M&T Jointery For Cabinets

[Scott Lemmers]

Is M&T jointery the best when building cabinet doors and drawer fronts?

[Steve Clardy]

Yes it is. A blind mortise for doors is very strong, but not done much anymore due to the time involved. But if you have the time, go for it. I use cope and stick for doors, and pocket screws for the face frame assembly's.

[Scott Lemmers]

I was looking at some existing cabinet doors in my home. They are M&T jointed but when you look at the top edge of the door you can see the entire joint. It does not look bad and you can't see it unless the door is open and you look at the top or bottom. I know the old owner paid a pretty penny for the cabinets, and I also know this does not mean they are high quality. (Dura Supreme). Is this common to see the joint? With a blind M&T you would not see the joint correct? I also assume the blind method is more difficult?
Please advise.

[Steve Clardy]

Common to see the whole joint on the older cabinet doors and such. Anymore most are blind joints. Not anymore difficult. Just set your depth stop on the mortiser and don't go all the way through.
Steve

[Ellen Benkin]

I have a 70+ year old kitchen and you can see the joinery on both the top and bottom of the flat panel rail and stile doors. They seem to have lasted several generations of families living here, so I would conclude that they last well. I like seeing joinery because I like to know how things are made.

[Scott Lemmers]

The existing cabinets are only 4-5 years old (shaker style). Is this still the common practice for large cabinet companies? I am moving out of this house and in to another house where I will build the cabinets. I am kind looking for the best way to do the jointery.

[Steve Clardy]

Not common anymore Scott. Most companies, large and small, including me, use cope and stick anymore.

[Mark Stutz]

Scott,
It is possible that this is a haunched mortise and tenon (The Haunched and Drawbored Mortise and Tenon Part I) . You would be able to see part of it if the haunch was made to fit the groove for the panel.

Mark

[Alan Turner]

Scott,
The joint you are describing is a flavor of the M&T, and oft is called a bridle joint, or a corner bridle joint. It can be made on a table saw with a tenoning jig, using a chisel to square the bottom of the "moritise." A simple and strong joint. It can be cut with two saw blades running on the TS, with a spacer, or with a Dado blade. It can be pinned. It has less resistance to racking than a conventional blind or through M&T, but is quick and dirty. Not a bad joint. If you have a lot of drawers to build, you can cut the joints all off of two setups. It has a lot of long grain gluing surface, and you have less chance of tear out that on a cope and stick. I don't build many doors, so those that do will have better advise on the cope and stick, but for strength, they are sometimes made with a tenon, or a floating tenon, to increase strength, such as on an entry door.

[Frank Bertrand]

mortise and tenon to attach a drawer front? What am I missing here? :confused:

[Scott Lemmers]

Frank,

Not to attach a drawer front, it is the way the drawer front is built.
My joinery vocabulary is not the greatest followed closely by my skills. I should click a quick picture and post it so that everybody is clear as to what I am asking. I will try to do that soon.
Thanks for the reply.

Cheers,
Scott