Scribe joinery

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Scribe joinery is the woodworking technique of cutting an item to fit neatly against another.

This technique is commonly practiced in cabinet making when a built-in item, such as a kitchen cabinet, is to be installed abutting an uneven or out of plumb wall. When the cabinet is constructed, a piece of the cabinet carcase or the face frame is left oversize. Then when the cabinet is installed, the installer will transfer the shape of the wall to the cabinet side or frame and cut that shape into it. The result is a surface which neatly matches the wall and leaves no gaps between the wall and the cabinet.

Scribe joinery is also commonly used in the building of log homes. The shape of the log underneath is scribed into the bottom of a log to be placed on top. This provides a tight seal between the two adjacent logs.