Who makes a good tablesaw tenon jig?
user-7281983
| Posted in General Discussion on
It seems all the cast iron tenon jigs for the table saw are lousy imports. Does anyone know of a well made jig that is still available? I’m really an idiot for selling my old Delta jig from the 50’s. Now I can’t find anything that hasn’t been discontinued, that was any good!
Replies
Think back why you sold the old Delta jig from the 50's. Was it because it was big and heavy, difficult to lift onto the table and store away?
Table saw fences have improved to the point that I think the greatest accuracy can be achieved with a self-made plywood jig that straddles the table saw fence. A google image search should turn up several.
johnbarfielddesign.com
I made one with plywood and a clamp. It's a box with a homemade miter gauge and hole in the back for a clamp.
Think about it, I'm sure you'll come up your own design.
The vast majority of the tenon jigs sold for table saws are very close to the same thing. They may have slightly different adjustments but they all seem to work in the same way.
Several years back Powermatic made one that worked totally differently from all the rest. It’s a great jig that takes most of the guessing and measuring required by the other jigs out and adds great accuracy. I happen to have one and love it. Unfortunately, I think of the high price, Powermatic stopped selling these jigs this year and finding one on the used tool market is almost impossible. I saw one on the Internet the other day for more than twice the original price. There is a rumor that this jig might be brought back but there is no proof that it’s going to happen.
As others have already stated you can make your own. There are many plans available for these jigs and they’ll work about the same as those currently on the market.
Powermatic makes an excellent one but it's quite expensive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1t2_UTodQ4
If you're interested in making a tenoning jig, this fellow has an excellent design. I've used it and found it to be very easy, accurate, and dependable. Unlike many jigs, this one references off one face of the work and it automatically compensates for the saw kerf. It also includes an integrated blade guard so it's safe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XXftwASnK8
His DVD shows construction details and includes plans
If you haven't, check Rockler. Their table jigs section has a couple.
Powermatic no longer makes their jig. It’s very accurate and easy to use. I love mine. But, at over $300 it was too expensive for most woodworkers. Very few thought that the jig was as good as it is so they didn’t buy them. Recently I tried finding one on the used market for someone who wanted one. All I could find at that time was one listed at $900.
I think the best way to go is make your own tenoning jig. It's not that difficult and you can get excellent results and accuracy equal to or better than those you would derive from using a heavy steel/iron factory made item. Keep in mind, there is more than one way to make tenons. They need not always be done on the table saw.
You want to cut tenons? Look up the article by Frank Clous from years ago.I have cut hundreds of tenons with this jig
I have cut thousands of tenons on a table saw and have rarely needed a jig of any kind. Simply use the fence, stand the board on end and make the two end cuts, or use two rip blades with spacers to do both at once. Then readjust the fence and blade and using the miter guide cut the cheeks. For added safety a wide piece of plywood can be clamped to the fence for more vertical support for the end cuts.
This is obviously not for beginners but for experienced users it is efficient and safe.
For those few occasions where the piece is too small to be safely handled using just the fence, I designed a simple shop made jig using MDF. The Spax screws shown can be driven into the edge of MDF without splitting. Attached is my drawing for what it's worth.
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