The “mortise” is the recess where the tenon goes. It can be cut by hand with a mallet and mortising chisel, or mechanically ...

There's a reason the mortise and tenon joint has been used for thousands of years—it can be carved using basic woodworking tools and it'll last for ages. John - Flickr CC Wikimedia 2.0 Gear-obsessed ...

A mortise and tenon joint is one of the most basic and strong ways to join two boards together, but it takes a bit more time (and more tools) than some of the other joinery techniques we've discussed.