The Mortise and Tenon Joint

I personally like to cut the mortises first.  This allows me to cut my tenons to match.  So this is how we got started. 

First we started by marking or laying out where all of the mortises will be cut on each work piece.  It is important to be as accurate as we can when doing. 

Here is a picture of the layout:

After Marking cutting the mortises they must be cut.  We do this by using the dedicated mortiser.  It is important to mark the sides that will be put toward the fence.  This is because just in case we are off a little bit we can still match up the mating work pieces correctly.

Here is a video showing the cutting of mortises, and some pictures of what the mortised work pieces of the walnut cradle look like once completed.

In the past I cut tenons on the table saw; however, I had some difficulty getting them sized just right.  I also ran into several challenges with the shoulders and tear out.  The latest tenon cuts were made on the band saw.  What a difference.  I found this was much more accurate for me.

Here are two videos of the process:

A)   Cutting the cheeks was done using the band saw fence

B)   Cutting the shoulders was done using a miter gauge and a stop block