Question
I recently purchased a small load of 2-1/2" x 15" heart pine floor joists that were salvaged from a pre-Civil War cotton mill near Memphis. All the joists were attached to the rim joist using this interesting mortise and tenon. The mortised piece shown is the only one that I got, but all the boards I bought have the tenon on them. I tried the mortise on several and it fit all of them amazingly well. I can't help imagining the 1850's carpenter that made all of these joints using a hand saw, brace and bit, and a sharp chisel. I've got two tables ordered using this wood, but I think I'm going to build myself a bench that shows off one of the tenons as a tribute to him. Do you think a Simpson joist hanger will look this good or be as strong after 150 years?
Forum Responses
(Architectural Woodworking Forum)
From contributor M:
I have seen the same joint in Japanese construction, but not in the US. I wonder what kind of jig they used? I bet they could also produce those joints a lot faster than we can using a CNC or whatever modern method.
