Tabling is a traditional timber framing and shipbuilding joint used to splice two heavy beams end-to-end. The mating faces are cut with interlocking rectangular blocks and recesses, often reinforced with wooden pins called coaks. This interlocking geometry strongly resists tension and shear forces, making it ideal for lengthening structural members like masts or long tie beams.
The shipwrights tabled the two mast sections together to handle the massive bending loads.
Related terms
Mortise-and-tenon joint
A traditional wood joint connecting two pieces at a right angle by inserting a peg into a hole.
Hook pin
A tapered metal spike with a curved head used to temporarily align heavy timber joints.
Cog joint
A timber framing connection where a notched projection on one beam drops into a matching trench on another.