Table of Contents
What tools are used to make a mortise and tenon joint?
Tools needed for cutting mortice and tenons by hand: Mortice gauge. Mortice chisel. Steel rule. Marking knife. Pencil. Steel square. Tenon saw. Clamp.
What is the strongest wood joint?
Mortise and Tenon Woodworking Joints One of the strongest woodworking joints is the mortise and tenon joint. This joint is simple and strong. Woodworkers have used it for many years. Normally you use it to join two pieces of wood at 90-degrees.
Should you cut the mortise or tenon first?
The mortise and tenon is probably the most used and trusted joint in traditional woodworking. For me, making the two parts of the joint always follows a specific order — the mortise comes first, followed by a tenon to fit.
Can you mortise plywood?
Plywood doesn’t really work with traditional joinery. Because it is made from alternating plies or other composite construction it is hard to make a snug tenon fit. Further, many of the joints will be mostly end-grain. Both of these issues make tight glue joints nearly impossible with those sorts of joint.
What is a rabbet joint?
A rabbet (American English) or rebate (British English) is a recess or groove cut into the edge of a piece of machinable material, usually wood. A rabbet can be used to form a joint with another piece of wood (often containing a dado). Rabbet joints are easy to construct and have good appeal to them.
How strong is a mortise and tenon joint?
The mortise and tenon joints averaged 172 pounds, whereas the dowel joint averaged 135 pounds. So the mortise and tenon joints still beat out the dowel joints, but not by a dramatic margin. On average, the mortise joints were only about 25% stronger.
Are dowels stronger than screws?
Dowel Strength Dowel joinery is stronger than screw joinery. The increased glue surface caused by the glue deeply penetrating the wood gives the dowel more holding power. Dowels also have superior holding power in modern composite materials such as particleboard and plywood.
Are pocket holes better?
The superior strength of a pocket hole joint has actually been proven. Independent testing found that a pocket screw joint failed at 707 pounds when subjected to a shear load while a comparable mortise and tenon joint failed at 453 pounds – meaning that the pocket screw joint was approximately 35% stronger.
Are wood joints stronger than screws?
Because the screws are toe-nailed at an angle into the wood, the joint is much stronger than a typical butt joint where the screws go directly into the end grain.
Which chisel is useful to produce mortise and tenon joint?
Use a corner chisel to finish off and square up the corners. Tenons can be cut on a radial arm saw, table saw or even with a router in a router table. A dado head fitted to a radial arm saw makes quick work of cutting tenons.
What are the advantages of a mortise and tenon joint?
When a deeper, fully enclosed mortise is cut to accept a longer tenon, you end up with a much stronger joint (drawing above). Since the sides of the mortise are supported by the wood on either end, the chance of splitting is much less likely. Greater gluing surface is another benefit.
What does the PVA stand for in PVA glue?
Here’s what it says about PVA: Polyvinyl acetate is a component of a widely used glue type, commonly referred to as wood glue, white glue, carpenter’s glue, school glue, Elmer’s glue (in the US), or PVA glue.”Mar 4, 2014.
Do you need to clamp a mortise and tenon joint?
When assembling a mortise and tenon, the fit of the joint and how you apply the glue are foremost. A clamp will close the joint for the best appearance, but doesn’t really apply force across the gluing surfaces. To end up with a thin, strong glue line, the tenon has to fit snugly, but not too tightly, in the mortise.
How thick should tenons be?
Tenon thickness: A tenon’s thickness should be one-third the thickness of the stock being mortised. So, if you are joining two pieces of 3/4″material, the tenon should be ¼” thick (1/3 of ¾). If you are joining a 7/8″-thick apron to a 1-1/2″-thick table leg, the tenon should be 1/2″ thick (1/3 of 1-1/2).
How thick should a mortise be?
Mortise & Tenon Dimensions Thickness of Stock Mortise Width Tenon Length 1/2″ 1/4″ 5/8″ 5/8″ 5/16″ 3/4″ 3/4″ 3/8″ 1″.
Are dado joints strong?
The dado joint is one of the strongest woodworking joints you can make. A dado joint is made from a three-sided channel cut across the grain of one work piece. A second, mating work piece fits into the slot. Dado joints are often used to build cabinets and bookshelves.
How do you make a dado and tongue joint?
The first step is to cut a dado in the cabinet or bookcase side. The tongue will fit into this dado. The second step involves cutting the tongue. The tongue makes up the other half of the joint and is made by cutting a rabbet at the end of the workpiece, as in photo detail ‘b.
What is the hardest joint to make?
The dovetail is one of the strongest of all wood joints. It’s also one of the most challenging to make, requiring careful layout and the investment of considerable cutting and fitting time. Its shape is a reversed wedge, cut into the end grain of one piece, that fits into a corresponding mortise on a second workpiece.
What is a tongue joint?
Tongue and groove joints allow two flat pieces to be joined strongly together to make a single flat surface. The tongue projects a little less than the depth of the groove. Two or more pieces thus fit together closely. The joint is not normally glued, as shrinkage would then pull the tongue off.
What is a shiplap joint?
A Ship Lap joint is essentially two opposing rabbet joints that overlap each other to hold panels together. It is used in furniture for drawer bottoms, tool chest bottoms, and the backs of cabinets. It is also commonly found in the construction of barn walls.
