Attaching strips of wood edge-to-edge is a strong and simple method to build up wider panels. No joinery is necessary if the edges are jointed perfectly flat--glue alone is incredibly strong when connecting long grain pieces in this orientation. In some cases though, adding dowels or splines improves alignment and minimizes the clean up after gluing.Â
The butt joint is the simplest joint, as it entails simply "butting" one piece against another. An unreinforced butt joint is also the weakest joint, as it provides a limited surface area for gluing and lacks any mechanical interlocking to resist external forces.