Hi,
I am wondering what most people use to cut tenons? Do you use a purchased metal tenoning jig? Do you use a homemade jig? Do you use a bandsaw? Do you use a table saw with a dado blade to cut your tenons?
I, at one time, purchased a tenoning jig but it did not fit in my miter slot of my old craftsman table saw. So I brought it back. Someone mentioned to me after the fact that I probably should have just milled the jig a bit so that it would fit into the miter slot.
To be honest, I would love to just build my own jig but I’m wondering if someone out there has a jig that they have built and use religiously. If so, please post pics. It is my guess that most woodworkers use a tenoning jug that they have purchased but we will find out…
Regards,
Buzzsaw
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Gil Bailie
Replies
I use to hand cut mine with a dove tail saw and pare them if neccesary with a chisel. It was slow going but pretty satisfying work.
But I have since bought a good table saw and now cut them on that just using a stop on the fence and "nibbling away the excess".
ChuckN and I have nothing of value to add to this discussion.
ChuckN,
Do you use a dado stack for the "nibbling" or just the blade?
Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Buzz,
Sorry it took so long for me to respond.
I just got a new saw and I have yet to get an insert to even try my dado set with so lately I've just been using my blade. It takes a little longer but still not nearly as long as hand cutting them.
ChuckN and I have nothing of value to add to this discussion.
I cut them on the band saw. I use a spacer block sized to: (tenon thickness + band kerf) that allows me to cut both cheeks with the same side to the fence. I cut the shoulders using a miter gauge with a stop block clamped to it. It's critical that the end is square to insure matched shoulder cuts. The whole process is very fast.Pete
Tenoning jig on tablesaw with single blade rotating the workpiece 180 degrees to cut the other side. I hope my answer satisfies your curiosity.
Cadiddlehopper
I use a Delta tenoning jig and a crosscut sled for production work. Otherwise it's the bandsaw and chisels.
Edited 3/28/2007 4:45 pm ET by OldGreen
I don't cut tenons. I drill holes for mortises with my Beadlock jig on both work pieces and use their tenon stock... works very well.
have you seen the festool domino? look pretty cool but pretty $$$...Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Laser crispness on 4 shoulders with a router.
Routers
I cut regular tenons either on the table saw with a dado blade, or on the router table (after doing the should cuts on the TS with a single blade).
I do floating tenons more often, where the mortises are done with a shop-made jig.
Recently I've been using a Kreg jig in many places where I used to do tenons...
Edited 3/28/2007 7:54 pm ET by Pondfish
I use a Delta mortiser for mortise and I made a jig for the tenons. Works well for me. I always leave a little for pearing away for good fit.
I've tried a number of ways to cut tenons--to keep from springing for a commercial tenoning jig. Tried nibbling away on the table saw; used the router table, band saw, hand saw. Never did get around to building a shop made tenoning jig, although that was under consideration. Then Amazon cut the price on the Delta 34-184 Universal-Deluxe Tenoning Jig to $69.99 (for about 2 days) and I ordered one. What an improvement! Don't know why I waited so long. It's so much quicker, easier, more accurate, and safer. Norm says the jig is one of the great bargains in woodworking. Now I'm convinced!
Bob
It depends on how big they are. Often I rough cut on a band saw then finish up on a router table for smooth and crisp. We just added a large micro-adjustable miter guage and a tenon jig for the table saw that will hold much bigger parts safely. I may be doing more at the table saw.
Band saw and shoulder plane. Very accurate and efficient.
Regards,
Sean
I have cut tennons many ways but the most efficient I have found is with the radial arm saw. I just set a stop block ,adjust the hieght, and each one turns out the same. Sometimes i use a morticing jig on the drill press, and others I speed it up and use a router bit with a machinists milling vice. Either way I make motices first, then tennons to fit.
Buzz, for the usual cabinetry tenons of length 60mm and less I use a radial arm saw to cut shoulders- gives accurate shoulder lengths, then I use a spindle with sliding table.The stock must have been accurately thicknessed and cut to length first.. The mortices are cut with a hollow square chisel mortising machine.
Big/long tenons as in entry doors etc are cut with bandsaw , shoulders first with radial, then the router is used to clean them up.
Phillip,
Amazing piece of machinery! Never saw a sliding table on a shaper before.
The way I was taught, use a router for the mortise, clean up with chisel.
Tablesaw to set length and depth of tenon, bandsaw off waste, fit with a router plane.
Router plane is only plane that uses a proper reference plane so that tenons are parallel with board reference surface. (soapbox off)
Mike
Mike,
Get outta town man! Where's the dust? Where's the clutter in your shop? This looks like a hospital!
Great photos though, and interesting technique for paring tenons to size.
Zolton
Zolton,
Clutter and dust you say?
Look around!
Mike
Mike,
Thank goodness! That's more like it. I was starting to wonder...
I always like looking at photos of other people's shops. You can often pick up on some interesting storage solution or jig off in a corner somewhere.
Zolton
I want to thank you all for the information you all have posted on "how you cut your tenons". I am intrigued by floating tenons. For a table that I recently bit most of the time was spent in cleaning up the tenons to fit the mortise correctly. I can see a tool like the Festool Domino really speeding up time. Then, there is also the possibility of using a router jig to create the mortises and use a floating tenon with that and save the money on the Festool. I think I will take the cheaper route to start.
Woodworkers are the best. Ask and you shall be told!!Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
I use one of several ways, depending on what I'm doing, and/or feel like, at the time:
1) Delta jig (guide milled down with a belt sander (!) to fit the slot in my Sears saw). I use the outer blades from a Forrest dado set with spacers to the size of the tennon. I cut the shoulders on the RAS. This is how I do it if I have a bunch to do quickly.
2) For rough work, I'll sometimes use the dado (or even the regular blade if the tennon is small) on the RAS. Cut side 1, flip, cut side 2. Leaves the tennon a bit rough and needing to be cleaned up w/ the shoulder plane.
3) Hand saw & shoulder plane.
4) Router with a guide made from two pieces of ply or hardboard with spacers between them the thickness of the workpiece. Slip the piece between the ply, clamp it on and rout both sides. Works well for tennons on the end of long stock.
I don't think any of these methods is better or worse than the other -- but it's nice to have the choice.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
I use my DW 735 thickness planer to produce a length of tenon stock, round it over on the router table, then lop off what I need. Mortises are cut on a home made router jig.
I am in love with floating tenons.
Frosty
Before I got a Woodrat I used this setup on a router table with a 1/2" bit.
I built a jig (has clamps and feather boards to hold the stock) for my shaper and use a 1/2" straight router bit. I have a cutter similar to phillips, but my tenons of late require are too long. I would need a 9" dia cutter and my shaper doesn't spin slow enough for those. Having used the dado blade for previous tenons that exceeded the cut height of my TS with tenon jig, I think the shaper is much quicker. With correct setup I have found that there is virtually no paring required for fit ups. The rake on the dado cutters led to too much paring and fiddling for me.
interesting post.
Brad, look up Leitz Precision Tooling- there are many choices of cutter to suit any speed- what is the slowest speed on your shaper? It doesn't have to take the form of a circular saw blade.
'' I think the shaper is much quicker. With correct setup I have found that there is virtually no paring required for fit ups.''---There shouldn't be any need to pare anything, but discrepancies can creep in if the stock is not accurately and consistently thicknessed.Philip Marcou
The cutters I found all had a max rpm of 6000rpm or slightly less once they grew to 8" dia. My shaper has two speeds, 8,000 and 10,000rpm. To cut a 3" tenon, I found that the pros use 9 to 10" diam cutter and I dont believe my shaper has the hp for that (only 3hp). The biggest problem with my current setup is getting rid of the wood chips. The jig i built has a dust collector, but with the stop blocks it is not working very well. I ended up doing only a little paring because of a holddown error. I learned of the creep problem too. Should have re-checked, only a minor change.
I use a either a single-end tenoner (production runs) or a spindle moulder. The spindle moulder can be set-up to cut very deep tenons by using a flush block such as this (photos by another Brit, Felderman, thanks J.):
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r213/felderman/015.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r213/felderman/029.jpg
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r213/felderman/037.jpg
With a spindle or tenoner set-up there is absolutely no need to adjust anything providing your stock is consistently thicknessed and the tooling is correctly adjuster, Just cut the stock and assemble.
Note what we regard as safe guarding here in the UK!
Regards
Scrit
Edited 3/29/2007 6:50 pm by Scrit
Edited 3/29/2007 6:51 pm by Scrit
Edited 3/29/2007 6:52 pm by Scrit
I just have a wee little shaper in comparison and do this as a hobby only. I understand the safeguarding. Watching the big cutter spin and the thought of my hands loosing the battle keeps me on my toes.
I use the table saw without a jig. I use dado blades for multiple peices, and just a regular blade for one or two tennons.
When you say you do not use a jig. Do you just use your fence to ride the vertical workpiece against to cut your tenons, instead of a tenoning jig?Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Buzzsaw
I use the fence as a stop, but push the work though with the TS miter guage with the work flat on the TS table.. Hope this clears things up.
How about the vertical cuts? Bandsaw?Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Bandsaw,handsaw, tablesaw.. I use all 3 at one time or another.. I clean it up with a sharp chisel.
Great thanks...Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Here is a pic of my jig for the shaper.
Brad,
No pic was attached..
Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
ok, I will try again.
I do loose tenons when possible. If I am doing a bridle joint I will use a tennoning jig on the table saw.
How do you cut your mortises then for those loose tenons? I assume that you also make your own loose tenons? I am really leaning toward that direction but am a little leery about forking over the $$$ for a Festool Domino, so I may look into purchasing one of the horizontal boring machines (such as Grizzly's).Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Sorry, I suppose that does need a little more explanation. I use a jig that I found the plans for in the October 2004 issue #172 of Fine Woodworking. It works perfect, and is very simple and fast to make. It also makes perfect mortises every time. I will see if I can find the plans for the jig on this web site, and post a link for you. I cant tell you how easy this method is.
Ok I found it it even has a video with it. http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/subscription/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesArticle.aspx?id=5234
Edited 3/30/2007 5:39 pm ET by miller
Lately it's this:
Sliding compound miter saw for clean, square shoulders.
Bandsaw with 1/2" resaw blade cuts the cheeks (fast, accurate).
Backsaw cuts haunches.
Chisel and rabbet plane to clean up where needed.
In the past I've used a shop-made tenoning jig on the tablesaw which was not accurate enough. I should have upgraded the runners but abandoned it instead.
Have also tried router and tablesaw with and without dado blade but was never satisfied with squareness of the shoulders in any of those methods. But I confess I've never built a good crosscut sled and since buying the miter saw I've been undermotivated to do so.
I use a semi-home made tablesaw tenon jig that was from plan in a Woodsmith issue (you could order a kit of the harder to find parts - when I did mine). It uses thread rod to allow microadjustment, repeatablity for cutting and has served me very well for years. It's not the one that showed up when I searched their site recently for it. If you decide you want to pursue making your own for your tablesaw, let me know and I'll dig out the plans or send you a photo.
JohnU
Everything in moderation, including excess.
I cut them on my table saw using a sled with a block positioned to the right of the blade - - the position approximating the length of the tenon. In the block I put a round head screw, the screw, after adjustment will determine the exact length of the tenon. Raise the saw blade and pare away the wood to the final thickness of the tenon. ( do a test with a scrap the same thickness as your finished piece) I just cut 8 tenon for table aprons and did not change the saw blade. I do have dado blades and would use them if I had many dados to cut.
How do I cut my tenons?
Depends on the season of the year.
In the winter, during the evening, I whittle them with a sloyd knife.
Actually, not.
I just do em on my tenoning jig. Look at the photo of me and my tenoning jig in my profile.
I also have one of the old, really heavy Delta Tenoning Jigs. It was in bad shape, but I cleaned it up pretty good. It does a fine job. I don't understand how the price for that thing got up over $400 before Delta discontinued it. Very nice jig.
Enjoy,
Mel
Measure your output in smiles per board foot.
Mel,
Thanks for your post. I love your signature line. Smiles in board feet. I love it!!Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Buzzsaw,
Glad you got a kick out of my post and tag line. Knots is a fun place, and it is the best bargain in the world for learning about woodworking.
Enjoy,
MelMeasure your output in smiles per board foot.
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