Learning to make mortise/tenon joint worth it?

[JeepDad]

So here is a question.  Listening to WoodTalk this morning they talked about whether or not they would choose to use a domino or a mortiser...?  So that got me thinking.....  With the domino or the Beadlock jig, why would you need to learn the time tested mortise/tenon joint?  If we had these and other types of tools that create mortise quickly for a loose tenon - does the time it takes, frustration it comes with - make sense and worth it? 

Part of me says yes sense learning a new skill is always a plus.  But, as a father of 3 young active kids - who has limited time in the shop -that other part says hell no - use loose tenons instead.  

Thoughts? 

[Tpt life]

My kids don't factor into my woodworking. If yours do, do as you please. I am in this to learn and experience personal satisfaction. 

[Woodenskye]

I have a domino, and it is a good tool, and can be a time saver, but I would still learn how to do a M&T joint.  I think it helps better chisel and sawing skills.  

[Bulldog]

Nothing is a requirement.  There are so many different ways to go about any joint or process.  That being said, I love using hand tools - and I started off with dovetails and traditional M & T.  It's a frustrating route, but now that I'm nearly decently ok at it, I'm sure glad I invested the time.

If you mean learning power tool M & T, I'm not sure it's a terribly different skill than many other power tool joints.

[drzaius]

Personally, I think it's best to learn the skill. I find doing mortises with a drill & chisel is an extremely satisfying activity. If I was just doing woodworking to produce lots of furniture, I'd go for every kind of automation I could.

All that being said though, I could see myself getting a Domino or Pantorouter maybe some day.

[Chet]

I think it a good skill to have and is worth the time to learn.  Whether you do it with power tools, hand tool or a combination.  The mortise and tenon have the same skill set to a degree as the lap joint or saddle joint.  Also the through tenon is something that you may want to do some day.

[Bulldog]

8 minutes ago, Chet K said:

I think it a good skill to have and is worth the time to learn.  Whether you do it with power tools, hand tool or a combination.  The mortise and tenon have the same skill set to a degree as the lap joint or saddle joint.  Also the through tenon is something that you may want to do some day.

I tend to really like through tenons, although I guess they are easily faked though.  Oooh Tusked through tenons!

[Mark J]

I am in the learn the skill camp, just because I like learning.  I wouldn't hold it against someone if they didn't have the skill or interest in learning it.

However, there are some times when a Domino just won't do.  I can't see how you attach a Rubo leg to its top with Dominos.

[Eric.]

If you can't make a mortise and tenon, you have no business buying a Domino.  Take your lumps, learn the skills.  This hobby is a journey, not a destination.

Fundamentals come first, then conveniences.  Do it right.

[prov163]

If your goal is to do it fast, i.e. you're trying to make a living at woodworking, then the Domino is king.  However, if you are building for yourself, friends, family, etc. there's something about doing it by hand.  Now, when I say by hand, it doesn't matter if you use a drill to hog out the waste, or a router, but cleaning out the waste with a chisel, using a shoulder plane to fit the tenon, etc. brings it to a different level, IMHO.

Of course, Shaney is going to demolish my argument, but as they say up in Canada, "it's my opinion, eh."

[Guest]

Its an easy joint to make.  there is no reason not to learn.  

[Ronn W]

+1 all of the above.

[MattF]

I just did my first M&T joint on my last project. I chose that particular project fro the fact the joinery was M&T. I find that if I am not learning, I get bored. I prefer to learn the traditional way, and then upgrade to more convenient way. But to each their own. 

[wtnhighlander]

Unless this is a business for you, its all about having fun / relaxing, right? Make your joints using whatever works best for you. Personally, I enjoy hand cut joinery, but sometimes I can't spare the time, so I do it with a power tool. It isn't always faster....

[..Kev]

Hard to do a through tenon if you don't have the skill.

[bleedinblue]

I have done dreadfully few traditional mortise and tenons, but I can do them and I am not intimidated by them in the least.  I bought a Domino last year and it has been used in every project since.

[Pondhockey]

I'm in a similar situation; I'm considering designs for an outdoor table (it will be inspired by, maybe not the same as Mark's table.)  Domino joints offer some design possibilities, M&T joints offer others.  I could borrow my buddy's Festool domino cutter (he uses dominos for everything, now!  Give a boy a Festool and everything needs dominos.)  I've decided that I like the designs, both aesthetically and practically, that M&T joints facilitate.

So I just made my first simple, through mortise joint today (mortised members were jointed and then the mortise was cut/dadoed with a table saw and chiseled smooth.)  I would finish this by glueing and pegging.  This tenon member has no shoulders; in the future I'll include shoulders if only to facilitate a tight joint.  Else I peg it on both sides.

 

 

 

[gee-dub]

We all approach the craft differently.  If you get the most pleasure out of having the finished item, I would lean toward production tools and methods.  If you get the most pleasure out of making something with your hands, I would go Neander.

There's a lot of gray area between those two points.  Find the one that is best for you and enjoy yourself.  I do M&T but, I also do floating tenons and mortise with a router.  I enjoy exposed joinery but, I rarely do standard dovetails.  I like large scale pieces but almost never use sheet goods. 

If there was only one "right" way to do this, a lot of our work would look a lot alike. Some folks are more artist than craftsmen, some are more 'tool nuts' than woodworkers, some are a tittle off all of those and more.  Find your path and enjoy the journey.

[Tpt life]

I am not sure where M and T became Neander. The vast majority of those I see were made in a production environment with powered tools. Just an observation and likely bound in syntax. 

[Tom Cancelleri]

M&T is a great skill to have, and an absolute must for anyone that wants to build anything with solid wood. M&T is a stronger joint than a domino, though not by much. You have the option  of doing pegged, through, tusk, drawbore, haunched, etc. 

[Eric.]

Aside from gluing a panel together, the M&T is the most fundamental technique in woodworking. If you're not interested in learning something so critical to the craft, I would suggest picking a different hobby. It would be like deciding to be a fisherman but refusing to learn knots.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[Tom Cancelleri]

8 minutes ago, Eric. said:

 It would be like deciding to be a fisherman but refusing to learn knots.

Loop swoop and pull!

[Immortan D]

Woodworking is a craft as it is a tool.

If you want to learn the craft, then M&T is an important skill to build.

If you're only interested in building things for your home, then embrace dominoes, pocket holes, plywood, whatever works to get things done.

 

[Llama]

Learning to make a proper M&T joint isn't so much about making the joint... It is more about learning proper layout, sawing straight/square, using chisels in a controlled manner, good stock preparation techniques... Ya know, the stuff you should  be learning to do.

[CandorLush]

17 hours ago, Bulldog said:

I tend to really like through tenons, although I guess they are easily faked though.  Oooh Tusked through tenons!

Shannon did a live session on his RWW youtube channel on these last night was fun to watch