# Mortise and Tenon versus Dovetail



## Texchappy (Apr 27, 2012)

Which is a strong joint: Mortise and Tenon or Dovetail?

Question comes out of a brief comment I saw in a youtube video I saw where it mentions the dovetail relies on it's strength from end grain. As a new woodworker don't understand all the 'mechanics of grain' but on the surface it makes sense.


----------



## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

They are both strong joints; typically used in different applications.

I wouldn't attach a table's apron to a leg with a dovetail; that's better done with a mortise and tennon joint.

Likewise, I wouldn't attach a drawer corner with a mortise and tennon, the dovetail or finger joint is better.


----------



## jusfine (May 22, 2010)

I think they are both strong, but for different applications.

Dovetails are better for items such as drawer boxes, where the interlocking of the pins and tails creates a strong natural "mechanical" bond.

Mortise and Tenon is better suited where you have larger frame members to join, such as table stretchers or a large panel door. Don't think I have seen a dovetailed door…

Hope that helps a bit.

9 seconds after crank, I see we are both on the same thought process.


----------



## dkirtley (Mar 11, 2010)

A better comparison would be dovetails vs. box joints (also called finger joints by some)

With modern glues, the finger joints will be stronger but the stresses you need to break either are way outside normal usage. It becomes a question of aesthetics and tools. Finger joints are easier to make by machine than dovetails and the dovetails are easier by hand than finger joints.


----------



## Doss (Mar 14, 2012)

As the other have said, they are both strong joints but they are typically used in different applications. Joinery is a fairly large portion of woodworking and even having a basic understanding of the different joints is very important to durable, long-lasting construction (especially when it comes to furniture and cabinetry/cases).

Does anyone have any recommendations of a book for *Texchappy* in order to give some basic descriptions of the common joints and when they should be used?


----------



## AJLastra (Apr 19, 2012)

Doss

Taunton Press's "Joinery". Cant remember who helped compile that volume but its got everything you need to know about every type of woodworking joint. There are a few other titles in that series too. Jeff Jewitt did the one titled"Finishing."


----------



## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

These two types of joints are both exceptionally strong, but not interchangeable. To understand joinery, you need to understand what each type of joint is needed for. *note* I am a woodworking newbie in practice, but I have studied it for a long time. I like to fully understand what I am doing, and more importantly why I am doing it before I start

Before you decide what joint to cut/make, you need to first understand what kind of stress the joint will receive. There are 4 main ones:

Tension - Imagine pulling a pen cap off of a pen. 
sheer - Imaging snapping a branch off a tree by pushing it up and pulling it down
Racking - Imagine wiggling a plug out of a socket. 
Compression - Imagine pushing a sharpened pencil into a piece of cardboard. This would result in a compression failure.

A mortise and tenon is a good choice for every stress but tension. It can be easily pulled apart. In most joints where dovetails are used, one of the major stresses is tension (such as opening drawers). If you've ever put a dovetail together to find it needs to be pulled apart/adjusted, you will quickly see that it is not good under racking stresses.


----------

