Reply To: Bridle vs Mortise & Tenon joint

I’m relatively new to woodworking in regards to joinery but a bit of physics can aid in answering this.

It depends on the application and which direction force will typically be applied to the joint.

Think of it in terms of 3 dimensional axis X, Y and Z. A mortise and tenon joint will only ever be able to move in one direction on one axis once assembled lets say it was insered on the X axis in a direction of A, it can only be removed by an opposing force on the X axis in direction B. A bridle joint on the other hand can move in one direction on one axis and both directions on another axis once assembled, lets say it was inserted on the X axis in direction A. It can be removed by a force on the X axis in the opposite direction (B) AND by a force on the Y axis in both directions.

So is one stronger than another? Yes and No. The mortise and tenon restricts the ability for the joint to be compromised by only allowing one direction on one axis for it to to come undone. However if the only force ever applied to the bridle joint (in terms of the example above) is on the Z axis it will have comparative strength to the mortise and tenon.

A secondary consideration is the surface area that glue will act as an adhesive which is greater on a mortise and tenon joint.

As I mentioned I’m quite new to joinery so it might be good if someone else who has more experience could also throw in their tupence.