Replies

1. 
   Napie | Feb 02, 2005 06:08pm | #1

   I use them all the time.  Anyplace plate jointery would be to weak, (like big doors).  I use a horizontal boring machine to cut the mortises, it is fast and very accurate.

1. 
   mvac | Feb 02, 2005 08:08pm | #2

   Napie,

   Thanks for that. How do you make your loose tenons? Take a big strip, size it and use a roundover or some other router bit?

   Btw, there's a much larger thread on the same subject in Knots which you might be interested in (I posted in both places...).

   Thanks again,Mitch

   "I'm always humbled by how much I DON'T know..."

1. 
   RickL | Feb 03, 2005 03:36pm | #3

    I keep stock planed to size for tenons. For the most part I don't worry about rounding the edges. I've been using slot mortisers and loose tenons for over 20 years now. Did you realize the slot mortiser goes back to the late 50's in Europe and is barely known in the US?

1. 
   mvac | Feb 03, 2005 07:50pm | #4

   Rick,

   Pardon the dumb question, but does the slot mortiser leave square corners, or do you just insert the rectangular tenon into the round-ened mortise?

   And no, I had no idea slot mortisers went that far back...

   Thanks,Mitch

   "I'm always humbled by how much I DON'T know..."

1. 
   RickL | Feb 04, 2005 04:39am | #6

   Yes, it gives rounded end on the slots. I don't bother roundind the tenons for the most part unless it's a through tenon. I can make mortises in the rails and stiles in a matter of minutes and keep extra tenon material on hand and all I have to do is rip and crosscut what I need. The nice thing about a slot mortiser is it doubles as a dowel drilling machine or can be used as a general horizontal drill. The commercial slot mortisers run at 3,600 to 5,000 rpm so it's more useful than the ones with a router in my opinion.

2. 
   Napie | Feb 04, 2005 12:26am | #5

   I cut and plane to my most used sizes, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8.  I used to round the edges, but you don't need to.  I do run a saw kerf down each side to provide some glue relief.  Slot mortisers are the greatest, well worth the effort if you do a fair amount of M/T joints.