls on solid wood. P.S. there are several Manufacturing finger joints videos here on youtube.

[@xfire301]

My wood tech professor in university invented that joint. I observed the testing. You are see a production quality issue. The joints, prepped and glued and cured with the designed equipment do not fail that way. Prof Talbot also invented Masonite, particleboard and truss joists.

[@allwaysareup]

My cousin recently bought a post hole digger and one of the handles had a finger joint about 8 in up from the bottom. You can imagine how long that lasted.

[@alberttreado3713]

99.9% of KZbin videos aren’t presented this well…. 😂

[@fookingsog]

"This Old Tony” does a Great Job!!! 😂

[@matthiaswandel]

But the 0.1% of videos that most people end up watching ARE presented as well or better.

[@gorak9000]

@@fookingsog When he uploads - his videos are so few and far between now, but his back catalog is pretty impressive, especially for someone just dipping their toe into machining

[@smartbuildengineering]

You might want to look into 4 point bending tests, it gives a uniform bending force over a larger distance, negating to some extent localised stress effects. Also as you surely know, the dimensions of the fingers, quality of glue up etc. signifiantly affect the strength of the finger joint. Design Codes for structural glulam beam staves cover this sort of thing.

[@P_RO_]

MicroLam or GlueLam beams use resorcinol glue which is far stronger, but it neither takes paint well and it's hardness makes for accelerated wear on shapers and cutters.

[@jonathany1240]

This is making me dig out my old fracture mechanics readings but a lot of the models aren’t making it easy to predict a 50% stress loss or a stress intensity factor of ~2…i haven’t had coffee yet though

[@aborntexan]

When you think about it, since the fingers are cut at an angle you are getting a glue up of partial end grain. Of course end grain glue ups are extremely weak. So a weaker joint from this sort of joining process is to be expected.

[@Tarkov.]

I think it's super interesting that the V joints are so strong, considering how much faster they are to actually cut and glue.

[@YouPlague]

I'd be super interested in a box joint test on these samples

[@Peter-House-Jr]

I would be interested in a comparison of the angle joints VS. a box type joint. I believe the angle joint puts the glue more in tension and the box joint would put the glue more in shear resulting in a stronger joint closer to the strength of the wood.

[@jacque6184]

I agree. I suspect straight cut finger joints would be stronger, as the glue surface would be a higher proportion of long grain to long grain, as opposed to a semi endgrain to semi ingrain joint with the V finger joints.

[@luisaparecido5885]

Parabéns.... ótimo trabalho 👏👏

[@MCsCreations]

Really interesting indeed, Matthias! Awesome testing! 😃 But yeah, it's better than an endgrain glue up I guess. Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@jdkemsley7628]

Wood be interesting to see test cohorts of your in-shop joints, ranging in surface area from butt joints to finger joints. Or even more interesting, an emphasis on finger-length vs total glue surface area as factors

[@LuizDahoraavida]

Adorable ascii plotting

[@nasonguy]

Drawing stuff in ascii is my jam. Linux devs have been doing it for decades. Always makes me happy when I see something as simple as a little time taken to make plain old ascii have a bit of fun and flair.

[@paulbalegend]

Would love to see a direct comparison with box joints (end-to-end box joints, i mean -- not the normal 90-degree corner), of course created on the box joint jig. And with standard- and thin-kerf blades :)

[@igorfilin8342]

That's an attitude!

[@monophoto1]

Very interesting. I suspect that part of the reason is that finger joints are closer to end-grain than face grain. But I wonder if joint strength is really part of the rationale for commercial finger-jointed wood. Most of the material I have seen has been intended for decorative rather than structural applications (molding, etc) so strength isn't as critical. I really like the rigor that Mathias puts into these testing videos.

[@MatthewMcKee]

the difference between science and screwing around is writing it down - Adam Savage. I like these kind of videos.

[@CerealKiller.]

This is why I follow Mattias channel. It look like I know HIM for years hahaha. Best health to you! I love seeing you around. 2024

[@bt410382]

I think the main reason to use finger joint is to use as much of wood as possible for parts that don't require much strength like flat boards. and it's practical because it's quick and it doesn't require precise alignment. so, even it's half the strength of original blank, finger joint is here to stay. btw I love the test apparatus.

[@harkbelial]

if you have it in Canadistan you should try the beams that are connected with finger joints that are used in construction.

[@AndrewLatham]

I would be interested in how the moisture in the wood impacts the glue strength, both during application and during testing. I can imagine a large number of tests would be needed for that.

[@darrellgibson]

I'd love to see how your homemade finger joints will fare. I've always wondered if they use cheaper, less effective glue than what a regular carpenter would chose.

[@ColMcWillis]

You should test rectangular finger joints too. The flat surface slightly decreases the glue surface due to it not being an angle, but flat-grain glues Much cleaner to other flat grain

[@seephor]

Curious to see you do this using box joints since I think the weakness of the finger joints is due to the angle of the grain

[@Matt-kl1pg]

So really, the answer is that the finger joints are more than strong enough for application they are used for, especially when glued in a staggered pattern like on the large panel. Surprising that the partially seated joint was as strong as the fully seated ones. That doesn't make much sense to me.

[@inventions47]

Ty

[@regularguy9264]

I hear another well known you tuber suggests polyurethane construction adhesive would make all the difference!

[@refisherdesktop]

All joking aside I think the main ingredient in that stuff is the will of god, 'cause once it's set that's it. It's not going anywhere.

[@P_RO_]

Not always. If you read the instructions and recommendations of the manufacturer, you'll see where they recommend that with dense woods you dampen the glue joint first, which helps the wood draw the poly glue in deeper for a stronger joint. I've seen several failures of poly adhesives where the glue didn't penetrate well enough. With your usual wood glues this is not a problem, and if you use them properly you can get a joint about equal to the strength of polyurethane where the wood fails with or before the joint does. Where poly excels is bridging gaps and regular wood glues do poorly with that.

[@douglascampbell9809]

Those are some pretty shallow finger joints. I used to work in furniture manufacturing and our fingers were at least twice as deep as the ones you tested. Also the glue seems weak. I have glues blocks to plywood where the wood tore out before the glue failed.

[@silentferret1049]

Kinda wonder if instead of just clamping the ends, clamp at the joint to compress the joint together. Might be just loose enough its not getting good binding but who knows. I have had poor glue togethers on solid oak and I was breaking the oak apart before the glue was coming off. Some of the glue joints you could slip a credit card through when they were glued up. Was going to use them as spacer material so them being glued properly was not a needed thing.

[@Request_2_PANic]

I'd be interested to see how it compares to various kinds of Japanese joints.

[@fg8557]

I feel like for this a four point bending setup moght give you more useful results. So that you have the same stresses throughout the joint and the surrounding wood

[@killsalot78]

this is a good video but I wish you would have tested mortise and tenon compared to the v type joints

[@matthiaswandel]

See video title

[@revdpoling]

I've seen finger-jointed studs used in home construction and often wondered if they are as strong as regular studs. I guess that would be compression strength instead.

[@samTollefson]

I am surprised that the Titebond Ultimate failed so much along the glue line. Maybe they put more energy into making it waterproof than strong. I wonder if the Titebond Two would have held better; that is my choice of glue in my shop.

[@zimpon]

It's still V joints, it would be super interesting to try others, I reckon long rectangular comb type joints IIII would be 25% stronger than the Vs

[@rimmersbryggeri]

I think the pine panels are made from the off cuts from the sawmill so they are probably not the best quality wood to begin with. The oak bench top looked pretty high grade though and made to a higher standard generally so that should have been better. I guess those joints are more for alignment than anything else though since you usually see them in places where they wont really be stressed from normal use. Would have been interesting if you hade cut the pine panel in the other direction though and tested wether the finger joint was stronger than the long grain butt joints.

[@JDeWittDIY]

I'd like to see a comparison between these wedge shaped finger joints and the flat finger joints you make with your screw advance box joint jig. It seems the flat ones would be stronger.

[@TinusBruins]

As the samples come out of an interlaced panel, which averages out the strength. The finger joints are probably an afterthought. My guess is that the ends weren't properly saturated with glue. While these fingers increase the glue surface, it's still all endgrain. And that needs to suck the glue in like a pin to make a bridge.

[@Codeaholic1]

I'd be interested in seeing how a doweled joint and a dove tail perform.

[@RNMSC]

Was a bit surprised that you didn't test doing box joints for splice. I would think that might affect things, but I don't know.

[@paulfrizzell31]

👍great video

[@flavioluismachadodasilvasi6195]

Oi obrigada pelo seu vidio cada dia que passa aprendo mais com você boa noite

[@Deckzwabber]

Thanks for testing and sharing! If you're going to run more tests, would you consider cutting up the board into slats that are half solid and half jointed?

[@DrCassette]

I would assume the strength of those joints very much depends on the manufacturing quality of the board. How well the fingers fit together, the quality of the glue that was used and so on

[@bowang5556]

I ALWAYS thumb up before even watching the vid

[@mully006]

I wonder if the finger joints have better performance per unit of glue area, or per unit of overlap. There must be a reason manufacturers use them so often.

[@XxAILASxX]

Maybe try scarf joints with splines? Or your standard square fingers

[@terrygoldsworthy5009]

I work in the engineered wood industry. I will tell you this. Of course a single jointed board is weaker. However, when lawyered (laminated) gluelam beams are significantly stronger than a piece of lumber if the same dimensions. Just look at some of the buildings that are constructed with mass timber.

[@H4rleyBoy]

Bearing in mind the joint is mainly in sheet material it is an unfair test and would give very different results if you tested a board as the joins are supposed to be staggered I would expect uniform results.

[@fxm5715]

I wonder how finger joints that use rectangular fingers instead of triangular fingers compare. The triangular fingers don't really have true long grain to long grain glue surfaces. Maybe a narrow kerf blade on your boxjoint jig would put up a better fight. Thanks for doing the hard work of empirical evidence gathering.

[@wizrom3046]

Excellent video! So much for the "glued joints are stronger than the original wood" myth...

[@Ravedave5]

In the US all of the jointed lumber I've gotten seems to have garbage glue and the fingers are fine but separated.

[@Seaofjitsu]

Coupler is now a Separator 🤗

[@gosonegr]

I’m thinking… maybe it has to do with the springiness of the wood, white glue is quite brittle, if the wood yields and deform without breaking it just pop off, and that would be why hardwood has a lower difference between solid wood and finger jointed wood

[@TheUnrealPownament]

I bet strenght is related to the finger wedge angle. The smaller the angle, the stronger the joint.

[@jonasisakers]

@ MatthiasWandle - Cut in Fingers, cut in V's... its still end grain. I enjoy your work.

[@Vsor]

I'd be interested to see if there is a better adhesive for this type of joint, or some kind of surface treatment pre-gluing.

[@mckenziekeith7434]

A toughened epoxy might work well. (example, west system g-flex epoxy). But epoxy is messy to work with. And you would realistically have to wait at least one full week before testing it to make sure you are getting full strength. The toughened epoxies remain a little bit flexible after curing compared with traditional epoxies which are more brittle.

[@icychill105]

you know what, now i know if i see that to be careful. or use construction adhesive in joints like John

[@billj5645]

The little bits of end grain won't contribute much to bending strength but you could measure them and deduct that percentage. That wouldn't account for the difference you are seeing. I've seen finger jointed wood trim that broke very easily and I had a theory that they just don't use very good glue for those joints. When you created your own joints you were using 20 degrees, the commercial finger joints use a lower angle so they have more surface area for glue bond for the same amount of width. You could try this by reducing your saw angle and cutting multiple fingers instead on just one finger. That finger joint router bit seems like it would create too much end grain to provide a joint any stronger than what you were already seeing.

[@gorak9000]

I have a feeling the next video will go into exactly that, once he figures out the finger joint router bit at the end...

[@Finding_K_Factor]

Love your home built “Instron”😀

[@matthiaswandel]

I got a lot of mileage out of that so far -- been about 3 years since I built it.

[@paulzsoka9037]

Commercial manufacturers probably use a lower quality glue than hobbyists use. Testing the retail glues against commercial ( industrial) may show better joint strength.

[@zerstorer1ss]

Wonder if your particular glue in the V samples made much difference. A proper glue up of the softwood finger joints would be interesting to see.

[@TheOomgosh]

This was interesting considering that joint is used in manufacturing to extend wood that is too short. Understandably that is normally combined with other lengths and the joints are offset, which testing that could be a whole host of videos. But the thing that came to mind after watching this are structural wood joints that are used in buildings, like a timber frame scarf joint. Would a joint like that really fair any different? (I assume it would, but not sure.)