Replies

1. 
   BG | Feb 18, 2003 01:51pm | #1

   Dennis,

   Personally, I'd stick with the store bought tenon jig and a single blade to slice the mortice.  The clamp holds it firmly in place...no tilting...no drag of end grain on table top...slide back over blade and quickly reverse stock for other side. 

    I've gotta believe doing a cross cut on the sled for the shoulder is going to be a much cleaner cut than the dado blade? The last time I used the dado blades I was lucky enough to have my face shield on...knots were flying.  I gotta believe what you are thinking about could really throw some chips around...and produce a lousy shoulder...

   I've gotta go out now and shovel two feet of snow..your in sunny land..whats your hurry?...lol

1. 
   DennisS | Feb 18, 2003 06:47pm | #4

   Thanks for the speedy replies -

   BG - my shop built jig is pretty snug on the fence and I don't hear (or better yet, feel) much if any contact with the blade as I pull the workpiece back through after the cut. Still, though, I was surfing the Woodcraft catalog last night and I notice that the Delta tenon jig appears to ride in the left hand miter slot which puts the worker on the short side of the table. This seems like a safer place to stand during this operation.

   Ricky - I've read articles on using dado sets where it's suggested to use a paper shim to get finite adjustment on cutting widths. That's not really much of an issue since I'll just use even numbers on the dimensions for this stuff. Getting things centered will be the trick, if I go this route.

   Ron - thanks for the reference to the FWW article. I'll see if I can locate it in the archives.

   None of this will happen any time too soon since I'm still in the demo mode in the kitchen I'm re-modeling.

   Thanks again....

   ...........

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

1. 
   garth | Feb 18, 2003 07:31pm | #5

   I use two rip blade if I am going to do a lot of tenons and use old AOL CD as spacers. I also use a tenon jig that rides the fence, have made many tenon and so far no trouble. Also once you have the the blade set all the tenon come out the same.

   Scott T.

1. 
   mfg_king | Feb 18, 2003 08:38pm | #6

   I do it like scott but with (2) smaller skill saw blades, unless they're too small then I use (2) 10" combo blades. I have a hefty fixture that has a clamp and rides on the fence. The fixture has a handle on the top and right side which allows me to stand to the right of the fence and blade incase of kickback...but I've never had a problem.

   You'll also need to make/buy a zero clearance insert for the table. I just make mine from plywood for every different tenon width.

1. 
   DonStephan | Feb 18, 2003 08:53pm | #7

   After wondering why David Marks on Saturday morning HGTV was not flipping stock in his tenoning jig, I've noticed better results by keeping the same face orientation and re-adjusting the jig to cut the second shoulder. Frame stock, even when I plane it myself, never seems to be EXACTLY the same thickness throughout. Keeping the same face orientation when cutting the shoulder on both sides of the tenon means any thickness discrepancies only appear on the back side of the joint, keeping any molded profile consistent and reducing sanding time after glue up. The extra jig setup time has proven more than offset by better results and less time sanding.

2. 
   DennisS | Feb 19, 2003 05:46am | #8

   > .....use old AOL CD as spacers.

   Great! Got more spacers than arbor!! (hehe)

   Thanks.

   And thanks to all the rest for adding their thoughts and suggestions.

   ...........

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

2. 
   Ricky_Yu | Feb 18, 2003 02:01pm | #2

   I wouldn't call the multiple blade set-up foolhardy considering Delta (and possibly other manufacturers) has such an item (spacer collars, No. 34-171) for exactly that purpose. Of course, your tenon sizes are limited to the spacer sizes, which are 1/4" and 3/8". On my Unisaw, a full dado stack pretty much maxes out the arbor, so your tenon width is probably limited to about 9/16", assuming you can get spacers of that size. I still like the one blade approach because what you lose in efficiency you gain in versatility (tenons of practically any size) and precision (flipping the stock will automatically center the tenon). If you do settle on the two blade approach with the outside dado blades, make sure you have the outer part of the outside blades against the cheeks of the tenon because that side of the blade makes a deeper cut.

   From what I have read, a shop-made tenoning jig that rides on the fence is just as effective as and cheaper than a commercial one that rides in the miter slot. I have the Delta 34-183 and with the stock firmly clamped in, I have no qualms about pulling the jig back while the saw is still running. However, if your jig does require a lot of attention to get a true cut, then I would not recommend this procedure until you have eliminated all of the excessive play.

3. 
   roninfante | Feb 18, 2003 02:35pm | #3

   Dennis,

   Several years ago Mac Cambell(sp?)wrote an article for Fine Woodworking advocating the use of two blades (not dado blades) for just this application. I can't recall an exact citation but it was more than ten years ago.

   Ron