How to cut angled tenons and angled mortises???
kelleybell21
| Posted in Jigs, Fixtures, Tips & Tricks on
Dear fellow woodworkers
I have a new woodworking project coming up that requires both angled tenons and mortises to fit into each other. I have searched Fine Woodworking and the web to find an excellent article or visual explanation on how to do this, but have not found exactly what I am looking for.
Could you please inform me of a good article or video that might explain in detail all of the steps in creating this angled joint? Thank you.
Replies
"master wedge"
https://www.finewoodworking.com/2013/12/19/wedge-is-the-secret-to-perfect-angled-mortise-and-tenon-joints
Hi M J,
I had tried to access the Kenney article that you gave me the web address for, but unfortunately, every time I try to open the article, something else always appears.
Jim
Search Matt Kenney articles / blogs , post date is 12/19/2013
Not sure of a video/article off hand that might suit what you are looking for, but my method is always to chop out a straight, standard mortise and angle the tenon. I'm sure there are times where it would work better to angle the mortise, or times where you need to do both, but for my experience (which was using this method for chairs/stools) it's much easier to make a straight forward mortise which is easy to make reliably straight, and the fact that you can see all of the tenon, therefore making it easier to see what you are doing when cutting.
Some mortisers can cut on an angle (mine cannot...) so in that case the opposite is likely true. But unless you have this kind of mortiser, the straight mortise/angled tenon method is much more reliable.
Oh, and i mark my angled cuts on the board and make those cuts to define the angle before i start to pare down the tenon. Seems obvious, but maybe not so much if you don't think of it that way first. As always, use test pieces and sneak the tenon up to final thickness. A bandsaw with a jig is a great way to get those consistent angled cuts once you've got it all lined up. Especially on something like a stool/chair where you're going to be cutting several of them.
Good luck
Thanks for taking the time Eideanne for providing me with your suggestion.
I will give it a try.
Jim
A picture would really help.
Floating tenons might be the easiest way to handle it. It will take longer to make the jig than make the mortises.
Hi RobertEJr,
Thanks for your suggestion.
If it fits the project, that's what I'd do. Cut the mortises while the stock is still square, then cutting the taper or angles on the stock. The floating tenon is then straight but with cut angles on the ends.
Christian Becksvoort's FW stool is a good lesson in angled mortises; (I have made three of his stools in the past with hand tools).
Whatever you do, do not angle the tenon. Keep the tenon straight but angle the shoulders of the tenon. You always should, where possible, angle the mortise. I have had great success doing the following:
1) Layout tenon with angled shoulders:
2) Transfer shoulders to piece to be mortised;
3) Find angle of tenon with sliding bevel guage and place guage on piece to be mortised.
4) Angle drill (machine or, as I use, bit and brace) to align with standing sliding bevel guage, and remove bulk of angled mortise.
5) Remove bulk of waste and clean angled mortise walls with chisels, always using sliding bevel guage for angle reference.
6) Rough out tenons, trim angled tenon shoulders, and fit to angled mortise.
I used this method for the chair and desk that I built with hand tools.
Hi,
Thanks for your response. I am going to print it out and take it down to my woodshop and see if I can understand your methods. Next, I will try to follow what you wrote by actually making a test piece.
Jim
Here’s another example. I’m a relative newbie and made this, it was a great learning experience (came out nice, too).
https://www.finewoodworking.com/project-guides/beginner-projects/a-sturdy-footstool
I have been looking at chairmaking techniques on FWW and suggest an article "Compound Angle Tenons on the Tablesaw" by Steve Brown in FWW #271 for tenon cutting. Tom McLaughlin also has a video of making a Craftsman style side chair on the FWW website in which he cuts angled tenons on a tablesaw.
I use an angled chisel
Seriously, Do you need both the mortise and tenon at an angle other than 90 or just one of them. It can make a difference on how you layout and approach the cuts. Also, what shape are the mortises and tenons, round, square or rectangle?
I took a class where we made a rocking chair. Since the chair back is narrower than the front of the seat, the side rails connect to the legs at an angle, meaning angled mortises or tenons. In our class we cut the mortises at 90 degrees and the tenons at an angle. We had a full size drawing and used angle gauges to get it right.
Tom McLaughlin is a frequent contributor to FWw and has videos available at Epicwoodworking.com. Well worth the time to visit his site. I made two of his projects that got me on track for angled joinery - shop sawhorses and a three-legged shop stool. Both were originally offered without charge, but now may be available only behind a paywall. If so, the combined plans and accompanying videos are reasonably priced. From my novice perspective, the full-sized drawings used as patterns were key.
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