This video is to the point with knowledge and added measuring devices that I've never knew existed!

Another good one James! Just like the 1/4", 1/4", 1/4" drawer method, which is better remembered as the "half, half, half, method", as you pointed out, I remember this as the "third's method". Tenon width, 1/3 of the work piece width, tenon height, 2/3's of work piece height, tenon depth, 2/3's of work piece's depth. It's not as elegant as the "half, half, half, method", but if I just remember it's all based in 1/3's, it not too hard to imagine how many 1/3's are needed where. I mean, I think it's obvious that the tenon wouldn't be 1/3 the height or length of the work piece, or it wouldn't be 2/3's the thickness of the work piece either, right? So, just by remembering that the tenon and mortise size is based on thirds of the work pieces it should be enough to figure it out. Of course, this is subject tweaking and personal preference, but it's a good baseline. Well, what do you think, did I run that one into the ground? 🤷 If it helps just one person, it was all worth it! 🤦‍♂️ And remember kids, If it's working, I didn't fix it.

One more tip is to consider what direction and intensity of forces a joint may need to resist. When making a simple frame to go around a panel is doesn't matter much. When making a stretcher to leg of a table or chair joint then there may be much more potential racking force to consider. Joints close to the end of a board will benefit by leaving a bit more wood at the top end of the mortise side. My experience comes from teaching furniture design and construction to college students for the last 38 years.

Well done to explain the traditional rules of thumb! It never fails to amaze me that some small number of people will give such well-executed explanations of basic woodworking tenants a thumbs down. ..... and with no constructive feedback either.

So......I've done a lot of construction over the years. Framing, concrete, electrical, drywall, tiling, roofing, etc. Amongst all of my construction colleagues, I'm always drawn to the finishing: stairs, trim, mouldings, etc. A previous set of videos showed you changing around your shop, and that helped me get over the hump of putting together my dedicated workshop. I realized that I didn't have to get it perfect right off, and that part of the fun would be rearranging the shop to fit my needs as they change. Thanks for that. I haven't made a lot of furniture, just a coffee table, some end tables, some fancy gates, etc, but I'm going to build a dresser shortly. Your videos will serve me well, including the idea of knowing how to fix your mistakes. Thanks for this video. What sticks in my mind is the idea of proportions in 3s. One thirds and 2/3s as a base. Think it's time to make some practice mortise and tenons!

A fantastic video for someone like myself, early in my mortice and tenon journey. Thank you.

I always enjoy your offerings and learn from every one. I have taken classes and built furniture under the guidance of a master craftsman, but I have never been given the guidance you offered in your piece on tenon dimensions and their ratios to the legs and aprons or stiles and rails. Thank you!

Straight to the point at hand. Love it.

Great video. Short and packed with common sense. Thank you.

You really make wood working fun and easy to understand. I really enjoy your tips and tricks and learn something from every video. I was a remodel carpenter for a few years and still do custom woodworking with in the means of my tools, space and time, so by no means a novice wood worker. I am not a know it all either. Your tips are good for everyone interested in woodworking regardless of their experience. Not every tip will be useful to every person but that doesn't mean they are not good tips. Thank you and keep up the good work.

Your wisdom is always appreciated.

I helped the shop master make tables & doors, cabinets(19 year ago), but this is the first table I have designed & made as shop owner. I have a plan that uses pocket hole screws, which I would never use on a table, but I am not sure what size M & T to use. Even as a rule of thumb, this video is a life saver, I am going to move from small furniture to large & need to size Tenons to the lumber. Thank you for the knowledge in this video.

Thank you! I am going to practice on some scrap, but I have to make some M&T joints for rustic railings I’m building for my home following a remodel. This is very helpful information for someone with basic carpentry skills, but inexperienced in woodworking.

Thanks for the great tips James!

A lot of good woodworking content out there (a lot of junk too) but I always end up back on this channel. Pithy and intelligent tips. Thanks again.

Thanks for showing how and sharing that, well done

I second michael dunn's request. Thanks!

Going to bookmark this one James, I always struggle with these sizes. Thank you sir!

This is great information. Great meeting you at the Atlanta WoodWorking show

Great video, thanks!

I don`t use those joint very often but heard those rules years ago & still use them

Thanks for the information!

I had come across your content several times on KZfaq. Candidly, I was put off by the name Stumpy Nubs. I've watched several of your videos today, loved them, and I now have you in my "MAKERS WEBSITES" folder. Thank you!

Thanks for the great tips!

Good Stuff and right on!

Awesome video as always.

Keep it up James!

Greeting James, Another great tuturioal. As Michael Dunn and the Stumpy Nubs Choir sang out , " we need a printed version". I am in the process of teaching my Millenials woodworking, and the importance of jigs and fixtures is shining through. As an inventor, engineer, instructor visual aides are priceless teaching aides. A request / proposal: your short concise how to series is a fantastic training tool, like Tage of today, and it would be great to capture some of these graphics. The rule of proportions that you outlned on the vid is a perfect example, and have the simple ratio formulas on the sheet would be very beneficial. SO ROCKLER AND I GAUGE I HOPE YOU ARE LISTENING, CONTRACT JAMES TO GENERATE A STUMPY NUBS WOODWORKING GUIDE THAT CAN BE/ OR IS OFFERED PRINTED ON 8 1/2 x 11 AND LAMINATED. Getting beyond the simple trademark and liability hurdles is straight forward, and If they dont want to do it James, I would certainly be open to help fund the project. Peace Glenn

Good info as always.

These mortise & tenon rules of thumb are very handy.

Thanks James 👍🏼 Interesting how KZfaq channels show a single pass with a router to achieve a mortise. Plainly that ties you to the size of bit you have. Nobody shows the router doing a second pass to widen the mortise.

Always appreciate the videos. Now teach us (me) how to clean up my shoulders for an invisible joint line. I can't seem to find a good resource on this technique.

I really enjoy your channel. I just started woodworking recently and don’t have much experience, but KZfaq is teaching me a lot. I’m a machinist by trade and sometimes it’s hard not to think in thousands of an inch, but I’m getting better Thanks for your helpful information.

Good to know, thanks.

James thank you. Another great video. Here's the thing though, what about whereby the stock receiving the mortise is in fact far wider than the stock with the tenon? For example an apron and leg - if I use 3/4 aprons my tenon is a 1/4 thick but that is very thin going into a heavy leg yeah? Thanks, Johnny

I was told by my grandfather that making the tenon 1/3 the width left it too thin, while 1/2 made the cheeks too thin; so he recommended splitting the difference.

well said , thanks

Thanks mr. Will you write these rules supported with the same drawing

new woodworker here. can you have mortises that form a 90 degree angle (i.e. where chair rails connect to the leg) or should you offset your mortises where they do not connect?

Do the same rules apply to floating M&T joints?

I've been looking to find a digital angle measuring tool. Amazon has so many options. A lot of them look the same, different branding. Reviews are all over the place. Can someone recommend one?

I have decided to use loose tenons. I heard about 1/3 thickness somewhere, but I suspect 1/2 is optimum. Doesn't matter much, if it does you're sailing too close to the wind. I thought about length, I could go through the wood, if I want to make a statement. Otherwise, 2/3 seemed a good minimum to me. And whatever that is, the same the other way. I thought it would be good to cut up battens for tenons, and to not round the edges. I looked up what sizes i can buy, the answer is none thin enough. So I wondered about resawing on the bandsaw. The bandsaw is a story for another day. If I don't round the tenon corners, the length of the mortice is the width of the tenon.

Hey James. Love the verbal instructions on all the rule of thumb variables for mortise-tenon joinery. Can you put a guideline table up on a post so we can print it and use as a referral down the road. Thanks for any consideration to the above

I am still learning how to do mortise and tenon joinery properly and one of the things that I am unsure about is the depth of the tenon. Because you put glue in the tenon, do you cut the tenon slightly shorter than the depth fo the mortise to allow for glue to pack into the bottom of the mortise under the tenon? I have never seen anyone comment on this point.

If you are attaching a second piece 90 degrees to first, the tenon can’t be 2/3 of the mating piece depth. It will interfere with tenon coming from adjacent side. So…… 1/2 or less will have to do?

How tight should a mortise and tenon joint be before you add the glue? Slide together easily by hand, slide together by hand with difficulty, hammer together, etc?

I like to make my tenons out of 3/4 inch thick rails. And for my tenon to be nearly half an inch. Actually 7/16

"Next time wont u sing with me";) good tips James 🍻💥

I'm new to wood working. I have an issue .. I just made my first mortise and loose tenon's using a jig from another video! Worked like a charm. But the mortises were quite limited on depth because of the length of the router bit, the thickness of the jig etc..... Now that I have my new gate assembled and beautiful I'm sitting here so worried my mortises weren't deep enough 😐😬😱 is my gate going to bust apart?!

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If you pause this vid quickly at 0:00 [ if you can] James, you look like the carpentry teacher who's spotted the kid at the back trying to trim MarySue's ponytail with a 1.1/2" chisel.

Hi James, I love short videos and understand the ads, they are needed to keep on doing this. But man, sometimes your running in stead of walking, you are talking fast! Short videos, fast talking and a lot of ads, It just doesn’t cut it for me... As a dutchman I’m used to getting relevant info in the English spoken section of ‘The Tube’ but I need to have some time to absorb it. For the rest, great work.

So then the answer is, “no - we haven’t been doing it wrong?”

A marking gauge with digital readout is a sin!

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