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I screwed up and cut some tenons too short for the mortise, already cut. The pieces have some beautiful q-sawn flake, so I’d hate to scrap them. The piece is a Stickley design with pinned tenons. The tenons are now too short to fully engage the pins. I thought I might try “stretching” the tenons by cutting a slot in them and making a tenon extension with a bridle joint glued into the slot. Would this seriously weaken the tenon? My other alternative is to simply live with the tenons as-is, which are only 5/8″ long. The pins would then be purely decorative. Suggestions?
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Replies
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If I were in your position, I’d saw the tenon off and cut a mortise in its place, then use a loose tenon. I have no way to prove this, but I think it would be just as strong.
*Alex, I think it would depend on where in the piece the M&T is located. If it's a center rail in a frame and panel, them 5/8" is probably sufficient. An apron to leg situation is another thing. You would have to be the judge of that. As far as the pins not engaging, with modern glues I doubt that pins actually add any strength and while using them makes us feel good, they are pretty much just decorative anyway.
*If the design doesn't require the furniture to be a particular size then you could make the tenons longer by cutting off more of the shoulders. This would make the furniture a little shorter (or narrower, or both) but might not matter if it's a table. If it's a chair, that's another story.
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