Angled Mortise & Tenon

[Mtnman]

I have made 90 deg mortise and tenon joints before with an acceptable degree of success, but I am wondering about how to make a mortise and tenon joint for a small table leg that has a 5 degree angle.
I am making a small table and the legs are splayed outward about 5 degrees, so the apron and the lower leg rails have to be joined at 5 degrees.
I don't have any plans to work from, only a picture from a catalog. What I need to know is, which part is angled? the mortise or the tenon.
I'm thinking that the mortise is cut into the leg at 90 degrees and the tenon is made to fit with the shoulder angled at 5 degrees and the narrow sides of the tenon length cut slightly small in order to angle it 5 degrees.
Is that correct? I really don't know, but I'll bet there is someone that does. Please help me out here!

Also I am wondering if there is a rule of thumb on what the leg splay in degrees for a table is. The one in the picture I am using looks to be about 5 deg. but I am not sure.

So what is it, angled mortises or tenons, or both?

 

[sapwood]

Good question Talley! I would like to know the answer too. Although I have no doubt there are several folks that know, DaveF comes to mind first. If you don't get a response in a couple of days, try sending him a PM.

Good luck,
Roger

 

[michaelgarner]

Talley,
Send me an email address so that I can send you an article.

 

[DavidF]

I have made 90 deg mortise and tenon joints before with an acceptable degree of success, but I am wondering about how to make a mortise and tenon joint for a small table leg that has a 5 degree angle.
I am making a small table and the legs are splayed outward about 5 degrees, so the apron and the lower leg rails have to be joined at 5 degrees.
I don't have any plans to work from, only a picture from a catalog. What I need to know is, which part is angled? the mortise or the tenon.
I'm thinking that the mortise is cut into the leg at 90 degrees and the tenon is made to fit with the shoulder angled at 5 degrees and the narrow sides of the tenon length cut slightly small in order to angle it 5 degrees.
Is that correct? I really don't know, but I'll bet there is someone that does. Please help me out here!

Also I am wondering if there is a rule of thumb on what the leg splay in degrees for a table is. The one in the picture I am using looks to be about 5 deg. but I am not sure.

So what is it, angled mortises or tenons, or both?

A picture or sketch would be great to answer that fully, but is it required? can you keep the top of the leg square in section and perpendicular to the table top and then splay the legs or give the appearance of splayed legs by tapering from below the joinery? To give a rough answer to your question - it depends:lol: For instance at the junction of a splayed side rail to rear leg in chair construction, the mortise in the back leg is square to the face and the tenon angled. In other applications it may be the other way round. In other work I have done that calls for both, a loose mortise and tenon may be easier to work as the faces of the stiles/legs/ aprons can be cut on the table saw to the correct angle and the mortises routed in afterwards with a simple jig aligned to the angled face. Where you have a horizontal rail meeting an angled leg (as in my tapered leg bed) I cut the rail end square and cut the mortises in the leg and rail before tapering, just making it a little deeper to allow for the taper. This way all the cuts are on nice square faces. After the leg is tapered and the rail end cut at the required angled, make up a good fitting loose tenon and glue together - easy!

 

[McRabbet]

Generally speaking, the most common and strongest way to create angled mortise and tenon joints is to cut the shoulders of the tenon in the legs at the desired 5 degree angle so that cut line will be parallel to the apron of the table. Then, cut the tenon itself at 90 degrees to that shoulder using a dado blade on your table saw tilted to 5 degrees (use the tilt for the short sides of the tenon; the long sides are cut at 90 degrees). Cut the mortise normally, at 90 degrees to the surface. The tenon "tilts" 5 degrees toward the outside, but actually seats vertically into the straight mortise in the apron. If you need a diagram, I can PM you an excerpt from one of my books on joinery.

Rob