Abstract This paper presents numerical analysis of the effects of tenon length on flexibility of mortise and tenon joints. Numerical calculations are carried out with a linear elastic model for orthotropic material. The mathematical model is solved by a finite element method. The results of the calculation indicate that a mortise and tenon joint becomes stiffer as tenon length increases. A satisfactory agreement was found between the experimental data taken from literature and the obtained results, thus confirming the conclusions made. Rotation stiffness was determined and also used in the structural analysis of a simple furniture frame. The results revealed that stiffness of joints in a frame had a considerable impact on the structure deflection.

This paper presents numerical analysis of stress and strain conditions of a three-dimensional furniture skeleton construction and its joints. The fi nite volume method is used in the calculation. Orthotropy of the wood material is accounted for by approximating it with an isotropic material whose elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio are calculated by employing the least-square method. The displacement of the edge point for the loaded joint was also determined experimentally. The agreement of results of the calculation and experimental data can be considered satisfactory. The numerical results presented in this paper also provided an opportunity for identifi cation of the region with the largest load and strain in the complex chair skeleton construction, which is one of the most complex pieces of furniture.