This article originally appeared in the february 2014 issue of popular woodworking magazine as 4 way to make a mortise. After this, the joiner will insert the tenon into the. The cross lines along and across the axis lines of the joint must be at 90. Lourenco university of minho, guimaraes, portugal jose s. Then, progress to making bridle mortise and tenon joints that are perfect for sturdy, sophisticatedlooking cabinets. If you judge by the number of devices and methods developed to avoid making mortises, you might think. Plus, take your fine furniture skills further with stepbystep guidance for creating highly stable fox joints. The mortise and tenon joint has long been the gold standard in woodworking joinery because of its ease of construction and incredible strength. Rule of thumb for mortiseandtenon size wood magazine.
Is there a rule of thumb for sizing a mortise and tenon joint. While there are many machine processes that can be used to build a mortise and tenon joint, using hand tools will increase your understanding of the way wood is worked and manipulated and will give you experience and confidence. According to the european building codes, joints are of crucial importance for the seismic design of timber. Move on to creating sturdy mortise and tenon joints for table aprons and legs. A mortise and tenon joint is, at its most basic, a peg fit into a. A good mortise and tenon joint starts with the right marking out tools. Structurally, a loosetenon joint resembles a traditional mortiseandtenon joint, and its every bit as strong. A projection, called the tenon, is then cut out of the second piece. Capacity of a traditional timber mortise and tenon joint artur o. Lets take a closer look at a mortise and tenon joint. A timber frame for an average house, 1400 1800 sq ft, would typically have 1825 of these joints. Numerical and optimal study on bending moment capacity. Through mortise and extended tenon 6 through mortise and tenon 2,20 through mortise and tenon with dovetailed shoulder 5 torsion twisting 46 triple bypass joint 16 tusk tenon 25 tying joists 23 wedged dovetail through mortise and tenon 4 whistle cut 48 index to joints and useful terms table of contents i.
Aug 04, 2018 mortiseandtenon joints tend to frustrate woodworkers far more than dovetails do. Make complicated connections where only steel would normally do. Tenon joint mortise tenon the tenon part of a mortise and tenon joint is marked out and cut with the same tools as are used for the mortise part of the joint. Effect of tenon length on flexibility of mortise and tenon. The safety and quality of traditional timber structures mostly depends on the conditions of. Pdf strength performance of mortise and loosetenon. I dont have a hollow chisel mortiser yet so i make them by hand. Like those craftsmen, we are passionate about creating strong connections between our clients and their audiencesthe foundation to building business for tech, health and financial companies. Despite its odd name, loosetenon joinery is one of woodworkings tightest methods of joining parts.
Thus, the internal bending force acting on any joint is minimized so that no joint is overstressed. Girts, the main carrying beams, are shouldered one inch onto posts using a tapered cut. Today, some five centuries or so later, we still rely on the ubiquitous mortise and tenon joint, to perform its role as an essential element of virtually any quality wooden framed construction. In addition to a mortise chisel and marking tools shown above, you need a mallet, a tenon saw, a bench hook, and 34. Smardzewski j 2008 effect of wood species and glue type on contact stresses in a mortise and tenon joint. A mortise and tenon is a popular type of joint that is used to connect two pieces of wood. The author recommends, from left to right, marking knife, mortise gauge, cutting gauge, mortise chisel, and try square. Leigh dovetail jigs and mortise tenon jigs d4r pro. Leigh dovetail jigs and mortise tenon jigs d4r pro dovetail.
The mortise and tenon joint is used by woodworkers, stonemasons and blacksmiths to create one of the strongest possible connections. Mortise and tenon instructions jim mccallums weebly. Throughmortiseandtenon joints typically go together one of the two ways shown above. Primarily used in solid wood woodworking to join end grain to edge grain, or long grain, it is a timehonored and proven technique. Mortise and tenon is one of the oldest and strongest carpentry joints, and adding a haunch or hip to the tenon makes it even stronger. Then click on the icons listed to view the interactive pdf. Aug 09, 2014 a good mortise and tenon joint starts with the right marking out tools. T he mortiseandtenon joint is fundamental in woodworking. Wedging the end of a tenon reinforces the joint, closing small gaps and providing a tight fit.
A mortise or mortice and tenon joint connects two pieces of wood or of other material. A mortise and tenon is a type of joint that is made up of two parts. Mortise and tenon joints are the preferred style of joint for furniture and cabinetwork. Follow these tips for cutting mortise and tenon joints using a router. Apr 16, 2016 this article originally appeared in the february 2014 issue of popular woodworking magazine as 4 way to make a mortise. To make this joint, a joiner will cut a hole, called a mortise, out of one piece of wood. This makes for a stronger and more appealing connection. The way you cut the tenon is the same only when you make your indents on the sides of the tenon only cut one side. Structurally, a loose tenon joint resembles a traditional mortise and tenon joint, and its every bit as strong. The results showed that the moment capacity and joint rigidity was affected by the joint geometry length, width, thickness of round and rectangular mortise tenon joints.
Tenon magazine seeks to bridge the worlds of furniture maker, conservator, and scholar. The mortise and tenon is a strong and versatile wood joint, we show on video how to make motises and tenons. Its strong, durable, and little affected by the expansion or contraction of wooden members as a result. The large flat tenon cheeks and mortise walls need to be flat, smooth and parallel, the shoulders have to line up perfectly all the way around the tenon, and to get a fit that works, the. Strong and straightforward, the mortiseandtenon joint has been securing. Although there are many joint variations, the basic mortise and tenon comprises two components. Again, paring the ends of the mortise walls allows for the spread of the tenon into the void and creates a dovetail the disallows any further movement between the mortise and tenon. Powermatic hollow chisel mortiser with tilting table, model 719t. Oak furniture construction mortise and tenon joint. Fixed spur adjustable spur the mortise chisel is carefully selected. Along with the dovetail, this joint has been used for thousands of years. I wanted to explore making some really big mortise and tenon joints with the pantorouter. The easiest mortiseandtenon joint ever wood magazine. With throughtenons, this is also done for decorative purposes.
This is a quick and easy way to make a precision joint. Numerical calculations are carried out with a linear elastic model for orthotropic. Mark the mortise several inches10cm or so away from the end. In addition, the joints are subjected almost exclusively to bending rather than tensile forces. The mortise and tenon joint has been used for thousands of years by woodworkers around the world to join pieces of wood. The easiest mortise and tenon joint ever the router table works well for mortises up to 1. Mortise and tenon joints come in several types stoppedblind, through, angled, wedged, and many more but they all consist of the same basic parts. Many other joints are simply variations on this joint. Pdf effect of tenon length on flexibility of mortise and tenon joint. The bearing capacity of mortise and tenon joints is a function of the angle of the connection, and length of the toe and mortise depth.
Using a fine pencil, mark a cross at the center of the required tenon and mortise. Mortise and tenon wood joinery method for home made furniture. T joint structure more rationally, many researchers have been devoted to studying on this topic. It is possible to manufacture school chairs constructed of locally available wood by local industry using round and rectangular mortise tenon joints. Apr 05, 2017 as part of my current project i have to do mortise and tenon joinery. Strength performance of mortise and loose tenon furniture joints under uniaxial bending moment article pdf available in journal of forestry research 252 june 2014 with 632 reads. The tenon is this rectangular portion on the end of the workpiece. The easiest mortiseandtenon joint ever the router table works well for mortises up to 1. There are no 7 essential router tricks, weekend diy pocket screw projects, or adcluttered pages. It has many types, but the basic mortise and tenon joint is made up of two parts. Using pine or other suitable wood, rough cut to approximately 1 x 2 12 x 25. Mortise and tenon woodjoints for furniture and frames, strong wood joinery. Of course, the specific mortise and tenon size will vary by application, michael.
Mortise and tenon woodjoints for furniture and frames, strong. The best mortise and tenon tools for your project popular. It typically has four shoulders that wrap all the way around it, theyre these horizontal portions. It is very commonly used to join rails to the legs of tables or chairs, or fixed shelves to the sidewalls of cabinets or bookcases. This iil a very easy joint to make, the method being as follows. Making large mortise and tenon joints with the pantorouter. Capacity of a traditional timber mortise and tenon joint. Mortise and tenon layout calculator visualizer inch use this calculator to visually design your mortise and tenons. Mortise and tenon joint the mortise and tenon is a classic woodworking joint. The mortise and tenon joint is used to join two pieces of wood especially when theyre meeting at right angles or 90 degrees.
A mortise and tenon is one of the most ubiquitous and useful means to join wood together. Beveled an attractive and efficient joint that can be used on the main posts and elsewhere throughout the frame. You find this joint on assemblies that can be dismantled and put back together. Woodworking wood joints mortise and tenon pdf free download boxes are then located inwards order one after some wood joints mortise and tenon other to produce a piece of furniture piece. The mortise and tenon joint has been used by woodworkers for centuries because of its combination of superior strength, simplicity, and the elegance of its appearance. It consists of a tenon also called a tongue on one workpiece such as a door rail that fits into a hollowedout mortise of a mating workpiece such as a door stile. The jig limits the movement of the router during the cut. Both joints gain their strength from a thick, solidwood tenon. This paper presents numerical analysis of the effects of tenon length on flexibility of mortise and tenon joints. Jul 05, 2015 the angle of the saw kerf reduces the risk of splitting the tenon parallel to the narrow edge by moving the vulnerable point nearer to the centre of the tenon. A simple, yet ingenious device that revolutionised furniture making in medieval europe. It should be the same width as the mortise to be cut into the wood.
The easiest way to see how it works, is just select all the options, and drag all the sliders to see how the diagrams change as the dimensions change. Tankut an, tankut n 2005 the effects of joint forms shape and dimensions on the strengths of mortise and tenon joints. The influence of the damage of mortisetenon joint on the. This uses an open mortise with a through open tenon. Find the location of the mortise on a piece of 2 x 4. Traditional timber frame joinery vermont timber works. An extended tenon comes through the mortise, and at the point where the tenon clears the mortise, it is pinned in place by a peg or a wedge.
Timber frame is the main component of resisting the lateral force such. Make the marks with an edge guide or use a jig to hold the sides of the 2 x 4. You can purchase a yearly subscription here or can order our latest issue issue eight here. I didnt actually have a project that needed such joint, so i made some test joints just to demonstrate. A forked tenon joint is made by cutting a fork in the end of one member, and. The mortise and tenon is ane of the almost plebeian joints used by the thickness of the mortise and tenon is exactly one third the thickness of the ampere wider. T joint is a traditional joint type commonly used in wood constructions and wood products. Leigh industries is a worldleading designer and manufacturer of precision dovetail jigs and mortise tenon jigs. T he mortise and tenon joint is fundamental in woodworking.
Effect of tenon length on flexibility of mortise and tenon joint. Jun 08, 2015 watch paul sellers as he teaches you how to make a mortise and tenon joint, one of the three most common woodworking joints. The tenon portion of the joint works as a peg, and the mortis is the hole or slot into which the tenon is inserted. To view the entire article, please click the view pdf button below. The mortise and tenon is a strong joint that can withstand all kinds of. The pieces are then glued together during assembly. Mortise and tenon joinery is a hallmark of fine furniture. Mario rodriguez teaches woodworking and makes furniture in philadelphia.
With the advent of new jigs, machinery and adhesives, many of the the types of mortise and tenon joints shown here are no longer made, except to hearken back to a period of time or because a woodworker chooses to use the tools of a certain type or period. Mortise and tenon instructions grade 11 woodworking technology you will need plans along with these instructions wood prep. Woodworkers around the world have used it for thousands of years to join pieces of wood, mainly when the adjoining pieces connect at right angles. To set out the mortise take the piece marked a, and square across on the. Strength performance of mortise and loosetenon furniture joints under uniaxial bending moment article pdf available in journal of forestry research 252 june 2014 with 632 reads. Pdf this paper presents numerical analysis of the effects of tenon length on flexibility of mortise and tenon joints. What you can do with lignatool dovetail mortise and tenon templates make tight dovetail joints without gaps. A mortise and tenon joint is a type of joint used to join two pieces of wood together. There is plenty of glue surface area and the joint will be strong, but screws or dowels as. Learn methods for creating tight, beautiful mortise and tenon joints.
The mortise is usually a square hole cut into end of one of the two material or woods that are to be joined. The mortise and tennon joint is a woodworking staple. Although it takes time to make a mortise and tenon joint and secure it with a wooden peg treenail, the sense of pride and accomplishment is well worth the effort. A mortise and tenon joint is, at its most basic, a peg fit into a hole. Most joint failures occurred in the adhesive line between the. These joints have been used since the early times of woodworking, and are still among the strongest and most elegant methods for joining wood. You can make the tab and the hole any shape, but they should be the same shape for strength. If you are making a haunched mortise and tenon all steps are the same except you will leave slightly more timber in the mortise and on the tenon. This study employed a numerical method for the analysis of mortise and tenon joint stiffness with an objective to determine the effects of tenon length on flexibility of mortise and tenon ttype joints.
The mortise and tenon is just a tab and a hole, or a peg and a hole of the same size and shape. Despite its odd name, loose tenon joinery is one of woodworkings tightest methods of joining parts. Forests free fulltext numerical and optimal study on. How to make mortise and tenon joints with power tools. Joining end grain to long grain forms the king of joints. With mortises larger than that, i find i have better control by plunging the bit into the work with a plunge router rather than plunging the work onto the bit. When the joint is cut, the tenon piece is rotated 180.
Aug 11, 2014 a mortise and tenon is one of the most ubiquitous and useful means to join wood together. Plus, there is a huge amount of variations built from the mortise and tenon. What is a mortise and tenon joint video transcript. Round mortise and tenon joints are able to develop their full bending strength even though loosely constructed, whereas the same joints will. I decided that a haunched mortise and tenon joint would be a strong construction method for this gate.
In its most basic form, a mortise and tenon joint is both simple and strong. Pdf strength performance of mortise and loosetenon furniture. If this is for anything other than the practice mortise and tenon joint, then. How to hand cut mortise and tenon joints woodworking.
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