First time I tried mortise and tenon by hand and it actually worked
I've been mostly using pocket screws and dowels for the last 3 years on my projects, but last weekend I decided to cut a mortise and tenon joint by hand on a cherry table leg I was working on in my garage near Omaha. I figured it would take me a couple hours and probably end up sloppy, but I took my time marking it out with a marking knife instead of a pencil. After maybe 45 minutes of chiseling and fitting, the joint slid together tighter than anything I've ever done with a jig. I didn't even need glue to hold it, it was that snug. Idk if it's the cherry being forgiving or me finally getting the chisel sharp enough, but it felt like a real milestone for me. Has anyone else had that moment where a traditional technique just clicked after avoiding it for years?