Reply by Fingersleft

Hi Betsy -

I use loose tenon’s in a lot of my furniture. Some purists call it “cheating”. Well if it is, David Marks is guilty of it also. As long as the tenon is the right size – comparable to the traditional tenon, and it’s well glued, the failure rate should be about the same. Anyway, what load do you intend putting on the table???

Oh, by the way (and I’m sure you already know this) keep the orientation of the grain for the loose tenon the same as a conventional tenon.

Would love to see some of the work as it comes together.

-- Bob