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 ...

These joints have been around for ages and can be executed with nothing more than chisels and a hand saw, plus a lot ... its ability to make blind cuts to produce a tenon with a built-in wedge.

A dovetail saw allows for straight cuts along the dovetail layout lines. Remove the bottom of the materials with a coping saw or chisel. A tenon saw, slightly larger than a dovetail saw ...