Wood Joints - Mitered Half Lap

A mitered half lap brings together the best of two worlds: the elegance of a tight miter joint and the strength of a half lap. You'll find mitered half laps in all types of wood plans - cabinets, doors, picture frames, and more. With some careful cutting and gluing, mitered half laps will give you solid joints made to last a lifetime.

Although it's possible to create mitered half laps with some fairly simple woodworking tools, today most woodworkers head to the table saw to make these fairly tricky cuts. It helps to have a mitered half lap jig to keep everything perfectly aligned. You'll also need some woodworking clamps to get a super-tight bond at the corners. Some woodworkers prefer to use a router to cut mitered half laps, and this also calls for a router jig accessory to keep everything lined up.