The “mortise” is the recess where the tenon goes. It can be cut by hand with a mallet and mortising chisel, or mechanically with a mortising machine and a hollow chisel bit. If you don’t have those ...

As [Richard Sewell] explains, a heat-staked joint is nothing more than the classic mortise-and-tenon made from plastic where the tenon stands proud of the joint face so it can be softened with heat.

If you’re using a 3/8-inch bit, it’s easier to cut a 3/8-inch wide mortise. Cutting the tenon on a table saw with a dado blade is much easier, rather than adjusting the tenon thickness to fit ...