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Now let us talk about tenons. Of course just like with the mortise you could use a saw, some chisels and do this by hand. But for all the same reasons I prefer power tool methods. Now my favorite methods all involve the use of the Table Saw. And many of these cuts could be accomplish on Ban Saw as well but I find that the Table Saw produces a smoother, more accurate cut.
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The fastest way that I know to make a tenon is to use a data blade. This is special stock of blades that allow you to adjust to any size you need using this chippers and some magnetic shims. And just make sure the arbor of you table saw is long enough to accommodate the extra blades.
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Switching to a data blade is simple. I remove the zero clearance insert and remove the splitter. Next, I loosen the arbor knot using a piece of scrap to immobilize the blade. I assemble the data blade with several chippers between the outer blades.
The final width is about one inch. When tightening the arbor knot I find that most people tighten way too much. I usually secure the blade with my fingers. Put the wrench on the knot and give the wrench a few tamps with the piece of scrap wood. As soon as the blade feels like it is going to slip out of your hand, it is tight enough.
Now we have got a data blade installed. Notice that I have to remove the splitter. In this case, number one, because the insert that I use with my data blade does not have space for my splitter. And secondly, more importantly we need to pass this over the blade without making a true cut which would actually cause a major problem if we hit the splitter. After I mark the cut-lines from my tenon, I like to set the fence up as a stop.
And this will allow me the batch out as many tenons’ as I need they will all be exactly is the same. Now there is a potential safety issue here though, if I use the fences as stop, we could have a kick back when the work pieces over the blade and went through between the blade and the fence.
And that is when I use my little handy augs that we over stop at Shop Main. Made of three pieces of plywood and a couple of bolts. Now as long as the stop is in position before the blade the work piece would be properly indexed for each cut without the dang of being wedged between the blade and the fence.
Using my adjustable square I mark the location of the tenons’ shoulder.
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I do not adjust the blade to the final height on the first shot. I like to do a few test cuts on the tip of the tenon. This way if I go too far I still have the rest of the tenon to correct the error. After a quick test fit, we could see that we need to remove quite a bit more material.
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Test fit number two shows that the tenon is just a bit too big. Raise the blade just a little bit and take another cut on both sides. “Yes, who is the man?” With the fence adjusted and the blade is set at the perfect tight it is time to cut the entire tenon.
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I usually cut the tenon in about four to five passes and then flip it over and do the other side.
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Using the same methods as before, cut the sides of the tenon if necessary. And that my friends, is a tight fitting tenon. If the tenon fits too tight, a light touch with sand paper usually does the trick.
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Although it does not do me any good now, a piece of scrap wood double stick taped to the minor fence will help prevent tear-out.
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Now you could do the same operation with your standard blade. You just nibble a way the material a little bit at a time. This is okay if you have one or two tenons to make, but if you got a whole bunch, it is a tedious process and the resulting cuts usually a little bit less than ideal.
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Now, the next method requires the use of a special Jig, known as Tenoning Jig. And you could pick up one of this about 60 bucks. The basic idea here is to hold the work piece in a perfectly vertical position while passing it safely over the blade.
The resulting cut is extremely smooth and accurate and with the micro-adjustments here, you can easily dial in the perfect cut. Time for an equipment check, Tenoning Jig – check, eye protection – check, piece of wood – check, Sponge Bob pencil –check, that is how I rule.
After marking the location of the tenon shoulder as well as tenon’s profile on the ingrain I adjust the fence to my pencil line.
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And then adjust the blade height just the hair under my other my pencil line.
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And then cut the single curve on both face sides of the board. I adjust the blade height one more time to cut the sides of the tenon. This time I will take repeated passes until all the material is removed. It is just easier to finalize this dimension right now.
Before using the Tenoning Jig always make sure that the side and back stops are squared. And using my curve cut as a guide, I adjust the blade height in preparation for the Jig. While holding the work piece tight against the back and side surfaces, I use the built-in clamp to secure the work piece.
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I then use the Jigs micro-adjustment feature to make sure that the blade is about a 16th of inch away from pencil line. With the work piece secure, we can make our cuts. Be sure to wave that the cut off pieces as it flies harmlessly pass the right tip.
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After several rounds of cutting and test fitting, we now have the perfect tenon.
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