Woodcraft’s tenoning jig is on sale this month. Anyone have it? What’s your opinion?? I see that it’s green — is it Woodcraft or Rikon? TIA.
forestgirl — you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can’t take the forest out of the girl 😉
Another proud member of the “I Rocked With ToolDoc Club” …. :>)
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I have one Jamie, and it works just as well as any other I've used. Even if you don't cut many tenons, it's worth having.
George
GO CUBS!!!
Jaime, Jaime, Jaime! You are such a sucker for the latest gizmo. Do you really want your saw blade sticking up in the air full tilt, having to make adjustments in all dimensions? Cutting tenons with a stack dado and your work piece laying flat on the table is so much easier and more controllable. I'd say, save your money and the storage space.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
[First of all, it's Jamie. Just to get that out of the way:>) ]
Yep, I'm a sucker. "I wanna be like Norm!" LOL. Are they really that much of a pain to adjust? Seems like if you had a bunch of identical tenons to make, it'd sure be a timesaver and give you a nice clean surface.
Have to throw the question out to everyone, "is it worth it" sorta thing.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Forest Girl,
Check out my blog to see a "tenon jig free" method for making clean tenons.Link is in the footer.Mark
Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.
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[First of all, it's Jamie. Just to get that out of the way:>) ]I knew that, but my fingers are dyslexic when typing. Think about all the issues that are involved with a tenon jig. The jig has to be running parallel with the blade, the blade has to be 90° to the table, the work piece has to be 90° to the table and square to the jig and the blade. Your are making a rip cut, crossgrain and the blade is elevated to the depth of the cut, your guard and splitter are removed. You make a single cut, shut off the saw, wait for it to stop so you can release and reposition the work. All the cuts relate to the jig, not the work piece. If you want shoulders or a haunch, it's a whole different set up. You are standing a small (in width) work piece up on end, would you make that kind of a cut without a jig? I know you wouldn't. Any play in any of the dimensions including blade wobble can have an effect on the outcome. You also have the added set up for the crosscut at the shoulder of the cut. You'll have a slender waste piece that will be dropping off and all the set ups will require test cuts, numerous in my experience. All of the things I've mentioned are true for almost every cut on a saw. In the tennoning position all of the factors work together, are more critical and more difficult to maintain. Getting the tenon dead center and to the correct size is much more difficult than other methods. The joint is useless if it isn't tight. Making micro adjustments on these jigs isn't easy and you have to pay very careful attention to the piece when clamping it in the jig. If the jig has a cheap screw or the pad doesn't work independently, it can move your piece when you tighten up. If you have ever used a cheap C clamp, you know what I mean about the piece slipping. The jigs work but the time it takes to set them up and use them is more complicated than using stacked dadoes or a router. Good stacked dadoes leave a pretty nice surface and you don't have to worry about two intersecting cuts matching. You don't have to stand pieces up on end, which is a consideration with long work. Making adjustments to the cut is simply a matter of raising or lowering the blades. Dust collection is more efficient, since the waste is kept below the table. The tenon jigs basically do one thing. If you use tenons frequently and use the exact same size set up, you may like them. I have two but they ride the shelf due to their troublesome nature.Beat it to fit Paint it to match
FG,
I bought a General a few years ago at a WWorking Show thnking it was one of those must have items for a table saw. The General can be adapted to run out of either miter slot..however, I've never seen any tenon jig that can be adjusted to fit snugly in the miter slot...and that is critical. So, regardless of the brand that is a a must.
As Hammer pointed out, everything has to be tight and square and that can be a pain because so many parts can move. Personally, I cut tenon cheeks on the bandsaw which is very fast and easy...and little cleanup of the surface.
However, I've used the tenon jig in several (non-tenon)different ways with good results...raised panels. It saves me from making other jigs that would make sure the stock is held solid vertically and the fingers are safe...its nice to have some times.
BG, I also have the general ten. jig, and with premade spacer blocks for setting cheek depth, which I use over and over, and a machinist's square, and a good T bevel, I'm happily making precision cuts in no time.
To snug up the guide rail for your Ten. jig, or miter guage, remove the rail, and turn it upside down, and take a center punch and make a series of evenly spaced punches down each side of the rail about 3/16 in from each side.
This is normal procedure, since most of the jigs are made to fit various saws, the rails are undersized to allow for differences in miter guage slots.
I also use other methods for tenons as well, band saw , stacked dado,etc. It can get boring doing it the same way all the time.
Cheers. Walker1
Walker1,
That is terrific information, thank you! I don't have much play but it doesn't take much to create a cockeyed tenon...I'm good at those...:)
Edited 7/30/2005 5:53 pm ET by BG
The new generation talks about slot mortisers and loose tenons.
Me, I'm old generation, and prefer the traditional MT joint.
I have read your post and if a dado works for you, that's good. There are so many methods available.
For me the preference for an accurate repeatable tenon is.
1.) Precise and repeatable, ready to join without further hassle is the MT jig on a table saw.
2.) Band saw, cut the tenon slightly larger and trim to fit with a shoulder plane, this takes a bit longer.
3.) Dado, as above in (2) but leave even more tolerance to trim to exact size with a shoulder plane.
A snug fitting tenon has to be within a couple of thousands in tolerance. The problem with a dado is that you cut from two opposing faces and 0.002" difference in lumber thickness from one tenon to the next, or a twist of the same dimension, can cause the joint to be too loose, or too tight.
I have a Delta, which looks similar, and don't much like it. I prefer the dado stack. Seems to me it depends on your personal criteria:
Long sticks, don't mind not having glass smooth cheeks, want perfectly centered tennons: dado stack.
Angled tennons, gotta have perfect cheeks, multiple tennons: jig.
Mark's method looks great if you have a horizontal router table. On the list ...
Just my $.02
Edited 7/29/2005 12:20 pm ET by ram
Ram, I built mine horizontal setup in an evening! No cost at all - just old particle board (MDF?) a cutout for the router base, some bolts...Mark
Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.
Visit Dust Maker
Mark, thanks for the encouragement. The real problem is, as a weekend warrior, I just have too much in the queue.
I like your blog site. Nice work, esp. the table. Forgot to bookmark, though ;-(. Can you repost?
-robert
In the footer.
ANd thanks. Since I'm painting the shop floor I have plenty of time to blog...Mark
Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.
Visit Dust Maker
I have one that must be a twin... I forgot where I got it.. But works.. I never use it.. Just once... Another thing I JUST HAD TO HAVE!
If ya lived close you could bring me a small bottle of wine and I'd give it to ya!
Edited 7/29/2005 1:14 pm ET by Will George
I'm getting one (on sale for $50, starting this weekend). The price is right, and IIRC, the recent FWW test didn't find much difference among the different brands of jigs.
There are many ways to cut a tenon, each with its pros and cons. I figure it can't hurt to have one more approach in my repetoire.
FG,
I don't know if you typically do a lot of production tenons; if not, the cost of that jig could pay for most of a decent tenon saw (I have the Adria - works very well).
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
I have the GI tenoning jig, and I use it all the time, and not just for tenons.
I'm very glad I bought it ,and I would,nt give it up. After I bought mine I did read a shootout review, and the Delta came out on top. I think it held the thickest piece of wood, and the knob adjustments were better.
Cheers. Walker1
I think it was Wood that had an issue discussing multiple ways to mortise and tenon (other than by hand tools).
When it comes to tenons the editor said the stacked dado was the method most frequently used in their woodshop because of it's simplicity and ease.
Set up with scrap the same thickness.. then if your mortises are all true.. you don't have to raise or lower the stack anymore.
Just FYI on the jig. As someone mentioned, FWW did a comparison a few months ago. The Woodcraft is the same as the Shop Fox and the cheaper Delta (identical w/ the exception of a couple pieces of hardware, the castings are exact). So use that for price comparison.
Also, the clamp arm adjustment on those three (and some others) requires an allen wrench, whereas some have a locking knob. Also bear in mind that the handle configuration varies, so if you choose to buy something, perhaps try that out or at least give thought to whether you have a preference.
I've been thinking about making a basic jig myself. Just my 2 cents.
Thanks for all the suggestions and specific information. This discussion will definitely help me decide!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I've got it. It is fine. Sure there are other ways but for $50.00 it's another weapon in the arsenal.
OOPs that second pic was the wrong file. But the jig works well.
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