When creating mortise and tenon joinery, is there any problem with using the tablesaw to cut the tenons by making the shoulder cuts first and then nipping away the rest of the material? Or can you make the shoulder cuts on all of the pieces and then setup a dado the cut the remaining material in one pass, assuming the remainder doesn’t exceed the width of your stacked dado?
Also, is a tenoning jig worth the investment or will it just simplify the process but not necessarily give you a better result? It seems like you could fine tune the height of the saw blade better than locating the tenoning jig in the exact spot the cut the tenon to width.
Thanks, Brett
Replies
Two ways to skin a cat. Either works.
I've used table saws, router jigs, tennoning jigs and radial arm saws. I think a router jig is the most accurrate and most time consuming. Table saws and Radial arm saws are the easiest, and more sloppy.
But all of them work.
Regards,
Scooter
"I may be drunk, but you're crazy, and I'll be sober tomorrow." WC Fields, "Its a Gift" 1934
There is hardly any sloppiness in my tenons cut with a table saw and a tenoning jig.
It's a fairly simple repetitive operation why should it be sloppy ?C.
Familiarity with your tools makes a big difference. I have used both the methods you describe and stick with a purchase tennoning jig for my table saw. I like to have two places for my hands just like a router.
David from Cleveland, Ohio.
If you have a crosscut sled for your tablesaw then you can use it for the shoulder cuts.
Then make a fence and screw it to the table of the crosscut sled to hold the piece vertically to make the cheek cuts.
Simple and effective.
J.P.
I use dado blades for my tennons. You don't need to pre-cut the shoulders if the dado blades are sharp. Make the shoulder cut pass first, and slow to reduce chip-out. Then plow out he rest.
"is there any problem with using the tablesaw to cut the tenons by making the shoulder cuts first and then nipping away the rest of the material?"
You can do this if you use the proper blade. Blades with top bevels will leave a corrugated surface that you'll need to plane. You also have to be pretty careful to get the blade height perfect and hold the stock tight to the table. It's a slow process tho' and I would only use it if I had one or two tenons to make. I usually make tennons under about 2-1/2" long on the TS with a tenon jig and the outside blades of a dado set spaced apart the appropriate amount to cut both cheeks at once. I then cut the shoulders on the RAS. Anything longer, or on long stock, I use a router with a box fence made up to the stock thickness. Again, setting the depth of cut is critical with this method.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
As far as making the cheek cuts, can the stock be laid flat and again, run the stock through the saw blade as the correct height, just like doing the shoulder cuts? Or, is it best to have a tenoning jig or shop-made jig that keeps the stock vertical to make one pass on each side for the cheek cuts?
Thanks, Brett
Also, which tenoning jig would you recommend? There are three models I've looked at, Grizzly, Delta, and Jet, and the prices differ by about $50.
Thanks, Bree
There was a tool test in FWW recently about Tenoning jigs, delta fared the best. What length of tenons are you making and what size of table saw? If you are using a 10" TS you will be limited to just under 3" long tenons. I started with the table saw for tenons with the nibbling trick using a single blade, and I found it too slow considering the number of tenons I was making for that project. The single blade did leave a nice smooth surface. I then tried my dado blade and due to the rake on my set I found it resulted in quite a lot of paring for a perfect fit. Again, time consuming for lots of joints. I swictched to my shaper, and will not go back. Set, cut and it fits.
Good luck
"As far as making the cheek cuts, can the stock be laid flat and again, run the stock through the saw blade as the correct height, just like doing the shoulder cuts?"
Yes. Position the stock for the initial shoulder cut by using a block clamped against the fence (so the stock is not against the fence when actually cutting -- just when you are setting it in your miter gauge.) Cut the shoulder and then move the piece back and nibble away the rest of the waste. The problem with this is, without a special blade, the cheek will be pretty rough.
As per my prior post, IMHO, its best to use a properly spaced set of dado blades to make both cheek cuts simultaneously. Saves a LOT of headache getting a correctly sized tennon. I use a Delta jig and it's fine. YMMV.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
Before you get wrapped around the axle with special blades or jigs, you might want to consider trying a hand saw.
I just watched a video here of Gary Rogokowski making tenons. I think Gary's great, but I wasn't too impressed with what I saw. IIRC, he cross cut the shoulder first, then nibbled away at the cheeks, bumping the fence, testing, bumping again. I guess once you get it set you're golden, but I can do the job just as fast with a hand saw (and did he have to switch blades between the shoulder and the cheek cuts?)
Adam
The fastest method is described by Tage Frid. It requires very straight grained stock, and you should make a few extra parts just in case.
Saw the shoulder cuts (using whatever you like) and then rive the waste off the cheeks using a jig that is just a plane iron clamped on a block of wood to hold it at exactly the height you want. You just put the end of the stock on the bench against the edge of the plane iron and whack the stock with a mallet to split off the cheeks.
"...rive the waste off the cheeks"Have you tried this? Put anything together like this? I've done this many times and never gotten a fit that I feel proud of. Several of my friends had the same experience. People did this in the 17th century. Their joints were almost always dry and pegged at least, if not draw bored. I don't feel the savings of a few minutes at most is worth the risk of cracking the tenon or winding up with a loose fit. But that's just my opinion. Its certainly worth a try and I agree that this is the most unwrapped around the axle approach. A true eye opener.Adam
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