I don't use my tenoning jig much. Do you?

[Don Morris]

I was cleaning out some items from behind the bottom shelf of a storage cabinet where I don't go very often, and realized I had put my tenoning jig there because I just don't use it very often. I use my router a whole lot more for making tenons. Angled tenons? Make 'em long then cut them on an angle. It's a nice Delta tenoning jig. Many years old, looks brand new. Maybe just think it's more of a PITA to set up than my router, or am I missing something? Knowing me, I'm probably missing something. I know I see them being used in photos now and then, but I'm always saying, I'd of used my router to do that and it would have been just as accurate and easier to accomplish in my hands. Comments???

[Chris Fournier]

I had a Delta tenoning jig about 15 years ago; it looked like the models that are available today not the older single casting unit that used to be made in America and sell for $300 plus. I used it for a while and couldn't understand why I was getting poor results. Getting frustrated I took a close look at the piece and started to take some measurements and look at what happened as I put wood in it and set it up for use. It became clear to me why this new tenoning jig cost a quarter of what the old one did. It was cobbled together with several castings and steel stampings rather than the solid single machined casting of the old unit. That new model flexed more than Schwarzenegger infront of a mirror. Clamp something into this jig and it flexed itself out of my intended set up. I set it aside and made my own simple tenoning setup for my TS. Someone came into my shop and commented on wanting a tenoner like the dusty Delta under my bench. It was theirs for free - one of my first lessons about quality tools.

[Rod Sheridan]

I gave up on using a tenon jig on a table saw because I couldn't come up with a convenient and effective blade guard.

I switched to making them on a shaper, now I get better tenons in less operations with the safety features..........Regards, Rod.

[glenn bradley]

I don't use my tenoning jig much. Do you?

Yep. Tenons, sliding dovetails, bridle joints, etc. We all work differently. If you haven't found it useful, perhaps someone else has been hoping for one at a good price' win-win.

[michael case]

I'm not sure if my Delta tenoning jig would fit Chris's description. Its about 18 years old, but is Tawaniese not American made. However, its heavily made and completely rigid. Never had the least problem with it. I don't know what the modern Chinese ones are like of course. However, I use floating tenons so extensively now that it does not see that much use. One problem I have noted over the years is how people use these jigs. Even books will tell you to cut your tenon cheeks by simply flipping the wood around for the second cheek. This can lead to useless tenons as their thickness will vary according to the thickness of the wood. Even Norm did it on tv I believe. If the wood thickness is absolutely even on all your pieces then it can work. If there is any variation in the milling then your in trouble. The dead accurate way is to cut all your right cheeks then - keeping the same face to jig orientation - you adjust the jig and cut all your left cheeks. This leaves no error since adjustment of the iron jig in relation to the saw blade is what determines the tenon thickness irregardless of the wood thickness. Another nice trick is to set up dual blades and cut both cheeks at once. The advantage of these jigs is that if used properly you can cut a supremely accurate three-inch tenon with a ten-inch table saw. To me the biggest pain is not using the jig for the cheeks, but having to cut all those shoulders too. That's what lead me to fall in love with floating mortises. Ya, my router sees a lot more use now too.

[Gary Herrmann]

I've got a Delta 1172 - one of the older one piece cast jigs. It works very well. I'll be using it again if I can ever finish the hall bath and get back to my son's loft bed.

[Mike Schuch]

I have gotten a fair amount of use out of my tenon jig... but I have never actually used it for tenons though. It has been a nice heavy and secure clamp for some weird cuts that wouldn't have been safe otherwise. Having it within arms reach of the table saw makes it a natural when I am trying to figure out how I am going to accomplish what ever the weird task at hand is...

[Jim Falsetti]

Michael,

Perhaps using a spacer block equal in thickness to your tenon plus the saw blade kerf would work for you. That way your registered face is always in the same orientation on the tenoning jig, and all you do is remove the spacer for the second cut. I have used this method, and once the spacer thickness is correct, it seems to work well.

If the mortises are cut with the same chisels on the benchtop mortise machine, and the same blade is used in the TS, the same spacer can be used many times.

Jim

[Richard Shaefer]

call me crazy, but I honestly prefer to nibble down the tenons on the table saw. I like that the work piece lies flat on the table and I like the rough profile it leaves on the tenon face. I feel like I get better mechanical grip from the glue bond that way.

[Kent A Bathurst]

If I have multiples, I always go to the Delta tenon jig, after cutting shoulders on TS. Fast and accurate, with clean cheeks. For small quantities, I might use bandsaw, TS, Neander, whatever strikes my fancy. And, contrary to "crazy Richard" above :D I'm not interested in a rough face/mechanical bond on M&T any more than I am when edge-gluing a table top.

EDIT - forgot to mention - I am not really much of a "router guy" - I have a few, for hand-held operations, but no router table. Certainly no shaper.

[Neil Brooks]

50/50, for me.

I bought the Woodcraft version of ... well ... all the other nearly-identical tenoning jigs, but ... half the time, I just use my band saw to get the deal done.

I still appreciate the tenoning jig as a well-designed tool that ... simply does what I ask of it :)

[Steve Bagi]

I use mine for cutting spline slots in picture frames.

[Floyd Mah]

I used a Delta tenon jig to cut tenons for a lot of windows recently. It's a great tool for production work. I posted a modification that I made here (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?116158-Modify-your-Delta-Tenoning-jig.&highlight=) a while back. I implemented an idea from Matthias Wandel (http://woodgears.ca/tenon/jig.html) (a remarkable innovator) and was able to create very accurate tenons in large quantities.