Furniture Joints Mortise
Chairs and tables use them as does most Arts and Crafts and Mission style furniture.
Furniture joints mortise. The basic concept is pretty easy to understand. Building furniture with traditional joinery is fairly straightforward: In its most basic form, a mortise and tenon joint is both simple and strong.
You find this joint on assemblies that can be dismantled and put back together. The type of mortise and tenon end has an appreciable effect on the breaking strength of the joints as rectangular end mortise and tenons are stronger than round end mortise and tenon joints. The bridle joint or open tennon is also called several other names.
Other names for bridle joints are open mortise and tenon, or tongue and fork joints. A well made mortise and tenon or dovetail joint will last several generations, but even the best joint may eventually need to be repaired, particularly on hard wearing items like chairs. The earliest extant mortise and tenon joint (figure 14) is seen in First Dynasty bed-frame construction, while dovetail joints (figure 15) are identified on the roof bars of a Fourth Dynasty bed-frame canopy which was discovered in the tomb of Queen Hetepheres at Giza.
Bear in mind that the joint is strongest when the two pieces of stock are at right angles to one another. Mortise-and-tenon joints are among the strongest joints in woodworking, and are used for projects that have frame construction and need to be strong. Mario Rodriguez teaches woodworking and makes furniture in Philadelphia.
Most quality antique furniture has been made using the mortise and tenon joint, in one variation or another. Shop for Mortise and Tenon Furniture at Crate and Barrel. The joint may be further secured with a peg inserted through both pieces, like a toothpick in a club sandwich.
Mortise and Tenon Woodworking Joints One of the strongest woodworking joints is the mortise and tenon joint. Mortise and tenon joints are mostly used in making furniture and in connecting table or chair rings to legs. Rather than glue or pin the tenon into the mortise, the tenon is temporarily locked in place by inserting a large, removable wedge.