Hide Glue, Or How I Intend to Fix my Rocker

Something's not quite right here...

As a rookie woodworker, there's few things that go through my mind more than all the mistakes I'll make. "What if I cut the board too short?" "What if my glue doesn't hold?" "What if...?" Especially concerning for me are those first cuts into good, expensive wood. Once those cuts are made, there's no turning back.

Tapered Mortise-and-Tenons: Joints That Get Stronger When Used

Test mortise (left) made with the
reamer (left center). On the right
are two halves of my tenon
template, with a test tenon I turned.

Classic Windsor chairs traditionally use mortise-and-tenon joinery. But, unlike most joinery of this kind, there's a twist. These mortises and tenons are are tapered. The tapering means that as the tenon is forced into the mortise, it gets stronger! This is a great joint to have for a chair, as chairs get beat up probably more than any other kind of furniture. So, that's what I'll be using for my rocking chair.