Thread: help needed on mortice and tennon joints

Depends on the thickness of the tenons - the general guide is that there should be 1/3 timber in the tenon and 1/3 shoulder on each side. Obviously this is not hard and fast, but most people tend to stick around this as a guide. The strength of your joint wouldn't be compromised by planing the stock as the tenon to mortice contact would not be reduced - it's just a question of how much force/weight is going to be on the stretcher - I am guessing not enough to snap it if you shave some off. The only other issue this introduces in reducing your shoulder is the look of the joint - how clean are your mortices?

mortices are quite clean, shoulders on tennons are mice and square only really need to reduce about 2 or 3 mms shoulders are about 8 mm wide

If you don't want flush jounts you could use a V bit in the router and run a small groove up the join.

Originally Posted by mattym83

mortices are quite clean, shoulders on tennons are mice and square only really need to reduce about 2 or 3 mms shoulders are about 8 mm wide

Mate it should me no issue structurally and is an elegant solution to a problem.


Ross

thanks for the help
i will shave some off to acheive the look i am after

matt

Well, I'm impressed Matt. The reason most furniture has recessed rails is that it is relatively easy to cut a mortise or tenon in the center of a piece. Getting rails flush against the side takes a lot more skill and patience, so furniture makers recessed the rails as a "feature", which increased their tolerances.

You have done it flush the first time.

Well done

Tex