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I was asked to discuss this joint for KD (knock down) construction. The pictures are of a large table I made about 12 years ago. This is an easy joint and it looks hand crafted... The easy way is to make a rectangular template the size of the mortise and using a top bearing bit rout down as far as the bit will go... remove the template and the mortise becomes the template as you continue through the piece... back it with scrap when you come through to eliminate tearout.
The tenon is cut by hand, bandsaw, or tablesaw to the exact size of the mortise. Since the router bit left a square with inside rounded corners, use a matching roundover on the tenon and you don't have to square it. Of course you can if that's the look you want... which is nice also.
So a 1/2" straight bit will match with a 1/4" radius roundover... no calculus needed... The wedge in the pics is made from ebony and it is cut on the bandsaw and shaped by hand or machine and hand sanding... carving... chewing with your teeth - skip the last one!
It is important to drill the hole for the wedge a little inside the depth of the second member... in this case a leg... That way when you tap in the edge it tightens the gap between the stretcher and leg... The best design is with wedges from the top... or they will eventually come out if started from the bottom.
A final caution... leave a little of the tenon end past the wedge...say 1/2" min... that is the weak direction and the wedge could force the tenon to break out... This is one solid tenon as part of the stretcher... not loose. It works great for furniture that needs to be taken apart... and put back... if you don't want to put it back together a chainsaw or sledge hammer works well. You only need to make shoulders in one direction... keep the thickness or height the same... The detail I am describing has its roots in The Roycroft and Stickley furniture...Here is a table that shows similar joints...
Here is a pic of the arts and crafts founder...
Often they are made with horizontal wedges which can work free. I suggest they drop in from the top vertically... As with many joints, the Egyptians are credited with the dovetail, mortise and tenon... half laps etc... The Arts and Crafts derived and further refined these roots... it is a continuing evolution and dialog...
The Charles Rennie Mackintosh designs are another early interpretation and many more contemporary designs draw from and respect all of these sources, as it should be. This discussion is focused on the
construction techniques, as opposed to the history... but it is nice
to know a little about that as well.
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He was born in Bloomington,
Illinois and founded Roycroft, an Arts and Crafts
movement community in East Aurora, New York in 1895.
This grew from his private press, the Roycroft Press,
which was inspired by William Morris’s Kelmscott Press.
(Although called the "Roycroft Press" by latter-day
collectors and print historians, the organization called
itself "The Roycrofters" and "The Roycroft Shops.")
