History

Mortise

The word mortise is derived from the same Latin stem as are the words mortem, mortify, etc., which in turn are suggestive of death. It is supposed that the usual shape of the mortise resembling the shape of the grave gave rise to the origin of the name. Thus the mortise is the hole in one piece of wood into which the tenon fits.

Tenon

The word tenon is derived from the Latin teno, to hold. From the same Latin stem words as tenacity, tentacle, etc., are derived. The tenon is the part of a joint of wood which fits into the mortise.

Types of Mortise and Tenon Joints

(a) Plain or simple: shoulders on two sides.
(b) Blind: shoulders on three or four sides.
(c) Through: tenon projects through, sometimes pinned,
(d) Keyed: tenon projects through and has wedged shaped key to hold joint tight.
(e) Wedged: where tenon has some form of wedge driven to hold.

How Types Are Used

(a) Type “a” is used in cheap furniture.
(b) Type “b” is used in all high grade furniture.
(c) Type “c”, “d” and “e” are fancy joints used in some furniture for added strength or for purposes of decorative effects.

General uses

(a) Connection between legs and rails, such as in a table.
(b) Connection between rails with other rails, as in a door.
(c) This is the most common furniture joint.

Methods of making Mortise and Tenon joint:

(a) By hand: Tenons are laid out and sawed. Faces may be chiseled to fit mortise. Rabbeting plane may be used to finish faces of tenons.
(b) By machine: Tenons may be cut with circular saw or tenoner.
(c) Mortises are made by boring out waste and trimming sides with chisel or by cutting with chisel without boring.
(d) Mortises are cut with “stab’’ mortiser, chain mortiser or hollow chisel mortiser.