The “mortise” is the recess where the tenon goes. It can be cut by hand with a mallet and mortising chisel, or mechanically with a mortising machine and a hollow chisel bit.

Apply wood glue on the tenons and insert the legs back into the mortises. Rotate each leg to its original, marked position.

A mortise cut in a piece of 7/8-in. wood could be either 1/4-in. or 5/16-in. thick, as long as you have both size chisels to choose from. The depth of a mortise should be at least twice, and ...

9. Cut the tenon to match the mortise. Shape a 3 ¼-inch tenon into the handle using a dado stack and a crosscut sled on your table saw. That sounds like a lot, so let’s break it down: ...

Mortisers come in several different types, but they all have the same purpose: to create holes in wood pieces for tenons to fit into. These “mortise and tenon” joints are popular because of ...

A mortise and tenon joint is one of the most basic and strong ways to join two boards together, but it takes a bit more time (and more tools) than some of the other joinery techniques we've discussed.

Woodworkers have always been very clever about making strong and attractive joints — think of the strength of a mortise and tenon, or the artistry of a well-made dovetail. These joints have b… ...