Mortise & Tenon

Mortise and Tenon

Hyeonjin, Aiko, Eunice

 

 

The mortise and tenon is one of the most used forms of joinery, proven over centuries to be one of the most durable and strongest, used in both buildings and furniture. Primarily used when joining pieces of lumber at 90 degrees, the joint comprises of two components: a mortise hole and a tenon tongue. One end of a piece of wood (the tenon) is inserted into a hole (the mortise) that has been carved into another piece of wood. Glue is often used to fully secure it, and sometimes with pins and wedges to lock it in place. Traditional methods to carve a precise and well-fitted mortise and tenon by hand requires fine skills and years of craftsmanship experience. Today, routers with bits make precise cutting and shaping much more efficient. Mortise is derived from either the French mortaise or Arabic murtazz, which means to cut a hole. Tenon is derived from the French tenir, which means to hold.

 

History and ancient examples:

(Khufu ship, 2500 BC in Egypt)

 

Mortise and tenon joints may be one of the oldest construction techniques in the world. Originated in the early Neolithic period. About 7,000 years ago, ancient houses made of wooden-frames were built with these joinery techniques near the German city of Leipzig. The ancient Romans also used mortise and tenon joints in wood-frame construction and stonework. This method can be found in old furniture from archaeological sites in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Around 2500 BC, the Khufu ship, a 43.6m long vessel assembled with mortise and tenon joints, was sealed into a pit in the Giza pyramid of the Fourth Dynasty in Egypt.

 

 

Types of Mortise and Tenon Joints

 

Plain or simple: shoulders on two sides.

Blind: shoulders on three or four sides.

Through: tenon projects through, sometimes pinned,

Keyed: tenon projects through and has wedged shaped key to hold joint tight.

Wedged: where tenon has some form of wedge driven to hold.

 

What tools are needed to make a mortise and tenon joint? The tools required to construct a basic mortise and tenon joint are a marking gauge, a combination square, a dovetail saw, a back saw, a mallet, a mortise chisel, a wood chisel, a woodworking bench, bench hooks, and a pencil.

 

Haunched Mortise and Tenon

 

https://youtu.be/bm36OJTL08I

 

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