Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
In this video, we’re diving into the mortise and tenon joint—but not just the classic kind. This is a drawbored mortise and tenon, where the hole in the tenon is slightly offset from the hole in the mortise. That tiny shift changes everything. Instead of just locking things in place, the peg actually pulls the joint together as you hammer it in—no clamps, no glue, just solid mechanical tension.
I’ll walk you through how it works, how to drill the offset, and why store-bought dowels might not cut it. We’ll look at why grain direction is critical, how riven pegs hold up better under pressure, and how you can make them yourself using nothing more than a piece of straight-grained wood and a wrench.
If you’ve been searching for mortise and tenon techniques, especially stronger ways to assemble them, this method is a game-changer. Whether you're building a workbench, a table base, or just trying to learn joinery that won’t fail over time—this is one to keep in your back pocket.
Become a patron! → patreon.com/makethings ←
Check out my other channel! → @makethingswithrob
Huge thank you to my patrons that keep this thing going!
*MAKER TEAM*
Michelle B
Keith Current
William L McNally
Rich Lightfoot
Tutor the Barbarian
Aubrey G.
Nukebert
Sam W.
Aaron Knows DIY
G. Salazar
David B.
Make Things
#makethings #mims
In this video, we’re diving into the mortise and tenon joint—but not just the classic kind. This is a drawbored mortise and tenon, where the hole in the tenon is slightly offset from the hole in the mortise. That tiny shift changes everything. Instead of just locking things in place, the peg actually pulls the joint together as you hammer it in—no clamps, no glue, just solid mechanical tension.
I’ll walk you through how it works, how to drill the offset, and why store-bought dowels might not cut it. We’ll look at why grain direction is critical, how riven pegs hold up better under pressure, and how you can make them yourself using nothing more than a piece of straight-grained wood and a wrench.
If you’ve been searching for mortise and tenon techniques, especially stronger ways to assemble them, this method is a game-changer. Whether you're building a workbench, a table base, or just trying to learn joinery that won’t fail over time—this is one to keep in your back pocket.
Become a patron! → patreon.com/makethings ←
Check out my other channel! → @makethingswithrob
Huge thank you to my patrons that keep this thing going!
*MAKER TEAM*
Michelle B
Keith Current
William L McNally
Rich Lightfoot
Tutor the Barbarian
Aubrey G.
Nukebert
Sam W.
Aaron Knows DIY
G. Salazar
David B.
Make Things
#makethings #mims
