How To Make A Mortise And Tenon Joint Step By Step 15 Best

Last Updated on 2021-09-08 by Harry Masterton

How to make a mortise and tenon joint step by step 15 point guide from hand tools to power tools, router to table saw and the best mortise and tenon machine

Even as a novice woodworker, you will quickly expand your interest in making more complex woodworking joints. One wood joint that most hobbyists eventually try is the mortise and tenon. Learning how to make a mortise and tenon joint step by step is a benchmark for your skill in traditional or power tool woodworking.

What are mortise and tenon joints used for in the shop? Mortise and tenon joint uses go beyond connecting pieces of wood. They are used to enhance appearance as well as strength.

How To Make A Mortise And Tenon Joint Step By Step

How strong are mortise and tenon joints? When used, this joinery is considered one of the strongest a woodworker can use.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of mortise and tenon joint construction?

One of the big mortise and tenon joint uses is to hide the joinery. The tongue (tenon) sits in the hole (mortise), allowing the pieces of wood to butt together.

Strength is another consideration when discussing what are the advantages and disadvantages of mortise and tenon joint construction. These provide a durable hold, especially against sheering forces. A snuggly fitting mortise and tenon joints work adequately against separation, but the dovetail will still be superior against a joint pulling apart.

How strong are mortise and tenon joints in your projects? The disadvantage for most woodworkers is making it. It requires layout accuracy, or it will be weak due to a loose fit.

What are mortise and tenon joints used for?

You can use a mortise and tenon joint for general construction purposes. On timber frame buildings, carpenters use the joinery to hold lumber in place and lock pieces that meet perpendicularly. Decks and windows are two places you can encounter mortise and tenon joints on exposed construction.

Most woodworkers, including DIYers and hobbyists, use the joint to make furniture. You can use a mortise and tenon for functional items, such as chairs and tables, as well as things like a chest of drawers.

Learning how to make a mortise and tenon joint step by step will improve the look and function of your projects while increasing your woodworking enjoyment and skill.

How To Make A Mortise And Tenon Joint By Hand

Images curtesy of Rockler

We begin our look at how to make a mortise and tenon joint step by step using hand tools. You will need to shape both components, but most woodworkers find that learning how to cut a mortise with a chisel is harder. The steps below will create a well-fitting joint, with extra details answering, “How do you cut mortise by hand?”

Mortise and tenon with hand tools

• Layout mortise and tenon
• Mark tenon
• Cut tenon cheeks
• Cut tenon shoulders
• Remove excess wood
• Mark mortise
• Chop mortise
• Dry fit

Everything starts with a layout for the cuts. You can use a pencil, but a marking knife gives precise locations and severs wood fibers to keep defined shoulders.

Use a marking gauge to indicate cut lines. A dual marking gauge can mark both sides of the cut with a single pass.

A dovetail or backsaw can cut the faces on the tenon. You can cut mortise and tenon with hand tools that are purpose-made like the tenon saw. Next, cut the shoulders and follow that by removing the waste material from the sides.

When learning how to make a mortise and tenon joint by hand, we recommend using the tenon for marking to create a snug fit.

How do you cut mortise by hand?

Learning how to cut a mortise with a bevel edge chisel requires using the flat back at the cut line. Tap the sharp chisel, and the beveled edge will move wood fibers as the edge drops into the wood.

Move from one edge towards the other side of the mortise. Each subsequent move will dig deeper into the wood, leaving excess material from the starting edge towards the bottom.

As you near the farthest edge, flip the chisel so that the beveled edge faces you. You can now remove the excess back towards the first edge.

Once a majority of the wood is removed from the mortise hole, you can clean it out further with a smaller chisel. Keep in mind that you will not produce a perfect bottom in the joint's mortise. Just remove enough material to clear room for the tenon.

What tools do I need to make a mortise and tenon joint?

Learning how to make a mortise and tenon joint step by step requires a few simple hand tools. Traditional woodworkers can make use of these hand tools:

• Mortise gauge – A brass wheel marking gauge is a hallmark of fine woodworking. The mortice gauge wheel cuts the fibers cleanly, and the brass design should be easy to adjust.
• Combination square – The six-inch size is good, as most furniture pieces will not require using a larger square.
• Dovetail saw – These are a favorite for traditional woodworkers as they have a thin kerf line. You can cut precisely with a dovetail saw without much waste.
• Carcass back saw – If you are making larger tenons, the teeth on this backsaw will remove excess cheek materials quickly. It is still small enough to use on furniture pieces, though.
• Joiner's mallet – These mallets are ideal for use with wood chisels. You can transfer lots of force through the face, and the oversized striking surface is easy to use compared to other hammer designs.
• Pig Sticker mortise chisel – This is a thick-bodied bench chisel design for cutting the mortise. Unlike a thin blade, the pig sticker uses weight and mass to crush and move wood fibers out from the mortise hole.
• Dual Bevel Woodworkers Marking knife – You will not get more accurate than a marking knife for a layout tool. The edge is thinner than any pencil or pen mark, and it allows you to cut wood fibers at the exact shoulder location.
• Woodworking clamps – These are necessary to hold your wood in place as you chisel mortises and saw tenons on your wood. A woodworkers bench vise would be even better here.

Mortise And Tenon With Power Tools

Most woodworkers today will cut their mortise and tenon with power tools. The list of tool options includes (but is not limited to) the table saw, router table, plunge router, and mortise machine.

Something like the mortise machine, a tool designed to bore square holes, might be found in a well-stocked woodshop. The specific task it is intended for means that most woodworkers will need to find a more generic tool, like the router, to take its place in their hobby workshop.

Cutting your mortise and tenon with power tools will be easier for most beginners and intermediate woodworkers. The speed and accuracy offered by power tools have allowed them to replace hand tools in the trades. Those advantages transfer more readily to DIYers and hobbyists as they learn how to make a mortise and tenon joint step by step.

How To Cut Tenons On A Table Saw

Cutting mortice and tenon with table saw must be qualified here. You will not be able to cut the mortise portion of the joint. The exception being an open mortise or bridal joint that has three sides and not four.

What is the best table saw blade for tenon joinery?

You can use a standard circular saw blade design in your table saw for cutting the tenon shoulder. Some find a dado blade to be the best table saw blade for cutting tenons, however. The advantage of using a dado stack is that it removes waste wood with a single pass, while you need extra cuts to remove the tenon cheek using a single table saw blade.

Learn how to make a tenon jig for table saw users

Learning how to make a tenon jig for table saw users make setup faster. More importantly, a jig increases accuracy while reducing kickbacks. It should support your workpiece vertically, using clamps to keep it in place during the cut.

Steps for how to cut tenons on a table saw

• Layout cut lines
• Cut shoulders of the tenon – Start with the shoulders. A fence on the miter gauge prevents tear-out. Make these cuts with the workpiece horizontal on the tabletop.
• Cut cheeks of the tenon piece – Use a jig to hold the lumber as you cut off the excess on the cheeks. Make these cuts with the workpiece standing vertically.

Making mortise and tenon with table saw blades is fast. Learning how to make a mortise and tenon joint step by step is simple since you only need to adjust the height of the saw blade and cut it on the waste-side of your layout markings.

For further detailed reviews and articles please click the following links

The Best Plunge Router – Plunge Router Reviews

Woodworking Joints And When To Use Them – Best Woodworking Joints

The Best Table Saw For Woodworking – Best Table Saw

How To Make A Mortise And Tenon Joint With A Router

The router is a good power tool to learn how to make a mortise and tenon joint step by step using. You can make both mortise and tenon with plunge router, unlike the table saw.

Making Mortises With A Router Video

How to make a mortise with a router

• Layout – Remember, if you do not use a jig to mark the start and stop point for the router bit.
• Secure workpiece – Clamp piece into a woodworking vice or jig. Non-jig setups should include scrap boards to help support the router.
• Plunge router mortise – With this part of the joinery, you need to plunge several times across the joint before moving the router across it. Making a mortise and tenon with plunge router tools in this manner prevents damage to the workpiece and router bit.

How to make tenons with a router

Making Tenons With A Router Video

• Layout – Mark where you need to stop the router bit. That indicates the shoulder.
• Secure workpiece – Support is critical when learning how to make a mortise and tenon joint with a router. Use boards or a jig to create the edge that stops the router bit and clamp them to the tabletop or vise.
• Router away cheeks – Several passes will clear away excess material. The final pass will fit against the jig/board to create the shoulder.

Keep the direction of bit rotation in mind as you learn how to make a mortise and tenon joint step by step with your router. Knowing how to make tenons with a router involves calculating the depth of cut to create cheeks quickly. Learning how to make a mortise with a router must include compensating for rounded edges on the ends of the mortise.

Best Router Bit For Mortise And Tenon

Learning how to make a mortise and tenon joint step by step is easy if you have the right equipment. That includes using the proper router bits to make the joinery.

Mortise and tenon router bit set

One option is the mortise and tenon router bit set. The advantage is that you have router bits that create a matching mortise and tenon with matching depth and width. Of course, these often lack the versatility of a general use bit and will come at a higher price point.

Mortising vs straight router bit

• Mortise bits will require less setup time
• Mortise sets match mortise and tenon accurately
• Straight bits can cut deeper
• Straight bits are more versatile
• Mortise sets are often higher-quality
• Straight bits are usually cheaper

Best router bit for mortises

Router users prefer straight bits, and they are the best router bit for deep mortise joints. There are several reasons for this, including:

• You can buy the proper tip – Up-cut spiral router bits for mortising require a plunge-tip that can penetrate the wood. These tips are available on straight-bit products.
• You can go deep – You will find straight router bits with longer shanks than those found on other bits. That allows you to cut deeper.
• Proper cutting edge position – A straight router bit can cut with the plunge. The blade edges layout in a way that cuts the hole and ejects debris through the spiral.

Learning how to make a mortise and tenon joint step by step will be difficult unless you understand how to set proper bit depth. Remember to include the width of scrap pieces or jigs as you set up for cutting either component.

Your tenon needs to be shorter than the depth of the mortise. The ends of the tenon need to be rounded to fit the rounded corners of a mortise cut by router bits.

Whiteside Spiral Upcut Router Bit – The Best Router Bits For Mortises?

Best Mortise And Tenon Machine

As you research how to make a mortise and tenon joint step by step, you will discover the mortise and tenon joint machine. It is also called the mortiser. The portable mortise and tenon machine creates square holes in wood. The shop fox mortising machine is one of our favorites for it's combination of features and price. The shop fox hollow chisel mortiser will produce professional grade mortices at a fraction of the time used with other methods.

Shop Fox W1671 3/4 HP Heavy Duty Mortising Machine

The Shop Fox Mortiser has a lot of features to make it one of our favorite woodworking power tools. The Shop Fox W1671 mortiser combines plenty of adjustments with a powerful 3/4 HP 3450 RPM motor built into a fan cooled aluminum finned casing.

The 1/2 inch chuck is accessible from both sides of the head for simple and convenient access.

The cast iron construction and 90 lbs. weight gives this heavy duty mortiser a satisfying and reassuring level of stability when you're working.

With a max stock thickness of 7 3/8ths inches and a mortising depth of 4 1/2 inches the Shop Fox W1671 Mortising Machine is going to be capable of tackling most mortising jobs around your shop from furniture to heavier duty framing jobs.

Shop Fox W1671 Mortising Machine – Things We Like

• Powerful 3/4 HP Single Phase Motor
• Maximum stock width of 8 inches
• Long Steel Handle with multiple positioning
• Strong Swivel Base

Shop Fox W1671 Mortising Machine – Not So Good

• Poor assembly instructions
• Depth stop could be better

Shop Fox W1671 Mortising Machine Video
Mortise and tenon machine for timber framing

Larger designs are available that create large joints used in building homes. DIYers and hobbyists will be hard-pressed to justify a portable mortise and tenon machine for their shop, little alone a mortise and tenon machine for timber framing. These tools are expensive and intended for production workloads.

Can I use a mortise bit in a drill press?

If a dedicated mortiser feels like overkill, you might ask, “Can I use a mortise bit in a drill press?” The answer is yes, and the mortise and tenon drill press attachment is the solution.

You can find designs for almost any drill press. Each mortise and tenon drill press attachment uses:

• A fence to support the workpiece
• Some variation of a hold down to keep the wood secure
• The chisel component that creates the square mortise

As you learn how to make a mortise and tenon joint step by step, you might wonder if a mortise and tenon jig for drill press projects is worth making. A mortise and tenoning jig for drill press applications will provide a secure hold for lumber sitting on its edge and keep your hands safely away from the drill bit as you work.

Are Mortise And Tenon Joints The Strongest? Joining It All Together

One consideration when learning how to make a mortise and tenon joint step by step is performance.

Mortise and tenon vs dowel

• Simplicity favors dowels vs mortise and tenon
• Dowels require fewer tools to install
• Mortise and tenon joints are better against sheer
• Mortise and tenon improve woodworking skills more

Mortise and tenon vs tongue and groove

• Mortise and tenon can be used to join boards perpendicularly
• Mortise and tenon have greater longevity
• Tongue and groove can be used to butt boards together
• Tongue and groove are adaptable to wood movement

Mortise and tenon vs pocket hole

• Mortise and tenon do not require fasteners
• Mortise and tenon joints are cleaner
• Pocket hole joints are quick to make
• Pocket hole joints require fewer tools

Mortise and tenon vs dovetail joint

• Mortise and tenon are limited to perpendicular joints
• Dovetails can join wood side-by-side or perpendicularly
• Mortise and tenon are hidden joints, dovetails can be hidden or exposed
• Dovetails can take longer to make with power tools

Apart from the above a well cut tenon tongue with strong glue fitted into a perfect mortise will be far stronger than a lap joint or butt joint and will be one of the strongest woodworking joints for general DIY and fine furniture making.

Learning how to make a mortise and tenon joint step by step is simple, especially with power tools. The design is popular with woodworkers, but it also provides a solid connection for DIY projects, including window or door frames.

For many woodworkers, knowing how to make a mortise and tenon joint step by step represents a journey from beginner skill level to more advanced work. Challenge yourself on your next shop build by making a mortise and tenon by hand or with your favorite power tool!