Mortice & Tenon

Having been used by woodworkers for thousands of years, Motice and Tenon joints is a form of joint that is mainly used when joining pieces of wood together at a 90 degree angle. Although there are some variations to this type of joint its basic form is both very simple yet very strong. It compromises of 2 components, the ‘mortice’ or hole and ‘tenon’, the tongue.

The tenon is formed at the end of a piece of timber and is then inserted into a rectangular or square cut hole in to the corresponding piece of timber. As they are cut to fit exactly they form a very strong joint and then may be wedged, pinned or glued to lock it in to place. The joints our frames are designed with are all pinned together.

The overall size of the mortice and tenon is related to the thickness of the timbers. The tenon is proportioned as one third of the thickness of the corresponding piece of timber or ‘rail’, or as close to this as is practical. The two third of the rail that remain are used to help counteract the lateral force that act on the tenon from the mortice, helping with strength.