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From the M&T Daily Dispatch 

What do you do with your waste pieces of wood? I’m not talking about obvious keepers. To me, achieving the rank of “keeper” (and thus, be returned to long-term storage for a future project), an offcut piece of lumber must be greater than 12" in length, 3-1/2" or greater in width, and must retain parallel edges. These guidelines are loosened for some species (I’m likely to keep quite small pieces of tiger maple or cherry, for example). I don’t use a ruler to establish these measurements, mind you, but this is the ballpark for pass/fail. Maybe you have similar standards in your shop. But what about the lesser bits, those little offcuts, the odd, tapered pieces that often find their...

From the M&T Daily Dispatch 

Just posted a new video in our “Getting to Work” series. This time, I tackle the various uses of chisels. Do notbe deceived. This is no easy tool to use successfully. In fact, its simplicity demands skillful application. -Joshua  

From the M&T Daily Dispatch 

The main structure of Hay’s cabinet shop was built in the 1740s at the bottom of a ravine on a Williamsburg back street. A later extension, appended to the west wall of the original structure, spanned a small stream that snaked its way through the ravine. Never made to power early machinery, the stream, combined with the gully and locale, likely made for cheap real estate. The potential savings were offset over time by the stream’s slowly destructive interaction with the building’s foundations. Anthony Hay and successors – Benjamin Bucktrout and Edmund Dickinson – were kept busy by the stream’s constant encroachments. While the business thrived until Dickinson’s 1776 enlistment in the First Virginia Regiment, the building slowly fell into...

From the M&T Daily Dispatch 

From the M&T Daily Dispatch 

We at Mortise & Tenon are passionate about inspiring and teaching people to work with their hands. If you know someone who wants to learn woodworking who is more interested in using handsaws than standing at a table saw and planing boards instead of sanding them, you’ve come to the right spot. We are a small, independent company in Midcoast Maine that publishes a twice-per-year hefty “magazine” (more like a “journal”), instructional books, online courses, apparel, and woodworking merchandise.  “[M&T is] a wonderful publication that succeeds so beautifully in documenting traditional furniture building and making it feel simultaneously timeless and meaningful in our modern day.” – George Sawyer, chairmaker   Not sure what to gift your loved one this year? Our growing catalog can feel overwhelming to navigate,...

From the M&T Daily Dispatch