A mortise and tenon is a joint made up of two distinct parts. The mortise is a slot or hole, and the tenon part functions as a peg which fits into the mortise. These two pieces are glued together while assembling the piece of furniture. A mortise and tenon joint is commonly used to connect wood pieces. The tenon is in the form of a peg which fits into a slot called a mortise. Mortises can be made on woods using one or more of a chisel, a router, a drill or drill press. Tenon is usually cut onto a rail's end and is often made using table saws, hand saws, chisels or routers.

 

The shape of this joint is mostly a square, but the peg can also be round. Normally, mortise and tenon joints have a right-angled orientation, but the angle may vary since there are different versions of the joint. Once the joint passes a dry-fit test and has been correctly sized, glue is then applied before setting the pieces to dry. Pins, screws, and nails can also be used to hold the pieces together for extra strength.