Thread: Bridle joints

No, it is not cheating and M & T is not the ONLY proper way to do things.

With attention to detail and solid woodworking skills you can make beautiful things. You can set you own rules. Good luck.

Thanks for replying and also for the words of encouragement Wongo

Sam - as long as it's neatly made (i.e. fits without slop), a bridle joint can be as strong or stronger than M&T. You have the maximum amount of glueing surface.

As Wongo says, it's just point of view. You can look on exposed joinery as decorative flourishes. This was the norm during the arts & crafts period at the beginning of the 20th century, and again in the 70s & 80s, when people were re-discovering joinery like through-tenons & dovetails & wanted to show off as much of it as possible.

The end-grain of the mortises is going to show on the carcase frames, either from the front or sides, depending on how you orient them. To be consistent, you might choose to use overlapping doors, so that the joints are visible & match the carcase. It will give the piece a "Greene & Greene" flavour. But if you want inset doors, you could orient your bridle joints so the 'tenons' show at the front of the main stiles, and then glue on a thin strip all the way along the stile to cover them. By applying a bit of decorative moulding sich as a full bead (easily done with a simple scratch-stock - no noisome, dusty routers needed! ), the strip can be totally disguised. That way, you can have your cake & eat it too....

Cheers,