10 Woodworking Joints You Should Know

Mortise-and-Tenon Joint

This is a general term — the mortise describes a pocket cut into a piece of wood, and the tenon is a corresponding positive part on the end of another piece of wood that fits into the mortise.

The tenon shoulders, often cut at square 90-degree angles, seat against the face where the mortise is cut, providing strength and structure while preventing tipping or racking out of square.

There are dozens of variations, and the mortise-and-tenon joint takes many forms. It can be rectangular, square, pinned, wedged, haunched, loose and even cylindrical.

Commercially available tools like this Leigh FMT Frame Mortise and Tenon system use a router to aid in cutting both parts of this joint. Jigs like this one from WoodRiver are available for the table saw to ensure consistent tenons when making multiples.