Facts

• The tenon forms a strong joint because it offers a great deal of surface area for glue to bond. Since the tenon fits completely into a mortise, the joint is well concealed.
  
  

Features

• The tenon consists of two shoulder cuts, which run parallel to the edges of the workpiece and two cheek cuts, which run parallel to the face of the workpiece.
  
  

Layout

• The basic rule of thumb is that the width of a tenon should be two-thirds the width of the workpiece and the thickness of a tenon should be one-third the thickness of the workpiece.
  
  

Cutting tenons

• Shoulder cuts for tenons can be made on a table saw. Cheek cuts can also be made on the table saw but for safety reasons, a special fixture called a tenoning jig provides added stability.
  
  

Warnings

• The strength of a mortise and tenon joint depends on how well the tenon fits into the mortise. Too tight a fit could cause splitting, too loose a fit could result in poor glue adhesion.