Mortise and Tenon Foundations

In this class you’ll learn how to cut the blind and through mortise and tenon joints. We’ll go over the tools required to make the joint, show you how to lay the joint out, and show you how to saw and chisel the mating parts of the joint so that things go together with a minimum of fussing. We’ll also show you how to correct some of the most common mistakes, because we all make them from time to time.

While some tools will be available for your use, we encourage you to bring along your own if you have them. Getting comfortable with your own tools will make it easier to repeat the process when you are back in your own workshop. If you don’t have a true mortising chisel, a ¼” bench chisel will work for chopping the mortise, but a ¼” mortising chisel is best.

While there are no required prerequisites, this class has a strong focus on sawing precisely to a line with a hand saw and working precisely with a chisel. Therefore, if you are a complete beginner, or are not at least somewhat confident in your ability to use a hand saw and chisel, we recommend taking the Hand Saw Foundations and Dovetail Foundations classes before this class.

Topics Covered