Well during the Dovetail classes, several students asked about M/T joinery. I told them I do it entirely by hand sometimes and I use machines and hand tools on other occasions. I would say I use the power and hand combination the most. Its enjoyable and it moves along well
When students come by and want to learn a little about M/T joinery, I try to show them how I do it and some other options to consider.
To make it more fun in a one on one setting, we make a saw horse together and the student gets to take home what I consider a must have tool for those of us in small shops. Additionally, they make great horses to hold blankets in the house and other chores(like Thanksgiving Day serving table supports). They are super light but they are super strong. I can tell you I just had a heavy workbench top sitting on the horses and I climbed up on it to fix a smoke alarm. Pretty strong.
Some photos of the project and joinery.
Stretcher with full mortise chopped out to 3/8 wide. There is a shoulder around the entire tenon for additional strength
Stub
tenons set in the shallow 1 1/2" mortise.
Leg
set in the foot and pinned. Stretcher with locking wedge.
Interlocking saddle joints to prevent spreading at the top.
The lower cross member makes a nice portable shelf when using the horses as a table.
One of the really nice features about this set of horses is the height of the tops. They are fairly tall and that makes them ideal for positioning near the workbench and keeping tools and small things off the work surface when you want to avoid clutter. I have become so accustomed to having them nearby, I get frustrated when my workbench gets covered with project parts and tools. This does help immensely.
If you would like to just jump in and build a couple of these you won't regret it. Mortise and Tenon... maybe a class some time down the road.
later
When students come by and want to learn a little about M/T joinery, I try to show them how I do it and some other options to consider.
To make it more fun in a one on one setting, we make a saw horse together and the student gets to take home what I consider a must have tool for those of us in small shops. Additionally, they make great horses to hold blankets in the house and other chores(like Thanksgiving Day serving table supports). They are super light but they are super strong. I can tell you I just had a heavy workbench top sitting on the horses and I climbed up on it to fix a smoke alarm. Pretty strong.
Some photos of the project and joinery.
Stretcher with full mortise chopped out to 3/8 wide. There is a shoulder around the entire tenon for additional strength
Stub
tenons set in the shallow 1 1/2" mortise.
Leg
set in the foot and pinned. Stretcher with locking wedge.
Interlocking saddle joints to prevent spreading at the top.
The lower cross member makes a nice portable shelf when using the horses as a table.
One of the really nice features about this set of horses is the height of the tops. They are fairly tall and that makes them ideal for positioning near the workbench and keeping tools and small things off the work surface when you want to avoid clutter. I have become so accustomed to having them nearby, I get frustrated when my workbench gets covered with project parts and tools. This does help immensely.
If you would like to just jump in and build a couple of these you won't regret it. Mortise and Tenon... maybe a class some time down the road.
later
