In mortise & tenon joinery, the tenon (or tongue) on one piece fits into the mortise (or hole) of another. Creating a mortise typically requires a mortising machine, a drill press outfitted with a mortising attachment, or a combination of a drill press and hand chisels. Whew! But, hold on … here’s a nifty trick that allows you to quickly make a mortise with a table saw.
Make Tennon Cuts
First, cut your tenons on the table saw outfitted with a cutting tool blade as usual.
Cutting the tenon first allows you to create your mortise to match.
Make Matching Cuts
Here’s the trick for making a quick and easy mortise:
Leave the dado on your table saw and make matching cuts on the edges of two pieces.
Clamp and Glue
Clamp and glue the two pieces together and presto! You now have a perfect mortise!
