Few things in woodworking are "essential," but it's inadvisable to ignore the mortise-and-tenon joint - it really is important. The time-tested joint is essential to many tasks, but it's not without room for personal preference. We've compiled seven articles - five guides and two projects - that explore various techniques for this strong and simple joint.
Inside you'll find:
- Mortise & Tenon Basics Ditch the workarounds and learn the basics of mortise-and-tenon joinery, as well as a superior way to cut the joint.
- Mortising by Hand You need to know how to cut a mortise. Learn to chop and pare mortises by hand - essential for when the mortiser just can't do the job.
- Table Saw Tenon Jig Get a clean cut and make your tenons on the table saw using this simple and inexpensive shop-made jig.
- Drawboring Resurrected Fit a joint that will stick for lifetimes using this ancient technique. Learn how to drawbore and make your own drawbore pins.
- Template Mortising Use a plunge router to cut prescise mortises in tricky places using a simple template guide made from plywood or MDF.
- Tusk-tenon Bookrack Make a small bookrack - a design based on a Roycroft piece - using tusk tenons for a distinctive Arts & Crafts-style joint.
- Arts & Crafts Mirror This Stickley-style Arts & Crafts mirror looks great, holds strong and gives you plenty of practice with mortise-and-tenon joinery.