The mortise and tenon joint is universally useful in constructing furniture. To lay out a joint for connecting a table leg and rail, for example, first mark the limits of the mortise, as shown in Fig. 28 at A. This length may be two-thirds or three-quarters the width of the rail.

Fig 28. -Steps in making a mortise and tenon joint. How to gage and mark the mortise and tenon in the leg and rail of a table; using the anger bit and chisel to make the mortise, and the rip saw to cut the tenon; pressing the finished joint together.

Fig. 29 - Illustrating a good method of making a cross-lap joint. Squaring and face-marking the pices, gaging and marking the depth of the lap with a gage, making the saw cuts to the knife lines, chiseling out the waste wood, and lapping the joint together.

Set a gage to locate the mortise on the leg. When marking the rail as at B, use a thin piece of wood as shown to provide for the desired offset. Mark the center of the mortise as a boring guide. Bore holes close together along the mortise, using an auger bit the full size that the finished cut is to be, as at C. If no depth gage is at hand, make one from a block of wood. Next clean up the mortise with a wide chisel as at D, tapping it with your hand or a mallet. Square up the ends with a chisel of suitable width. Some mechanics cut mortises entirely with a mortise chisel.

Cut the tenon with a fine ripsaw (six points or finer) as at E, and a backsaw or fine crosscut saw. Mark the width the finished tenon is to be by holding it close to the mortise. Then use a marking gage or simply gage with a pencil held against the thumbnail as at F. Remove surplus wood with ripsaw and crosscut saw.

The finished joint should fit so that it can be put together by the pressure of the hands as shown at G.