The Making of Heather's Tea Shelf

This week I finished a teacup display shelf for my wife. The shelf was heavily inspired by an Arts and Crafts shelf I saw in Fine Woodworking a few years back. Basically, I took that design and made several changes to suit my wife's taste's and needs (specific tea set dimensions).

Her shelf is much larger than the one in the magazine, about 48"x 30". And it's made of curly maple instead of oak. The show faces are actually some "musical (instrument) grade" maple I was able to acquire. Here's some shots of the build...

The columns were mitered and edge glued with the nicest pieces of stock I could muster.

Mortise and Tenon Joints (Mortising Machine and Dado Blade Method)- A Tutorial

Ok, here’s how I make mortise and tenon joints with a dado blade and mortising machine. My zeal for hand tools aside, I can’t get away from this method. It’s just so darn efficient and consistent in results.

Most of us have a tablesaw. Benchtop mortising machines are pretty good for what they do. Better yet, they're affordable compared to most woodworking machines. It's not uncommon to see them on the used market either, Good thing, I can’t imagine making a set chairs or anything with a plethora of M&T joints without one.