It’s the quintessential order of operations in woodworking, and it’s nearly always true. Usually, you’ll cut the mortise first, then size the tenon to fit. There are good reasons for this rule too. If ...

The “mortise” is the recess where the tenon goes. It can be cut by hand with a mallet and mortising chisel, or mechanically ...

A mortise and tenon joint is one of the most basic and strong ways to join two boards together, but it takes a bit more time (and more tools) than some of the other joinery techniques we've discussed.