Tenon Jig versus dado blade

[Gil Knowles]

Hi
I cut all my tenons with my Freud dado set SD508, while the dado set is excellent I am not totally happy with the tenons it cuts. I have never used a tenon jig and am wondering what people who have used both methods prefer. If you do use a tenon jig, what make and model do you think is the best. Also are tenon jigs fiddly to set up.

Many Thanks

Gil

[Terry Fogarty]

Im looking forward to the replies as i have my eye on a Jet tenoning jig.

[Cody Colston]

There is a long thread at WN about the preferred method for cutting dados. It's probably worth a read.

I have a tenoning jig and use it quite often. It's less trouble to set up than it is to change to a dado stack and make test cuts to get the height correct. When cutting a lot of tenons centered on the stock, it's definitely the way to go. It also leaves a much cleaner cheek without the cross-grain scoring of a dado stack.

[Mike Cutler]

Gil
I have Delta Model Tenon Jig, I think a #183. It works exactly as it should, but I have to use a page out of a magazine, literally, to tighten it up in the miter slot.
Delta maintains that this "slop" is intentional to facilitate bringing the material back through the blade.
The best Tenon Jig for a TS?
In my opinion, it would be the much older Delta Models that pop up on eBay from time to time. They weigh three times as much as Delta's current jigs, and they are big.Very stable, especially when having a larger board on end.

[George Bregar]

I would disagree with Cody...dado is easier and quicker...but tenon jig will produce better results. In addition to the cross graining rough cheek depending on how you are using the dado the thickness of the tenon can vary depending on how much pressure you exert on the board as it passes over the dado stack..which will try to lift it a bit...or if you have any slight bow. I use both. For my arts and craft stuff I use the dado stack for all the spindles. Taking them on and off the jig is too time consuming...it's easier th just rotate them 1 1/4 turn and run them through...flip and do the other end. If I'm doing tenons on the end of a rail for a table for example, I take out the jig.

[Rod Sheridan]

I preffered using the tenon jig with a rip blade on the table saw. I eventually gave up on the table saw because I couldn't come up with a good method of guarding the blade.

I now cut my tenons on the shaper, which does a better job than the table saw, and it has better guarding and dust collection.

Regards, Rod.

[Frank Drew]

Because the dado method cuts both cheek and shoulder with the same setup, it's a lot faster to get a finished tenon, IMO, than by using a tenoning jig. With a good dado set there shouldn't be enough unevenness of cut to worry about; the slight score marks caused by the outside blades won't hurt a thing when it comes to glue up.

And the dado method can cut a tenon of any length, unlike the tenon jig which is limited to your blade's maximum elevation above the table; think long tenon on a passage or exterior door rail (certainly a door rail through tenon.)

Of course, the single- or double-end tenoner owners might chime in here about how hot their machines are :D.

[Derek Stockley]

I made a couple of different tenon jigs. One was literally a right angle made of MDF that I banged together with biscuits and glue in about an hour. I ran it against my fence. Call it a proof of concept if you will. I didn't know if I was going to like the method and I didn't want to invest much in trying it. It worked, and I prefer it over my dado set. I prefer the flat cheeks and it seemed easier to tweak the fit to me. Now, there's a practical limit on the size of the board you can stand on its end, but at least for me, I think I'd prefer to lay those boards flat and use a router to cut the cheeks anyway. I ended up making a slightly more sophisticated version that had its own mitre slot runner so I didn't need to depend on my extruded aluminum fence.

Fine woodworking has a free plan for a super-simple one that could be made out of mdf in an hour or two for about $10. Search on "A Slick Tenoning Jig" on their site.

[Stephen Cherry]

I preffered using the tenon jig with a rip blade on the table saw. I eventually gave up on the table saw because I couldn't come up with a good method of guarding the blade.

I now cut my tenons on the shaper, which does a better job than the table saw, and it has better guarding and dust collection.

Regards, Rod.

Rod, what sort of cutters are you using on the shaper?

[David Thompson 27577]

Before I got my tenoning jig, I used a dado set.

I now have the (older version of the) Delta jig. I find it much easier to dial-in to the exact depth and width, than it was with the dado head. Blade height controls the length of the tenon, and is controlled by the blade height crank -- which can be micro-adjusted because it is a screw. Tenon thickness is controlled by jig position relative to the miter slot -- and on the Delta, that is also controlled by a screw. As a result, I can sneak up on a perfect tenon every time.

With a dado head, the tenon length is controlled by your eye, and in my case, that's just not as good.

I'm sure that others will have the opposite reaction, and that's OK, but that's been my experience.

[Frank Drew]

With a dado head, the tenon length is controlled by your eye...

Better to use a stop on your crosscut fence, then all the tenon shoulders are even.

[ian maybury]

There are other basic options for tenoning like the Felder or similar tipped cutters stacked on a shaper that cut both cheeks simultaneously and reference off just one side of the stock. Some also use a band saw, with or without the help of a jig. The router table also offers some options, especially with an accurately positioning fence system like that done by Incra...

Pros and cons anybody?

ian

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi, I use a carbide tipped rebate head for shorter tenons, a rip blade for deeper tenons........Rod

[paul dyar]

I have cut them on the table saw with the tendon jig, and with the dado. The last ones I cut were on the router table with the tendon jig. I think the next one will also be on the router table.
Paul

[Stephen Cherry]

Hi, I use a carbide tipped rebate head for shorter tenons, a rip blade for deeper tenons........Rod

Thanks- I'm a shaper convert, learning all I can.

Steve

[Rick Fisher]

I have a Delta tennon jig that I have not used in years. I cut tennon's in Wenge today and use a table saw to cut all 4 sides, in this case about 3/16" deep.. Then remove the material with the Bandsaw.

The TS with a miter guage leaves a nice clean, straight line.. The Bandsaw removes up to the kerf of the table saw blade.. I then give a light sand to each one with a 220 block. .

[Danny Hamsley]

I have the old Delta Tenoning Jig, and the nice thing is that once it is set to cut tenons in 3/4 stock as for rails for table aprons, there is practically no set-up time. When I need a tenon in 3/4 stock, I just slide the old girl in the miter slot, and most times the first test cuts are perfect.

[Josiah Bartlett]

I've done both, and now I cut my tenons on the bandsaw. The jig is nice for production tenon cutting, but most of my tenons are one or two-off, usually offset, and it takes more time to set up the jig and tweak the blade height just right than it does to mark out the tenon on the end of the board with a pencil, set it up and bang the fence over to the right place, and stop it exactly on the line.

[Ellen Benkin]

Fiddly -- what a great word!! It describes the problem exactly.

[Gil Knowles]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, it is appreciated.
I think I will try a tenon jig.

Gil