Unpopular opinion: I read in a 1970s trade journal that a proper mortise and tenon joint should have a shoulder that's exactly one-third the thickness of the stock, which seems way too precise for most of my work.

Found this old rule while cleaning out my grandfather's shop in Toledo, and it made me wonder if anyone still follows such strict traditional guidelines or if we've all moved to more forgiving modern joinery methods.

3 comments

3 Comments

dianal9410d ago

That "exactly one-third" rule sounds like it would make my own work grind to a halt.

the_holly2d ago

Finleyh89 has a point about it cutting down on wasted time later. That rule forces you to pick a direction and stick with it, which is the hard part. The grind you feel at the start might just be the cost of not having to redo everything three times over. It turns the early mess into a real plan instead of just more mess. The rule isn't about going faster right now, it's about not going in circles forever.

finleyh8910d agoTop Commenter

Actually think that rule could speed things up for dianal94. Forces you to make clear choices early instead of going in circles. Could cut down on wasted time later.