A handmade floral press - first try at mortise and tenon that almost scrapped it

A handmade flower press, built almost entirely with hand tools — my first real attempt at cutting mortise and tenon joints, on a deadline, as a birthday gift for my wife. There aren't many real build videos for flower presses out there, and the ones that exist barely go past clamping two boards together. This one didn't go that easily. Oak fights back, wedges crack, and a mortise chisel out of practice will humble you fast. I show the whole process — mistakes included — from rough oak and pine down to the finished press, with a full rundown of everything I botched along the way. If you're into hand-tool woodworking, traditional joinery, or just want to see someone learn mortise and tenon the hard way, this one's for you.