Replies

1. 
   RSRose | Jul 22, 2002 01:52am | #1

   Bob,

   You answered your own question, then rejected the answer.

   The key in a production situation like yours (or even in a on-off) is to be able to depend on accurately dimensioned and square stock. You MUST asure yourself that you are preparing everything perfectly square and sized. Then a number of different jigs can be set up to reliably help you get the work done accurately.

   It would not be unusual to spend much more time crafting the jigs than the job itself takes. All the effort in the jig design and use is what ensures success.

   It sounds like you need to devote more effort into some woodworking basics, to ensure the outcome that you want. You might need a jointer, but you could also ensure square stock by ripping on the tablesaw with a good combination blade.

   Also, the joinery that you're using to attach the legs to the top might benefit by redesigning the square tenon into two or even three smaller tenons to increase the glue area of long-grain contact. The square tenon only has 2 long-grain to long-grain glue joints. The other 2 faces abut short grain in the top.

   I would make jigs for the table saw utilizing the miter gauge to cut the tenons and a jig for the mortiser to acurately locate the mortises.

   Rich

1. 
   bsnare | Jul 22, 2002 06:54am | #2

   Rich - Thanks for the input.

   I have been woodworking for many years but usually one-off, with the usual problems. I have been accumulating a fairly nice workshop, over the years, in case my job situation suddenly dimmed and I needed to become self supporting. At least to have another avenue of income available. Well, that day arrived and I am forced by circumstances to start making and selling some of the things I've made for myself over the years. I'm just trying to jump-start this and try to avoid the dumb things I have tried in the past. 

   Regarding the mortise, it isn't structural at all, only part of the design. That just happens to be the way I built the original.

   So, in light of all that, do you have any strong fellings one way or another about the best tool(s) or jig(s) to do this? If not I'm sure I'll come with something workable but it will probably weigh 20 Lbs and be waaayyyy overbuilt, as is my usual modis operandi. Thanks again for the input. That's exactly why I joined this group. To avoid the scar-tissue, so to speak.

   Regards,  Bob

1. 
   RSRose | Jul 22, 2002 08:13am | #3

   Bob,

   Good luck. It's not easy making a living selling pieces. I hope that you do well.

   I don't think that any one of your tools will do any better job than the other. It's a matter of becoming proficient with them. The basics MUST be mastered. Everything flows from there.

   I have made tenons with hand saws, table saws, band saws, routers. No preference. It depends on the specific job and my mood. You use what feels comfortable.

   I would not make the mortises with a hollow mortising chisel for the very simple reason that I have never owned one. I would cut the mortises with a router and slice out the ends square with a razor-sharp chisel, or round off the tenon ends to fit. Either way, I've learned to do that kind of thing well. So that's how I would do it.

   If you've got the hollow chisel mortiser well sharpened and operating correctly, get good at that. Measure the motise width with a dual pin marking gauge and transfer that to a table saw jig for the tenons. It is very easy to cut tenons well on a table saw, and I would go that way, IF the saw is perfectly set up, true and square.

   Rich

2. 
   BG | Jul 24, 2002 02:02am | #4

   Bob,

   I'm way over my head here but I was caught by the phrase "productions type repetitive process" (not the exact wording).  By that do you mean your going to make several of these things all day long?...and there not structural?  How bout just drilling through the 3/4" stock and the 2" stock with a 1" fostner bit and square up with Mortice machine.  Then take some one inch stock a couple of inches long and glue it into the hole?  I'm thinking its gonna be pretty tough holding onto a router all day long...and eating all the saw dust...

1. 
   bsnare | Jul 24, 2002 11:31pm | #5

   Geez, what a though! That sounds even more boring than bean-counting. No, I guess what I meant by "production" was re-producability without constantly re-seting up.

   I have re-thunk the whole issue and instead will dowel the pieces together. Sometimes if I think too long about something (or think over too many brewskis) I tend to start imagining problems that don't exist. I have it sorted out now and thank all you nice folks for your input.

2. 
   crashtestdummy | Jul 25, 2002 04:25pm | #6

   Bob, If it is not too late, you might want to consider a floating tenon. Make a router jig for your plunge router and use it on both items to be joined together, then make a long length of tenon stock, and radius all edges to fit your tenon mortises, then cut to length.

   I would rather be mountain biking.